Volpe Supports NextGen, Air Space Systems Research
NextGen conceptual image. (
Courtesy of FAA)
The Volpe Center has entered into an agreement with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center to support the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and the Airspace and Airportal projects. NextGen was enacted in 2003 under the VISION 100—Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. This work complements the Volpe Center's ongoing support to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) NextGen efforts.
The Volpe Center and other NextGen project participants from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Commerce, as well as the FAA, NASA, and the White House Office of Science and Technology in the development of NextGen. The Volpe Center team will provide technical expertise and collaboration with the Ames and Langley Research Centers and NextGen team experts to develop nominal and off-nominal scenarios for use in modeling and simulations of current National Airspace System and NextGen concepts.
Volpe Center experts will aid in developing new operational scenarios, based on a common set of external factors representing:
- Identification and classification of existing operational scenarios including those developed by NASA and the Joint Planning and Development Office, which coordinates specialized NextGen efforts of federal agencies.
- The air transportation system of today as well as NextGen.
- All phases of flight and ground operations.
- Nominal and off-nominal conditions.
Volpe Center expertise will also contribute to the review of NextGen air traffic management airborne and surface concepts and the performance of system evaluations, benefit analyses, and safety assessments to ensure the most efficient and safest air transportation system possible.
