Airborne Internet /

Collaborative Information
Environment
A presentation to AIG/WG

By the Airborne Internet Collaboration/Working Group

Randy.Schmidt@NGC.com presenting

aVsseminars.blogspot.com
aVs 997 tech
 Three Main Points
• If the right aviation information at the
right time is the goal…

• …“Discovery on Demand” using

XML Web Services is the solution…

• …Allowing the transformation to a

Collaborative Information Environment
(CIE)
 The right aviation information
at the right time
• Led to the concept of an Airborne
Internet (AI):
– A private, secure, and reliable peer-to-peer
aircraft communications network that uses
the same technologies as the commercial
Internet

• However, the AI does not currently

provide a universal way to find:
– “Decision quality” information
 Knowledge Management and the
Art of Decision
“Decision quality”

Wisdom Decision Maker

information

Knowledge Knowledge Executive

Information Information Worker

Data Data Entry Worker

Getting decision quality information
to the Decision Maker

Traditional methods:

Publish and Subscribe

Discovery
Push versus Pull on
Client / Server
Demand
 Discovery on Demand
• Accomplished through XML Web Services:
– Software components that can be published,
located, and run over the Internet using
Extensible Markup Language (XML)
• XML definition:
– A markup language that describes data in a
structured and human-readable text format
– Example: <aircraft>
<n-number>N500EA</n-number>
<make>Eclipse</make>
<model>500</model>
</aircraft>
 XML Web Services
• Are used to:
– Allow other applications to call modules of
code remotely with XML
– Expose data in a database as XML
– Send XML messages:
• E.g. alerts and notifications
– Build Service Oriented Architectures (SOA):
• Flexible, reusable, and lower cost
 “Embrace and Extend”
x
W Legacy - databases and applications
na l
Existing
a t io c e FA
N ervi XML A
S

Mover
Oracle UDDI, SOAP, WSDL Sybase

Data
Transform, transmit

Rental Car Trusted-Table Security

Secure
Hotels DAC “Views”
FBO Flight
FAA Flight Service Data
He
ad Discovery, OLAP,
sU
l s ”
pD ‘rich’ client WebParts, Secure wireless
r t a
isp familiar tools
lay XML ‘reach’ client po
Web Services™
“

Pilot/Info Consumer
 XML Web Services
Industry standards for interoperability

• Enable disparate systems to work together:

– Across languages, platforms, applications
– Computer to computer
– Inside/outside the firewall

• Based on open Internet standards:

– XML, SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI

• Broad industry support

– Key area of vendor alignment
 XML Web Services
Next wave of Internet evolution

gy
XML
h n o lo HTML
Tec TCP/IP
PresentationDatabase
Connecti
“Legacyconnectivity
CIE
Ema vity
Inn il, FT
P, et
ova c. scrape”
tion We b
page
s XML
Web
Servi
Browse ces
the Web
Program
the Internet
Collaborative Information Environment
(CIE)
• The transformation of the Internet by
XML Web Services
• 2nd generation Web (Web 1  Web 2)
• Military example: SharePoint Portal
Heads Up Display (HUD) experiment
– Uses XML Web Services to create a CIE
that combines information from:
• NASA
• Synchronized Air Power Management (SAPM)
• Defense Collaboration Tool Suite (DCTS)
• JEMPRS-NT
 Joint Enroute Mission Planning and
Rehearsal System-Near Term (JEMPRS-NT)
Operational Needs During Deployment:
• Situational Awareness
• Collaborative Operating Environment
• Enroute SITREP/Crisis Action Planning
Support of Rapid Decisive Operations

JOA

(In Transit)

JEMPRS-NT KIT
JTF Rear

JEMPRS-NT Functions
- Voice, Video, and Data
- Application Sharing
- Whiteboard and Text Chat
Laptop computer Laptop c
- Digital Dashboard
- E-mail and FTP
- XML Web Services
- Network Access to Other
Systems
Collaborative Information Environment
Airborne Internet
“Meet us in the cloud”
GPS

Satcom Navigation
DISCOVERY ON DEMAND

• XM
• RFID Airport
• AM/FM Services
VHF Radio
• 802.xx • TIS
VHF Radio Line of • FIS
VHF Radio sight • Hospitality
XML Web Services CIE • Maint.

Cloud

Y
XML Web Services

IT
TI E
V
EC S
Gateway
N A
N B
Non-CIE
O A
Internet
C AT

Aircraft • Weather Products

D

NAS Services XM • NOTAMs

L W eb
• ATM System S erv • Flight Service Stations
• HUB Airports ices • Other
VPN
• TIS-B
ATC Controller

Original graphic courtesy of Computer Networks & Software, Inc.

 AI / CIE removes existing
aviation information barriers

Graphic courtesy of C3D Aero, Inc.

AI / CIE provides decision quality
information for cockpit displays

Airspace
notification

Icing Alert Discovery on Demand MFD

Traffic Alert

Original graphic courtesy of C3D Aero, Inc.

 Functional picture of the AI / CIE

Engine Cockpit Cabin

Mechanic, Pilot Passenger

Manufacturer
sr es U

Maintenance Flight information Entertainment

information
s eci vr e S

Digital connectivity across all types of communications:

VHF radio, Satellite, Infrared, etc.
 AI / CIE ≠ Internet and Web 1
• The AI / CIE is about:
– End users, not webmasters
– Edge devices, not clients and servers
– XML Web Services, not web pages
– XML “knowledge packets”, not just TCP/IP
connections
• Types: Maintenance, Flight, Entertainment, etc.
– Built-in security, not security as an
afterthought
 AI / CIE interfaces securely with
the following networks
• The commercial Internet
• Assured “extranet” connections:
– OnSATS
– AirTraveler.com (formerly SATS-Net)
• Carries “Assured Aviation XML Web Services”
• Client-side end user “intranets”
 AI / CIE End State
Every aircraft is a network node:
Network In the Sky

A distributed, peer-to-peer aircraft communications grid

that shares decision quality information
 Conclusion
• If the right aviation information at the
right time is the goal…

• …“Discovery on Demand” using

XML Web Services is the solution…

• …Allowing the transformation to a

Collaborative Information Environment
(CIE)
 For more information:

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