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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S98801/01
Title: Robust conflict detection and resolution taking into account flight data uncertainty
Principal Investigator: Ochieng, Professor WY
Other Investigators:
Polak, Professor JW
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Professor A Majumdar
Project Partners:
Eurocontrol ISA Software UK Civil Aviation Authority
Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Organisation: Imperial College London
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 June 2004 Ends: 31 October 2007 Value (£): 283,713
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Transport Ops & Management
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Transport Systems and Vehicles
Related Grants:
GR/S98818/01
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Continued growth in air traffic over Europe is causing congestion in the en-route airspace. This manifests directly in delays for passengers. Given the projected rise in air traffic over the next twenty years, delays will increase even further unless there is a major effort to increase capacity. The European en-route airspace capacity depends largely upon the workload required of air traffic controllers to safely conduct the traffic under their jurisdiction. Amongst major initiatives proposed to reduce controller workload and hence increase airspace capacity is the use of more automonous operations in en-route airspace. This involves flying more direct routes and deligating responsibility for conflict detection and resolution to the aircraft and crew. Such a process requires more reliable and continuous information on pilot intent (i.e. the pilot's intentions in flying his/her aircraft from the current time to some time in the future) than is currently available.This project aims to utilise aircraft flight plan, navigation system and pilot flight intent data to develop detailed conflict detection and resolution algorithms that take account of the level of uncertainty associated with the flight plan and intent data, for use especially in more autonomous aircraft operations in flexible airspace. Such algorithms implemented in the flight management system (FMS) of an aircraft, will enhance the safety of operation of civil aircraft. The project will also consider the wider organisational impacts of such position and intent data primarily in terms of their effect on enroute airspace capacity. The algorithms developed by this project will be more robust and reliable than those currently being deveoped, which do not take acount of data uncertainty. As a result, all detection and resolution manouevres will be accompanied by a metric of uncertainty to provide a level of protection (integrity) against potential catastrophic failures. The use of such algorithms in aircraft should lead to a safe and efficient air traffic environment in future European airspace.L. Beneficiaries
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk