Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) GIS interoperability through GML

The Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) is an ICAO-based (International Civil Aviation Organization) XML exchange format originating from Eurocontrol that is now readable using ArcGIS, PLTS aeronautical extension. Currently, AIXM contains a custom model for representing geographical features. To standardize the GIS elements of AIXM and to improve our ability to read AIXM using ESRI tools, we have shown one approach for integrating Geography Markup Language (GML) into the AIXM specification (GML is an Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard that is now undergoing the ISO standards process.). The resulting "AIXM profile of GML" defines a subset of GML geometry features and GML application schema constructs. We are planning to evaluate this new capability by serving AIXM data through Web Feature Services (WFS) producible with IMS. Incorporating GML into AIXM should reduce the costs of using AIXM by allowing adopters to benefit from existing ArcGIS GML support. Introduction to AICM and AIXM The Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) and the related Aeronautical Information Conceptual Model (AICM) contain hundreds of entities, attributes, data types, and relationships used to represent aeronautical data. AICM and AIXM are based on ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards. The aeronautical information models were originally developed by EUROCONTROL to aid in standardizing data exchange and aeronautical products within the European States [3,4,7]. Today, there is increasing momentum to evolve AICM and AIXM into a global standard for the exchange of aeronautical data. AICM and AIXM are being increasingly adopted by military and civil government organizations and aeronautical and GIS vendors: • Eurocontrol is successfully using AICM and AIXM to store and transmit aeronautical information from member states to a consolidated electronic AIS database [5]. Several Eurocontrol states are already using the exchange standard and related technology to create electronic Aeronautical Information Publications (eAIPs) [6]. • The United States Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) temporary flight restriction (TFR) NOTAM prototype project demonstrated that AIXM Features could be used to encode and transmit NOTAM information in a GIS format. The output from the TFR NOTAM prototype project leverages ESRI ArcGis technology to produce text and map representations of NOTAMS on the FAA’s official TFR web site [8].