1. 1 / 14 VoIP SYSTEMS for FAA Henning Schulzrinne, Supreeth Subramanya, Xiaotao Wu Department of Computer Science Columbia University Date: Feb 25, 2008

2. 2 / 14 DISCUSSION FLOW Part 1 – The Bigger Picture What problem is the system trying to solve? Why is the problem important? Part 2 – Design of VoIP System How is the system designed? Part 3 – Conclusion How well has the problem been solved? Where do we go from here?

3. 3 / 14 THE BIGGER PICTURE (1/3) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Agency of the U.S. DoT with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of US civil aviation FAA Academy The education and training division of FAA We’re working with a group responsible for training the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) ATC training levels – low fidelity, medium fidelity and high fidelity Photos - http://www.cba.uri.edu/classrooms/pictures/computerlab.jpg & http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/10307.jpg

4. 4 / 14 FAA Academy Communication System Three parallel networks in every classroom and lab Data Network (Fast or Gigabit Ethernet) Voice Network (Analog, hardwired point-to-point connections) Video Network (Graphical simulations) Disadvantages Difficult to add new training scenarios Uses obsolete equipments, no longer available without custom manufacture Solution – convergence of Data and Voice networks Digital vs. analog Better utilization of bandwidth Reconfigurability in connections I’m in THE BIGGER PICTURE (2/3)

5. 5 / 14 What are the ATCs trained on? Learning to use air traffic control devices & displays Communicating and coordinating with Pilots / ATCs Many more aspects Learning the air traffic rules Developing a mental picture of air-space and air-timing Why should we care? We are designing the communication system We’ll have to use air traffic control devices and displays for input/output Photo - http://www.aeroport.public.lu/pictures/en/administration/atc/atc_003.jpg THE BIGGER PICTURE (3/3)

6. 6 / 14 DESIGN OF VoIP SYSTEM (1/6) Voice over IP (VoIP) Routing of voice communication over an IP network (E.g., the Internet) INTERNET PC–to–PC (Microsoft NetMeeting) PC–to–Phone (Skype) Phone–to–Phone (International Calls)

7. 7 / 14 Dual Sector Scenario Single Sector Scenario FAA Academy classroom Consists of up to 26 configurable student positions (ATC, Pilot) and 1 instructor Students and instructor use computer and push-to-talk (PTT) device Instructor loads a flight scenario and teaches/tests the students DESIGN OF VoIP SYSTEM (2/6)

8. 8 / 14 Communication Scenarios 1.Radio Communication Broadcast mechanism for the ATC and all of the pilots in his sector 2.Point-to-point Communication ATC communicates with neighboring ATCs during pilot handoff 3.Active Monitoring Classroom supervisor may monitor students (i.e. listen to what they hear/talk) 4.Automatic Notification Real-time tracking of particular events 5.Recording Ability to record a communication sessions with VCR-like controls (record, play, pause etc) DESIGN OF VoIP SYSTEM (3/6)

9. 9 / 14 User Interfaces and I/O Devices Five rich graphical interfaces Students – Pilots, ATCs Instructors – Master Instructor, Position Instructors Five I/O devices Push -To -Talk (PTT) Touch-screens Foot-pedals Speakers Keyboard & mouse Foot Pedal Push-To-Talk ATC Control Screen DESIGN OF VoIP SYSTEM (4/6)

10. 10 / 14 Position Instructor ATC Pilot Master Instructor MAP UA SIP proxy server RTSP server File server Presence server Unified VoIP Server SIP-CGI Configuration Database IP Network DESIGN OF VoIP SYSTEM (5/6) The VoIP System Architecture

11. 11 / 14 Novel System Development Methodology Design Philosophy – software prototyping Allows rapid development, iterative requirements adaptation Hardware – software integration Wrap every piece of hardware and talk to the wrapper Self-correcting design to recover from component failures Standards-based solution Built using the Internet standards (SIP, RTP, RTSP) Can be integrated with PSTN telephones or any other VoIP system Extensibility Ability to integrate newer hardware and GUI Ability to add / modify / configure communications DESIGN OF VoIP SYSTEM (6/6)

12. 12 / 14 The good Columbia’s Thought-to-finish approach Handled everything from design to development to deployment 5 onsite visits to FAA, Oklahoma + 2 VoIP training sessions Success story FAA VoIP deployed in 5 classrooms (2 more expected by year end) CONCLUSION (1/3) The bad and the ugly (a.k.a. lessons learnt) Prototype system vs. production system Deployment environment, where users aren’t CS graduates Remote debugging is a challenge (even for trivial issues) Interference due to malfunctioning of associated systems

13. 13 / 14 The Road Ahead… Know our system strengths Standards-based voice communications system on data networks (e.g. the Internet) Extensible, configurable design framework (to adapt to newer requirements) Explore possibilities Plethora of FAA classrooms that run 50-years old hardwired communication system Corporate and other federal organizations that use old communication system Our shortcomings Limited resources (developer time, travel constraints) Not a full-fledged product (a.k.a very limited support) CONCLUSION (2/3)

14. 14 / 14 Thank you for your time and support CONCLUSION (3/3)