COI Spotlight—Communications, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) and Traffic Management Systems
Volpe Center was vital to the construction of the new tower at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. (
Photo courtesy of FAA)
We continue our series COI Spotlight, which provides an overview of each new Center of Innovation (COI) within the Volpe Center. Featured this month is the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Traffic Management Systems COI.
The Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Traffic Management Systems COI maintains a staff of internationally recognized experts in the areas of communication, navigation, surveillance, and operations management, as well as information technology associated with these fields. It applies its expertise in these disciplines to enhance the capacity, safety, and security of nextgeneration transportation systems, principally the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). It serves as a focal point on Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems engineering for the civil community and fosters interagency coordination efforts.
The prime focus of the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Traffic Management Systems COI is in support of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a myriad of programs to enhance the safety, efficiency, and operations of aviation. The COI's robust portfolio of projects includes:
Developed and deployed by the Volpe Center, the Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS) is a mission-essential FAA system. (
Volpe Center Image)
- FAA Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Program, a satellite-based navigation component of the NextGen.
- FAA Wake Turbulence Program, aimed at reducing the impacts of wake vortices on aircraft separation standards and on closely-spaced parallel runways.
- FAA Traffic Flow Management (TFM) Program focused on developing tools, techniques, and future innovations throughout the U.S. aviation system.
- Prototype NextGen surface management systems implementations at international airports in New York, Orlando, FL, and Memphis, TN.
- Loran and GPS feasibility study examining merging the technologies into a tracking system in the urban and maritime environments.
- Construction support for FAA Terminal Facilities' airport traffic control towers (ATCT) construction and terminal radar approach control facilities at Dayton and Columbus, OH, Reno, NV, Sacramento, CA, and Gulfport, MS.
- Civil lead to develop an evolutionary path for government-provided PNT systems and services aimed at increasing efficiency and effectiveness.
- Implementation of Low Cost Ground Surveillance systems at Manchester, NH, West Palm Beach, FL, and San Jose, CA International Airports.
- ATCT safety risk management support to projects in Memphis, TN, New Orleans, LA, Charlotte, NC, and Morristown, NJ.
