Direct alerting to the cockpit for runway incursions

The NTSB has identified the reduction of runway incursions as one of the top priorities for the FAA to address. A number of systems based on ground-based technologies have been developed and deployed: airport movement area safely system (AMASS), the airport surface detection equipment, Model X (ASDE-X), and the runway status light (RWSL) system. Nevertheless, these methods are not expected to fully resolve the runway incursion problem. The expected adoption of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) systems will enable cockpit-based alerting solutions that fill in the gaps and provide flight crews with timely information regarding potential conflicts. This paper describes the background, requirements, and development issues relating to a direct alert to the cockpit (DAC) system. It also describes a PC-based simulation tool that has been developed for the DAC effort. Before development commences, top level requirements are laid out and key assumptions are made regarding the runway conflict problem and how direct alerting might address it. Other technologies are examined as well to determine the gaps that must be covered. The first step in the DAC development process involves identifying all of the potential runway incursion scenarios. ADS-B data is used to establish a "track file" of position, speed, and heading for the own-ship and each detected traffic element. The DAC logic then formulates vectors that intelligently predict vehicle locations for critical look-ahead times, based on the possible scenarios. Finally, the system then analyzes vehicle performance capabilities to determine if and precisely when a particular alert is provided to the cockpit. A primary challenge of the DAC effort is developing an alerting system that is not perceived as a nuisance to flight crews and airport traffic managers. The goal is to produce logic that will significantly reduce runway incursions while minimizing false alerts that would adversely impact an airport's efficiency. This will be achieved through evaluation of human factors issues and the use of a conflict generation tool for preliminary testing.