Attachment 10 - Implementation Considerations 2021-05-18.pdf

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Attachment 10 - Implementation Considerations In planning for a transition from Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS) to Surveillance and Broadcast and Information Services (SBIS) there are a number of factors and constraints to consider. Given the complex and expansive nature of the National Airspace System (NAS), a transition from the existing SBS to SBIS will require detailed planning and involve a period of dual operations to successfully cut-over to the new system with minimal interruption to services. For an efficient implementation and transition to occur there are various items to consider during planning and execution, including, but not limited to, those described in this document that focuses on FAA facility conditions and system integration and testing. This RFI and the March 2021 industry briefing identify some additional items, such as frequency management and uplink considerations and Gulf of Mexico challenges.

The FAA determines readiness for deployment through an In-Service Decision (ISD) which brings additional items to consider in planning for transition and implementation. Some major components of an ISD are a safety risk management review, test & evaluation, and security assessment and authorization.

The various acquisition strategies also may introduce additional implementation considerations. For example, government owned and operated strategies would need to account for FAA training and workforce growth to support operations and maintenance. The following considerations should apply regardless of acquisition strategy.

1. Site Access Constraints Due to Operations and Moratoriums Implementation and transition plans should consider site access constraints due to operations and moratoriums.

Facility and system integration implementation and testing for SBIS should consider the type of facility and its staffing levels and operating hours. Some facilities are staffed 24x7 while others are staffed during normal working hours. Typically, work will need to be scheduled during off-peak hours at those various facilities.

The FAA institutes national work moratoriums during the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year holiday periods and no work is performed on NAS-related systems during these moratoriums. Typically, these moratoriums start the Friday prior to the holiday week and end the Monday following the holiday; the Christmas/New Year holiday period may be longer. There are also site-specific moratoriums that can occur, often associated with significant events, for example, major sporting events and aviation events that bring extra air traffic to an area.

2. Space and Geography NAS facilities are located in a broad range of geographies and locations. Sites are in urban and remote locations, mountainous areas, near open water, within airport property and at DoD locations. Both staffed and unstaffed NAS facilities will require an FAA escort to gain access to the site. Most staffed facilities have good transportation options to the facility, telecommunications service availability, and commercial power. In contrast, many unstaffed NAS facilities, particularly those in remote and

SBIS RFI-2 Attachment 10 2 mountainous areas, are several hours from FAA field service resources and may have limited transportation options, inconsistent or no commercial power, and outdated telecommunications facilities.

FAA facilities differ in staffing, construction and configuration, even those of the same type. Variations exist between sites for floor plans and power configurations, including availability of emergency generators and/or Uninterruptable Power Sources (UPS). Equipment rooms vary in space and location.

Equipment space may be floor, rack, or wall mount. For example, one Airport Traffic Control Tower’s (ATCT) equipment room may be in the basement floor while another ATCT’s equipment room may be located on the tenth floor directly under the ATCT Cab.

Many FAA operational facilities where automation equipment is located will present unique situations for the implementation of SBIS equipment. Additional space, power, and telco is often limited or not available in these facilities. For example, floor space for a new rack of data delivery equipment for SBIS may not be available. This creates challenges for safe equipment placement and operating environment during periods of dual operations.

For sites where radio equipment is located, the vast majority of the current SBS radio sites are on private/leased property with a small percentage on FAA/Government property. It is anticipated the availability and/or usefulness of FAA/Government property for radio sites will remain low and as such implementation and transition planning should assume a similarly low percentage of FAA/Government property usage. The majority of sites will require arrangements for use of private property.

3. Automation Integration Transition planning will need to address how to integrate and turn on SBIS with automation systems, to include terminal, en route, and surface automation systems internal and external to the FAA, while minimizing impact to the existing SBS operating with the same automation systems.

The FAA automation platforms are:

• Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) (145 operational facilities),

• En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) (20 operational facilities),

• Micro En Route Automated Radar Tracking System (MEARTS) (4 operational facilities),

• Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) / ADS-B – Airport Surface Surveillance

Capability (ASSC) (44 operational facilities), and

• Advanced Technologies & Oceanic Procedures (ATOP) (3 operational facilities).

Currently SBS also feeds three Mexico/SENEAM Air Traffic Control (ATC) Facilities.

SBIS will need to integrate with Department of Defense (DoD) STARS systems as well. Currently there are 10 DoD STARS and it is anticipated this may grow to around 40 facilities and may include other automation systems besides STARS.

Coordination with each automation system owner platform to align with any upgrades that may be occurring and for the automation to accept a second input for SBIS will need to occur. Current automation systems are limited to a single multicast, which if utilized in an SBIS solution will necessitate system modifications.

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4. Testing and Cut-Over Plans for initial deployment and facility and system integration testing should consider locations for Key Site testing to cover each automation system and account for different levels of traffic, geographic locations / environmental conditions and types of aircraft that can impact system performance. Initial Key Site testing at the William J. Hughes Technical Center (Tech Center), with a test support system deployed in the Tech Center area, should occur prior to build-out and integration at operational Key Sites.

Plans for cutover also need to factor in conduct of dedicated aircraft flight checks by the FAA to confirm system performance coverage for each Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility, Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), and MEARTS facility.

The transition to SBIS should also consider comparisons of site-specific SBIS coverage performance to SBS performance in order to confirm acceptable performance for air traffic at each facility.

Plans for integration and testing should consider that larger facilities (22 ARTCCs and Core 30 Terminal) will use test strings before transitioning to the operational string and require multiple transition (cutover) tests. At medium sites (47 terminal facilities), test planning should consider multiple cutover tests using partitioning with new adaptation configurations. At small sites (70 terminal facilities), consider multiple tests during lull operational periods before cutover.

During SBS implementation, the schedule was highly dependent upon new automation upgrades and associated training for ATC personnel, and the FAA supported approximately 25 SBS flight checks per year.