Not listed TAS::80 0125::TAS RECOVERY ACT FUNDS RECOVERY - TASK TITLE: INVESTIGATING, MODELING, AND ANALYSIS OF INTEGRATED METROPLEX ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE COORDINATION CONCEPT 1.0 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: BY THE YEAR 2025, THE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN THE U.S. IS PREDICTED TO INCREASE TWO TO THREE TIMES. THE TRADITIONAL AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS GROWTH. THE NEXT GENERATION AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (NEXTGEN) (WWW.JPDO.GOV/NEXTGEN.ASP) HAS BEEN CONCEIVED TO HANDLE THIS GROWTH. IT INVOLVES A TRANSFORMATION OF THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM (NAS), INCLUDING OUR NATIONAL SYSTEM OF AIRPORTS, USING 21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGIES TO ENSURE THAT FUTURE SAFETY, CAPACITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS ARE MET. THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION'S (NASA) NEXT GENERATION AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (NEXTGEN)-AIRPORTAL PROJECT WORKS IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH THE NEXTGEN-AIRSPACE PROJECT TO CONDUCT AIRSPACE AND AIRPORT FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH AND DISCIPLINE-BASED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NATION. THE AIRPORTAL PROJECT FOCUSES NASA'S TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES TO ENABLE THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE EFFICIENCY IN THE USE OF GATES, TAXIWAYS, RUNWAYS, METROPLEX AIRSPACE, AND OTHER AIRPORT RESOURCES. IN PURSUIT OF THAT GOAL, THE PROJECT IS RESEARCHING, DEVELOPING, DEMONSTRATING, AND VALIDATING OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS, PROOF-OF-CONCEPT SYSTEMS, METHODOLOGIES, TECHNOLOGIES, TOOLS, AND OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE AIR TRANSPORTATION CAPACITY AND EFFICIENCIES IN THE AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT WHILE ENABLING ASSOCIATED ELEMENTS OF THE NEXTGEN AS DEFINED BY THE JOINT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE (JPDO) (WWW.JPDO.GOV/NEXTGEN.ASP). THE JPDO NEXTGEN CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS DEFINES A METROPLEX AS A GROUP OF TWO OR MORE ADJACENT AIRPORTS WHOSE ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE OPERATIONS ARE HIGHLY INTERDEPENDENT. THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA), THE JPDO, AND OTHERS HAVE PROJECTED INCREASED DEMAND OVER THE TIMEFRAME OF THE NEXTGEN IMPLEMENTATION, AND EXPECT MUCH OF THAT DEMAND GROWTH TO BE IN THESE METROPLEX AREAS. THE RESULTING TRAFFIC GROWTH WILL ALSO INCREASE THE COUPLING (INTERACTIONS) OF OPERATIONS IN OTHER REGIONS AND POTENTIALLY CREATE NEW METROPLEX AREAS. METROPLEX OPERATIONS TODAY ARE GENERALLY LOOSELY COORDINATED, WITH THE MAJOR EXCEPTION OF OPERATIONS DURING PERIODS OF REGIONAL INCLEMENT WEATHER, WHEN DEMAND IS EXTREMELY RESTRICTED. IN THE FUTURE, CLOSE COORDINATION OF OPERATIONS BETWEEN AIRPORTS IN A METROPLEX WILL BE REQUIRED TO MANAGE SHARED AIRSPACE, BUT THE PARAMETERS THAT DETERMINE THE COUPLING OF OPERATIONS ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF CONDITIONS AND AIRSPACES ARE NOT WELL-UNDERSTOOD. 2.0 SCOPE OF WORK: THE SCOPE OF THIS WORK IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONCEPT THAT ENHANCES INTEGRATED METROPLEX ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE COORDINATION, DETERMINES THE TEMPORAL (THE USE OF TIME SEPARATION FOR AIRCRAFT SHARING THE SAME AIRSPACE RESOURCES) AND SPATIAL (THE USE OF DIFFERENT ROUTES OR VERTICAL PROFILES FOR AIRCRAFT STREAMS AT ANY GIVEN TIME) IMPACT OF METROPLEX TRAFFIC COORDINATION WITHIN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM (NAS), AND QUANTIFIES THE BENEFITS OF THE MOST DESIRABLE METROPLEX TRAFFIC COORDINATION CONCEPT. STUDIES CONDUCTED UNDER THE 2006 NRA, SUBTOPIC 20 (METROPLEX OPERATIONS) WERE DESIGNED TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF THE METROPLEX. THESE STUDIES PRODUCED CHARACTERIZATIONS OF METROPLEX OPERATIONS AND BUILT AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONSTRAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH METROPLEX OPERATIONS. THIS RESEARCH CONTINUES PRIOR PROGRESS CONTRIBUTING TO THE COLLECTIVE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT METROPLEX OPERATIONS AND IS A CRITICAL PART OF ENABLING HIGH CAPACITY, EFFICIENT AND SAFE METROPLEX OPERATIONS AND BUILDS UPON THAT WORK CONDUCTED BY THE CONTRACTOR UNDER NRA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NNX07AP63A. THESE STUDIES PROVIDED AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PARAMETERS CRITICAL TO MINIMIZING AIRPORT INTERDEPENDENCIES, AND TO ENABLING THE FULL RUNWAY INFRASTRUCTURE (ALL RUNWAYS IN THE MET Not listed $496.9k 6/8/10