1. Welcome and Introductions
On behalf of the AIXM team I would like to welcome you to the 2008 AIXM User Meeting. Thank you for joining us this week.

2. 3rd AIXM User Conference
Celebrate the release of AIXM 5
Data model of aeronautical information
“AIXM 5 in Action”
Real world applications from AIS providers
International adoption
Availability of vendor support
This is the 3rd AIXM User’s Conference. This year we celebrate the release of AIXM 5. In addition our theme for the conference is “AIXM 5 in Action.” We chose this theme because of the increasing number of applications being developed using AIXM 5. At the conference we will be spotlighting real world applications from AIS service providers. Our colleague from ICAO will discuss the steps towards formal adoption. Our vendor community is here with exhibits and presentations showing casing AIXM 5.

3. Introductions AIXM Conference Organizers Special thanks to Brett Brunk
Edna Weitzman
Kimberly Middleton
Norm Wood
Special thanks to
Diana Liang - FAA
David Lewtas - ICAO
Eduard Porosnicu – EUROCONTROL
Miguel Declerk – LUCIAD
Jeff Bell – NGA
Don Smith – CSSC
Vinod Vallikat – CGH Technologies
Navin Vembar – CNA Corporation
Steve Chase – MITRE/CAASD
Dejan Demjanovic – GEOEYE
Sam Bacharach – OGC
Kevin Lynch – ESRI
Frank Suykens – LUCIAD
Iain Hammond – MDA
Colonel Edward Rosado – USAF
Thomas Lutz – Frequentis
Jim Simmons – Oracle
Paul Heffley – L3 Comm.
Subramanyam Nadavala – L3 Comm.
Let me begin by introducing the AIXM Conference organizers. Also special thanks to our presenters over the new two days.

4. Why AIXM? Three Challenges One Opportunity
AIXM is the language of aeronautical information
and foundation for modernizing AIS
Three Challenges
Safety
Capacity
Institutional Issues
One Opportunity
Enabling next generation air traffic concepts
As I was getting ready for this conference I started to think to my self “Why AIXM?” Why are we making these investments in a globally applicable data exchange standard for aeronautical information. It is all about good communication. Today, we couldn’t be standing in this room together without a common language – ENGLISH. Today in the aeronautical world, we don’t have a common language and it makes our work more difficult.
We have three challenges: Safety, Capacity and Institutional Issues that require a common standard. In addition AIXM is needed to enable next generation air traffic concepts.

5. AIS Safety Issues Information Overload and Inconsistencies
Pilot situational awareness, comprehension and synthesis jeopardized
Customer Aeronautical Information Overload
Customers need to
Manually parse and evaluate multiple products
Deal with inconsistent, missing, inaccurate information
Use paper products
Need multiple sources to get complete picture
AIP
The problems of traditional AIS approaches have a situational awareness impact on our customers.
The reality is that many of our aeronautical information operations are not ready for next generation or even current air traffic systems: the aeronautical data chain is broken. Aircraft are equipped for the 21st century with GPS, electronic flight bag, automatic dependence surveillance and a host of other technology; meanwhile our aeronautical information operations are promulgating paper charts, publications and NOTAMS. They use non-standard data from multiple sources and suffer with missing, inconsistent and inaccurate information. To make matters worse, we keep increasing the amount of information customers need to parse to determine what is important for their flight. Instead we could be providing aeronautical products that make it easier for pilots to maintain situational awareness.
We must transform to digital, consolidated, globally-interoperable aeronautical information

6. AIS Capacity Improve Predictability Through Better Information
Airport Capacity
Airspace Capacity
Weather
Energy
Environmental
Air Traffic Operations
Finance
Graphic taken from June 2005 NextGen Policy Briefing (jpdo.gov)
The reality is that aviation is a resource constrained environment – limitations in airport capacity, airspace capacity, weather and energy, as well as limitations due to environmental issues and to Air Traffic Operations, all challenge our ability to meet air traffic demand.
In addition, aviation has become a globally competitive business with airlines operating on thin margins. Aeronautical Information holds the key to success or failure in the delicately balanced aviation system. To achieve efficiencies in a constrained environment, stakeholders need real time information on changing aeronautical conditions so that they can do forecasting simulations and adjust their use of the airspace system. Capacity restrictions, real time facility status information and system outages (NOTAMs) need to be digitally encoded so they can be interpreted by computer.
Without these improvements we will limit the growth and stability of the aviation system. Delays will increase, airlines will find it difficult to operate in their existing and future markets and aviation will loose credibility within the eyes of the flying public.
Our customers need high-quality real-time information to react efficiently in a dynamic airspace environment.

7. AIS Institutional Issues
Policy issues
Regulations
Legal
Liability
Intellectual property
Cost recovery
Sovereignty
Global standards
Difficult to provide new services using legacy AIS concepts
Potentially costly, inaccurate and unsafe
xNOTAMs
eAIP
Custom Charts
Electronic Flight Bag
Cockpit Displays
ADS-B
FMS
Obstacle data files
Aerodrome Maps
From a technical perspective the remedy for these issues is before us and the risk is low. The biggest impediment are the (global) institutional challenges. Issues of liability, cost recovery, intellectual property, sovereignty and global standards are issues that could impede our ability to deliver the aeronautical information required for future systems. Our policy, regulatory and standards organizations must be engaged to address these institutional issues.
We cannot afford to continue operating aeronautical information as we do today. Future demands and requirements are going to exceed the practical capacity of our existing product-based business model. The only alternative is to invest in new technologies that will move us to towards global aeronautical information management.
Our policies are tied to a product-based system. We need to analyze the system as a whole and create a data-based system.
Our business cases for investment in aeronautical information should consider both direct and indirect costs. Costs and savings of system acquisition, maintenance and distribution should be considered along with indirect costs such as costs of supporting fee for service billing, integration with air traffic control systems and supporting customer requirements. By working together on aeronautical information harmonization we can increase the savings of aeronautical information modernization.
We cannot support future requirements with a “business as usual” approach.

8. AIS Opportunity Next Generation Air Traffic System
Graphic taken from June 2005 NextGen Policy Briefing (jpdo.gov)
As we move through the 21st century there is growing realization that aeronautical information is a crucial component of Next Generation Air Traffic System (NextGen). Safe and efficient global air traffic operations can only occur with access to the right, high quality aeronautical data. We need to provide the products, tools and systems to meet current and future customer demands. We know what our Aeronautical Information (AI) community needs to achieve... and we also know that we need to do better... In fact we must do better.
Aeronautical Information is a crucial component of next generation air traffic management

9. Next Generation Air Traffic System
On-Demand NAS Information
Continuous Flight Day Evaluation
On-Demand NAS Information
Continuous Flight Day Evaluation
On-Demand NAS Information
Continuous Flight Day Evaluation
Next Generation
ATS
Trajectory Based Management
Constrained Flight Planning
Trajectory Based Management
Constrained Flight Planning
Trajectory Based Management
Constrained Flight Planning
Dynamic Aeronautical Information
NOTAM, Airspace Status, Flow Constraints
AIXM: The Information for NextGen
AIXM provides the foundation for NextGen. We need the static information like charts, AIPs, and adaption. We need the dynamic information such as NOTAM, Airspace status, flow constraints. Upon this foundation rests many of the next generation operational improvements:
On-Demand NAS information
Continuous flight day evaluations
Trajectory based management
Constrained flight planning
And many others.
Static Aeronautical Information
Charts, AIPs, Adaptation

10. Vision for AIM AIM Data Stewards & Suppliers Customers AIXM AIXM AIXM
Airports
Obstruction Evaluation
Procedure Development
Airspace and Rules
Military
Forest Service….
Pilots
Airlines
ATC Systems
Military
Charting…
AIXM
AIXM
AIXM
Common Operating Picture
AIXM
AIXM
AIXM
AIXM
Our vision for Aeronautical Information Management needs to consider end to end management of information. We need to capture and configuration manage the data from the source by working with suppliers and data stewards. We need to develop common operating pictures of the static and dynamic system that can feed downstream systems and customers.
This slide provides an organizational view of the AIM information flow and conceptual architecture. At a high level, our aeronautical information chain involves (1) AI Developers, (2) the AIM Integrators, and (3) Customers.
AI Developers create aeronautical information based on specifications and requirements from the AIM integrators. The data developers generate data based on designing procedures and airspace, performing safety evaluations (e.g., for obstacles), and through data acquisition (e.g., through airport surveys).
Information created by the AI developers is collected, consolidated, processed, quality checked and configuration managed by the AIM integrators. The AIM integration process then transforms and distributes the information in various products to support internal and external customer needs. AIM provides for customer interfaces with which customers obtain the information. The integrators provide data developers requirements: supplier credentials, format, timeliness, accuracy, precision, and quality necessary to support ATM.
The customers gain value from the information for use in flight planning, navigation, rerouting, and setting adaptation for various tools. Customers provide specifications for their information needs: data integrity, timeliness, information synchronization, and data product specifications.
ATC: Air Traffic Control
ATM: Air Traffic Management .
Collection
Distribution
International AI Exchange
* Adapted from RTCA, Incorporated. Standards for Processing Aeronautical Data. Report: RTCA/DO-200A. September 28, 1998.

11. AIXM: Enabling AIM Modernization
Provides globally applicable conceptual model and exchange format for aeronautical information
Models temporality
Accommodates ICAO standards and recommendations: Annex 4 and 15
Accommodates industry requirements: ARINC 424/EUROCAE ED-99/RTCA DO-272
This aeronautical information model isn’t just an abstract concept to be discussed in these few slides; It is a reality as part of AIXM 5. AIXM is the Aeronautical Information Exchange model – a comprehensive aeronautical information content model originally developed by EUROCONTROL in the 1990’s that has been considerably expanded and modernized through the collaboration of the FAA, NGA (National Geospatial Intelligence Agency), EUROCONTROL and others.
With AIXM 5 we have taken the aeronautical information content model and implemented it as an international data standard. AIXM is designed to contain all the data necessary to support international air navigation with provisions to support data exchange and automated aeronautical products.
We have considered the semantic requirements of geometry and temporality and adopted the ISO series of geo-spatial information standards, including the use of Geography Mark-up Language (GML). We have developed a comprehensive feature identification model and a temporality model (allowing support for encoding temporary or short-lived information.) AIXM 5 includes a comprehensive and extensible message / Aeronautical Information Transaction model. AIXM 5 incorporates ICAO, industry, military and AIS regulator/provider requirements (e.g., ICAO requirements for obstacles, terminal procedures, and airport mapping databases), to create a comprehensive aeronautical data model positioned to support current and future aeronautical products and data needs. With AIXM 5 we have a concrete way to provide computer-readable aeronautical information and deliver traditional and future products.
For more information on AIXM 5 and implementation of the Semantic AI see the AIXM 5 Design Document and other materials at
The Global AIS Congress, held in August 2006, recognized the global nature of the AIXM and supported the ongoing work to define a means of providing for the further evolution of the model in a managed and supported (technically and financially) way…. [It] agreed that salient to change was the adoption by ICAO of a common aeronautical information model in accordance with the recommendation 1/8/b of the 11th Air Navigation Conference as it was an essential component of change. Moreover, the Global AIS Congress recognized that the AIXM was the only candidate and recommended that V5.0 (the GML based version) should be adopted by ICAO as the global standard. (From
Uses XML and GML
Is modular and extensible

12. History of AIXM A EUROCONTROL initiative in 1997
Active participation from US starting 2003
Jointly developing AIXM 5 since 2005.

13. Infolution Computer Services, Inc.
Global Participation
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Egypt
France
Germany
Nigeria
Pakistan
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
United Kingdom
United States
Exhibitors:
CGH Technologies
Luciad
GEOEYE, Inc.
Frequentis
ESRI
Infolution Computer Services, Inc.
Oracle Corporation
Thank you for participating. We have over 150 registered participants representing more than 14 countries and more than 70 organizations. Your presence indicates a global commitment to AIXM and our drive towards global AIM modernization.

14. 2008 AIXM User’s Conference Purpose
Aeronautical Information is Global
Announce AIXM 5
Discover how AIXM is being used today
Make contacts
Plan and prepare for global interoperability
Thank you again for joining us at this conference. Our purpose is to announce AIXM, Discover how AIXM is being used today, make contact a nd plan and prepare for global interoperability. I hope you find this conference to be useful.