Space-Based ADS-B

- an ANSP Perspective
Steve Bellingham
NAV CANADA

Workshop on
Aeronautical Surveillance Systems
Bangkok, 5 Nov 2018
 Outline
• NAV CANADA’s Interest in Space-Based ADS-B
• Test and Demonstration Activities
• Procedures and Implementation
• Regulatory Aspects and Safety Case

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NAV CANADA’s Interest
in Space-Based ADS-B

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NAV CANADA’s Interest in Space-Based ADS-B
• Some portions of Canada’s
domestic airspace are without ATS
surveillance
ADS-B • Gander Oceanic FIR covers a
portion of North Atlantic – world’s
busiest oceanic airspace
ADS-B
• 10+ years of operational
experience with ground-based
ADS-B surveillance
• NAV CANADA has been working
with Aireon for 7 years
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 NAV CANADA’s Interest in Space-Based ADS-B
• NAV CANADA and its stakeholders expect significant benefits in
terms of aircraft operational efficiencies and flight safety
• Initial NAV CANADA implementations are aimed at high level
enroute airspace in North Atlantic and Northern portions of
Edmonton FIR

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 NAV CANADA Test and
Demonstration Activities

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 NAV CANADA Flight Tests
• NAV CANADA has conducted several flight tests
of Space-Based ADS-B
• Aircraft transponder power calibrated to minimum
DO260B Class A1 standard of 125 Watts
(versus >200 W typical)
• Position updates received well beyond range
required for overlap of satellite footprints
• Observed position update rate 4 seconds, 95%

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 Ground-Based Reference Transmitter
• NAV CANADA hosts a Ground-Based Reference Transmitter for
Aireon’s use in initial and ongoing testing of ADS-B payloads
• 4-channel transmitter feeding 4 directional antennas
• Calibrated and remotely adjustable RF output power
• Calibrated antenna patterns
• Supports direct comparison between satellite payloads
• Provides calibration data for simulation models

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 Ground-Based Reference Transmitter
Site selected for low RF noise, low multipath and converging satellite orbits

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Pre-Operational ANSP Data Testing
• NAV CANADA has
been connected to
pre-operational ADS-B
test feed for Canadian
test service volumes
since first launch

(Image from NAV CANADA Engineering Display)

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ADS-B over North Atlantic

Targets shown here

were directly under
two satellite
footprints
But …
these two satellites
have not yet been
launched.
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 Integration of Space-Based ADS-B
into Target Trackers
• Aireon Space-Based ADS-B uses ASTERIX family of message formats
• NAV CANADA has adapted it’s FUSION tracker to process Aireon data
• EUROCONTROL’s RTAS tracker has been updated to accept
Space-Based ADS-B data
• Thales (Paris) receives a live test signal from Aireon to support testing
of their tracker
• Some applications may convert Space-Based ADS-B CAT 21 target
report messages to an alternate ASTERIX format for use by tracker
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Integration of Space-Based ADS-B into
NAV CANADA FUSION Tracker

(Image from NAV CANADA

Engineering Display)
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 Integration into NAV CANADA
FUSION Tracker

• Magnified view of highlighted track

from previous slide
• Yellow dots are Space-Based ADS-B
• Green dots are Ground-Based ADS-B
converted to 5 s radar format
• White triangles are secondary radar
(Image from NAV CANADA Engineering Display)
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 Some Lessons Learned from Test and
Demonstration Activities
• Space-Based ADS-B payload coverage performance is significantly
better than was initially expected
• Telco data connection challenges (configuration, diversity,
bandwidth, lead time)
• Clarification of ASTERIX message fields and coding
• Evolving strategy for NAV CANADA’s monitoring of service status
• Demonstrations of Aireon ground subsystem redundancy and
disaster recovery
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 Upcoming “Complete System Test” Activity
• A “Complete System Test” of various NAV CANADA ATM systems
connected to each other and Aireon feed is planned for November at
NAV CANADA Technical Systems Centre
• Tests of NAV CANADA systems will include:
– Latency measurements
– Response to various Aireon component or connection failures
– ADS-B target load tests
– Exercising of various special use codes by flight test aircraft
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Procedures and
Implementation

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 Advanced Surveillance-Enabled Procedural
Separation (ASEPS)
• Proposed ASEPS standards have been developed by ICAO Separation
& Airspace Safety Panel (SASP)
• Intended for airspace with ATS surveillance (typically Space-Based
ADS-B) where VHF communication is not available
• ASEPS safely reduce minimum Longitudinal and Lateral separations
from those currently available under PBCS
• Subject to approval, ASEPS standards are proposed for introduction
into PANS ATM (Doc 4444) with November 2020 applicability
• ASEPS will apply to pairs of aircraft under ATS surveillance (ADS-B),
and certified to RNP 4 (or RNP 2) and RCP 240
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 ASEPS Separation Distances
• Lateral – 15 NM or 17 NM depending on assured airspace
performance (reduced from approx 23 NM)
• Longitudinal – 14 NM between same direction pairs on identical track
or converging at <45 degrees; 17 NM between same direction pairs
converging at 45-90 degrees (reduced from approx 40 NM)
• Opposite direction – 5 NM tail-to-tail, once assured by ATS
Surveillance that the aircraft have passed each other

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 Gander/Shanwick ASEPS Trial
• Gander and Shanwick Oceanic Control will conduct trial
implementation of ASEPS standards based on surveillance by
Space-Based ADS-B
• Trial planned to start 28 March 2019, continuing until November
2020 planned applicability date for PANS ATM revision
• Other North Atlantic ANSPs will continue to use time-based
separation between each other, and with Gander or Shanwick, until
otherwise agreed

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 Gander/Shanwick ASEPS Trial
• 17 NM Longitudinal between same direction pairs on identical track or
converging at 45-90 degrees
• 15 NM Longitudinal between same direction pairs converging at
<45 degrees
• 5 NM tail-to-tail between opposite direction pairs
• Will retain current PBCS lateral standard of 23 NM (½ degree) for at
least first 6 months of trial
• Expect to deliver preferred trajectory and remove speed control for
majority of flights by 2020
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Space-Based ADS-B Implementation in Edmonton
• Phased implementation approach to reduce ATC training volume and
help with change management
• Phase 1 (Complete) – Introduce new integrated Conflict
Detection/Prediction techniques
• Phase 2 – Add Space-Based ADS-B source in existing surveillance
airspace
• Phase 3 – Expand Space-Based ADS-B surveillance to remaining
DCPC airspace
• Phase 4 – Apply ASEPS standard using Space-Based ADS-B in Polar
airspace
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Phased Implementation in Edmonton High Level
Phase 2 – Existing Phase 3 – Remaining Phase 4 – Polar
Surveillance Airspace DCPC Airspace Airspace

ASEPS

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Regulatory Aspects
and Safety Case

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 Space-Based ADS-B is ADS-B
• ICAO Surveillance Panel has confirmed interpretation that
Space-Based ADS-B is not excluded from references to
ground-based ATS surveillance systems (as distinct from
aircraft-based surveillance)
• Aireon Space-Based ADS-B will be tested against relevant
requirements of EUROCAE ED-129B, “Technical Specification for a
1090 MHz Extended Squitter ADS-B Ground System”
• Tests to date indicate that Aireon Space-Based ADS-B can meet key
ADS-B performance requirements for latency and probability of
update
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 General Safety Case Methodology
• Guidance is provided in ICAO Circular 326 “Assessment of ADS-B
and Multilateration Surveillance to Support Air Traffic Services and
Guidelines for Implementation”
– Some adaptation of methodology is necessary, as certain aspects of the Circular
are somewhat out-of-date
• Appendix C of Circ. 326 identifies key ADS-B performance
requirements to support claim that ADS-B surveillance is “as good
as the reference SSR”

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 NAV CANADA’s ADS-B Safety Case
• NAV CANADA’s initial Safety Case for ADS-B surveillance was
prepared for implementation of ground-based ADS-B over
Hudson’s Bay
• That Safety Case was prepared and accepted by regulator
Transport Canada before ICAO Circ. 326 was published, but
covered topics similar to those in Circ. 326
• Based on that Safety Case, Transport Canada granted exemption to
Canadian Aviation Regulations allowing ADS-B surveillance systems
where regulations identified need for radar, subject to meeting
performance requirements
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 NAV CANADA’s Space-Based ADS-B Safety Case
• Transport Canada is familiar with ADS-B
• NAV CANADA and Transport Canada have maintained an open
dialog on Space-Based ADS-B, including sharing of preliminary test
results as well as implementation plans and progress
• Surveillance using Space-Based ADS-B will be authorized based on
performance demonstration showing results generally consistent
with ground-based ADS-B along with other appropriate safety case
documentation

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 Service Prediction Reporting
• Aireon service includes ASTERIX CAT238 service prediction report
messages
• In the event of a service outage of an orbiting satellite or its ADS-B
payload, service prediction reports describe the expected impact to
ADS-B service as a function of geographic location (60 NM tiles)
and time (one-minute increments for the next 24 hours)
• Service prediction function may be relevant to Space-Based ADS-B
safety case, particularly at latitudes near equator

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