1. What’s New with AIXM 5

2. Explaining AIXM 5 Mission and Objectives Building blocks of AIXM 5
Coverage of the AIXM 5 data model
Scope of aeronautical information
Emerging “partner” standards
Building blocks of AIXM 5
International standards
Engineering practices

3. Mission and Objectives
Standards-based data model and exchange format that can satisfy the aeronautical information exchange requirements for current and future aeronautical information applications
Based on global aeronautical data requirements
ICAO standards and practices
Industry requirements
Support current and future AIM information system requirements
Digital Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs)
Automated charting and publications
Integrated digital NOTAMs
Aerodrome Mapping Databases and applications
Situational displays
The goal for AIXM 5 is to provide an extensible, modular aeronautical information exchange standard that can be used to satisfy information exchange requirements for current and future aeronautical information applications. These applications include:
Automated production of Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs)
Automated aeronautical chart creation and publication systems
Integrated NOTAMs (e.g., xNOTAM)
Aerodrome Mapping Databases (AMDBs) and related applications
Electronic Flight Bag data requirements
Cockpit situational displays and Flight Management System (FMS) data requirements

4. Aeronautical Information is geospatial
Locations
Airspace boundaries
Airport layouts
Routes
Cartography
Bearings

5. Aeronautical Information changes in Time
Commissioning
A new runway
Decommissioning
Closing a runway
Temporary changes
Declared distance changes during day and night
Partial runway closures
Field conditions caused by weather
XXXXXXXX

6. Aeronautical Information is complex
Located at an Airport
Used on an enroute Route
Has coverage areas
Used on a Departure Procedure
Provides angle indication for a fix
Has owner/operator
What is a VOR?
Are you a cartographer, pilot, flight inspector, frequency engineer, airspace officer, obstacle evaluator, facilities service technician?

7. Aeronautical information is criticality
Data quality?
Information provided by AIS is used for air navigation, ATC, ATM and other related services, which are essential to the safe movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air.
It has been identified many years ago that: “The role and importance of aeronautical information/data changed significantly with the implementation of area navigation (RNAV), required navigation performance (RNP) and airborne computer based navigation systems. Corrupt or erroneous aeronautical information/data can potentially affect the safety of air Navigation” [ICAO Annex 15].
On the ground and in the air, the quality and certification of aeronautical information shall be comparable with the quality and certification levels of physical aircraft components, spare parts, fuel, etc..

8. We need aeronautical information integrity “Right Information, Right Place, Right Time”
State 2
AIP, charts, etc.
State 1
Data management
NOTAM
bulk data upload
data
update
services
AIP, charts, etc.
Data management
NOTAM
ARO
NOTAM
Briefing
eAIP, iPIB
Applications
Data Service Provider
AIP
State 3
AIP, charts, etc.
NOTAM
Regional database
In order to ensure the quality of the aeronautical information originated by the States and also to improve cost-efficiency, automation started being introduced in the AIS world, in two directions:
inside AIS – database based products – charts, AIP, NOTAM, etc. [Islands of data management]
inter-AIS – Interoperability through data exchange/sharing [system wide perspective on information management]
When we look at a simplified picture of the data chain, information flows are increasingly complex and involve many actors. Aeronautical information is complex with multiple suppliers and consumers, interconnected systems and the need for real time information.
High quality, easy access to aeronautical data, based on world-wide agreed standards is needed if we want to ensure:
the quality of the aeronautical information required by modern air navigation and ATC systems
the efficiency and the cost effectiveness of the system
AIXM, the main subject of this presentation, has emerged from the need of the European States to implement regional AIS interoperability.
DATA
AFTN (low bandwidth)
AIP
Surface mail

9. Aeronautical Information Management and AIXM
AIP
AIP
NOTAM
NOTAM
Now, let’s look from another angle at the complex picture presented in a previous slide. If we consider the 3 basic roles in the aeronautical information chain:
the data originator (airport in this image)
the AIS office (issuing the ‘official’ information - AIP, NOTAM)
the service provider (combining the ‘official’ data from different geographical sources and providing services to end users (pre-flight briefing, flight planning, flight manuals, navigation charts, etc.). Note that the service provider could be a commercial company, the briefing office of the Air Navigation Service Provider organisation, etc. It is just a role, not an actor.
Traditionally, the information exchange between the 3 roles was through (paper) documents. With the introduction of the automation and databases, the content of these documents is imported/managed/exported at every step, in and out product-oriented databases. Even more recently, these databases have started to become data oriented, organisation-wide. But the exchange between the roles remains through documents/products. This is inefficient and error-prone. The complete “AIM” solution is to do the data exchange inside the digital data layer and not outside it.
This is the AIXM role: to enable exchanging the full scope of aeronautical data, both permanent and temporary, in a single exchange format, which can be used to automate both the internal and the external processes.
“data layer”

10. Explaining AIXM 5 Mission and Objectives Building blocks of AIXM 5
International standards
Engineering practices
Coverage of the AIXM 5 data model
Scope of aeronautical information
Emerging “partner” standards

11. Engineering AIXM ISO 19136 Geography Markup Language
Geography and Geometry
ISO Geography Markup Language
Complexity
ISO series
UML, XML, Extensibility
Temporality
ISO Temporal
Permanent and Temporary changes
Integrity
Universal Unique Identification (UUID)
ISO Metadata
Criticality
XML Computer – Computer Exchange

12. AIXM is based on International Standards
Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM)
ISO Spatial
Extensible Markup Language (XML)
ISO Temporal
ISO Geography Markup Language (GML)
ISO Metadata
Universal Markup Language (UML)
Conceptual standards
Exchange standards

13. Why is ISO19100 series important?
Common foundation for domain model
International concepts and terminology
Common models: temporality, geometry, metadata…
Product Specifications
(Exchange Messages)
A core requirement and basis for AICM and AIXM version 5 is the adoption of the ISO19100 series of geo-spatial information standards. The ISO series standard provide a common foundation for building a domain model like AICM/AIXM for the aeronautical domain.
Why are ISO standards so important? Because ISO standards provide a well-thought out foundation for building the AICM data model. The ISO model includes internationally acceptable models for temporality, geometry and meta-data that should be included in AICM. Basically the ISO series has three components:
General feature model or framework for building a conceptual model. This includes models for temporality, geometry and meta-data
Application schema – Standards for modeling and documenting a particular domain
Produce specifications – standards for describing system exchange messages.
ISO = International Standards Organization
ISO = Geospatial Standards
Application Schema
(Domain Model)
General Feature Models
(Framework)

14. Value of ISO Standards
Internationally developed standards for expressing geographical data
Features - Airports, Runways, Airspace
Metadata - Data originator, Status, Published Date
Temporality - Start and end dates
Geometry - Point, Line, Polygon
Helps us organize information for the aeronautical domain
Well-established
Geography Markup Language (GML)
Widely adopted and implemented by vendors and governments
Why are ISO standards so important? Because ISO standards provide a well-thought out foundation for building geographical data exchange specification, that can be applied to AIXM. The ISO standards includes internationally accepted models for temporality, geometry and meta-data that should be included in AIXM. Basically the ISO series has three layers:
General feature model framework for building a conceptual schema that represents in a formal way the universe of discourse
Application schema specification – A conceptual schema that defines how a universe of discourse shall be described as data is called an application schema; this level gives the possibility to re-use the already defined ISO concepts for temporality, geometry, metadata, etc.
Data encoding specification – which is our final objective. This will provide the AIXM 5 XML Schema modules that containing XML representations of the features, properties and messages and can be used to build custom system to system interchange messages
The ISO standards help us organize the AIXM model in an internationally understood framework. By using ISO we can leverage well-established standards like GML. Use of standards improves interoperability and reduces barriers to adoption by vendors and governments.

15. Unified Modeling Language (UML)

16. Extensible Markup Language (XML)
Web Page HTML
<h2><a href="sdat2/html/download.htm"> SDAT 5.7 Release</a></h2>
<h3 class="byline">New Features >></h3>
<p> <ul>
<li>Create traffic collections based on a sector number. (Flights flown through specified sector(s))</li> …
XML – Extensible Markup Language
Have you looked at what is underneath a web page?
XML has a similar look to HTML
Computer readable
Electronic exchange
Vendor supported
XML Document
<RunwayDirection>
<Designator>20L</Designator>
<VFRPattern>RIGHT</VFRPattern>
</RunwayDirection> …
The last topic I want to cover in this introduction to information engineering is XML. As you probably know, AIXM is an XML language for aeronautical data. But what is XML? XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. Have you ever looked at what is underneath a web page? You can do this in Microsoft Internet explorer by going to a web page, right clicking and selecting View Source. If you look under a web page you’ll see all these tags like <h2> and <li> that are used to tell the computer how to display the text and graphics.
Well HTML is a type of XML. HTML is a version of XML used for formatting information for display in a web browser. XML is a more generic term that describes any grammar using specific encoding rules.
HTML = Hyper Text Markup Language
XML = Extensible Markup Language

17. Key Concept: Geometry and GML
Geometry important property of aeronautical information
Airspace polygons
Airport Reference Points
Navaid location

18. Key Concept: Geometry and GML
Geometric and cartographic calculations
Label placement
Distance between Navigation Aids
Course and bearing
Airspace penetrations
Flight planning

19. Key Concept: Geometry and GML
ISO Geography Markup Language (GML)
Vendor independent standard
Based on XML
Good industry adoption

20. Temporality Model Definition Key assertions AIXM Temporality Model
A model that incorporates the concept of time
Key assertions
All features are temporal with start of life and end of life
Example, A new air traffic control sector
All features change over time
Example, A VOR is out of service for a day
AIXM Temporality Model
Relates features to the time extent in which they are valid
Provides various means to describe the time extent
Temporality is the last major concept of AIXM 5. A temporal model is one that incorporate the concept of time. In AIXM we recognize that all aeronautical data is temporal. Aeronautical features have a start of life and end of life. In addition aeronautical features can change over time. The AIXM temporality model is used to describe when features are valid and when feature properties change over time.

21. An Example: Navaid frequency change
Imagine that AML Navaid undergoes an upgrade that changes its frequency from 112 MHz to MHz…
Schedule permanent change to coincide with AIRAC update cycle
Shutdown AML before the upgrade
Perform the upgrade
Start AML in test mode to evaluate change
This slide illustrates the temporal model for a hypothetical NAVAID called AML. Imagine that the NAVAID is undergoing scheduled maintenance that will result in a new Frequency.
Before the frequency change the AIP publishes a baseline of the AML NAVAID indicating all of its properties. Before maintenance begins the AML NAVAID is taken offline for upgrades. This operational status change results in TemporalDelta1. Once the frequency change is made there is a permanent delta indicating a frequency change. A new Baseline starts at the new AIRAC cycle. Finally after the frequency change the NAVAID is placed in operational status = test. A second temporary delta is created for this operational status change.
In all this scenario generates 4 versions of the NAVAID. A version is created at the start and end of each delta.

22. An Example: Navaid frequency change
Imagine that AML Navaid undergoes an upgrade that changes its frequency from MHz to MHz…
This slide illustrates the temporal model for a hypothetical NAVAID called AML. Imagine that the NAVAID is undergoing scheduled maintenance that will result in a new Frequency.
Before the frequency change the AIP publishes a baseline of the AML NAVAID indicating all of its properties. Before maintenance begins the AML NAVAID is taken offline for upgrades. This operational status change results in TemporalDelta1. Once the frequency change is made there is a permanent delta indicating a frequency change. A new Baseline starts at the new AIRAC cycle. Finally after the frequency change the NAVAID is placed in operational status = test. A second temporary delta is created for this operational status change.
In all this scenario generates 4 versions of the NAVAID. A version is created at the start and end of each delta.

23. Explaining AIXM 5 Mission and Objectives Building blocks of AIXM 5
International standards
Engineering practices
Coverage of the AIXM 5 data model
Scope of aeronautical information
Emerging “partner” standards

24. AIXM Coverage and Related Standards
AIXM Core
AIXM Core
AIP Data
Airport
Operations
Others…
AMDB
AirMAT
NOTAM
Data
Obstacles
WXXM
Based on same ISO framework
Ensures consistency
Reduces implementation complexity
Reduces integration complexity

25. AIXM Coverage Aerodrome/Heliport Airspace Holding Navaids and Points
Obstacles
Organizations
Procedures
Refueling Aerial
Routes
Services
Surveillance
Shared Components
Geometry
Notes
Time Management
Aircraft
AIXM 5 is divided into 10 conceptual areas and 4 shared components. These areas and components are listed on this slide. In the rest of this briefing I will highlight aspects of the conceptual areas.

26. Services example

27. Application Schemas Using AIXM to meeting business needs:
Digital NOTAM
Procedure design
Charting
Airport mapping applications
AIXM Core
Airport
Airpace
Obstacles
Etc.
Application Schema
AIXM Compliant XML messages designed to meet business needs.
Limited feature sets
Restrict
Cardinality
Extend
Customer Properties
Workflow
Portrayal/Visualization

28. Application Schemas (FAA) Minimum IFR Altitude areas
Airport Mapping Databases
Digital NOTAM
(EUR) Flexible Use of Airspace
(FAA) AirMAT Airport Layouts
(FAA) Flight Procedure Packages
AIXM WFS
Airport Layout App Schema
Airport Layout Plan
AIXM DB
Information Bus
Airport GIS
Process Manager
Digital NOTAM App Schema
NOTAM Creator
NOTAM
Process Manager
FPP App Schema
Procedure Designer
Procedure Design
Process Manager

29. What’s new in AIXM 5 Mission and Objectives Best practices design
Support for current and emerging aeronautical information processes
Digital NOTAM, Procedure Design, Special Use Airspace, Flexible Use of Airspace
Best practices design
International standards
Extensible and Modular
Expanded coverage
Airport Mapping, Airport Layouts, Procedure Design, Obstacles
Application Schemas support Aeronautical Business Processes
More details Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning