Title page for ETD etd-04012004-195501

Type of Document

Master's Thesis

Author

Sen, Debayan

Author's Email Address

dsen@vt.edu

URN

etd-04012004-195501

Title

A bi-level system dynamics modeling framework to evaluate costs and benefits of implementing Controller Pilot Data Link Communications and Decision Support Tools in a non-integrated and integrated scenario

Degree

Master of Science

Department

Civil Engineering

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name	Title
Trani, Antoino A.	Committee Chair
Baik, Hojong	Committee Member
Teodorovic, Dusan	Committee Member

Keywords

Modeling
Benefit cost analysis
Simulation
Data link
PFAST
CPDLC
Systems dynamic
Air traffic management
URET
TMA

Date of Defense

2003-12-23

Availability

restricted

Abstract

A modeling framework to evaluate the costs and benefits of implementation of Con-troller
Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC), and Air Traffic Management (ATM)
decision support tools is proposed in this paper. The benefit/cost evaluation is carried
out for four key alternatives namely alternative A: Do nothing scenario (only voice
channel), alternative B: Voice channel supplemented with CPDLC, alternative C:
Alternative B with ATM tools in a non-integrated scenario and finally alternative D:
Alternative B with ATM tools in an integrated scenario. It is a bi-level model that cap-tures
the linkages between various technologies at a lower microscopic level using a
daily microscopic model (DATSIM) and transfers the measures of effectives to a
higher macroscopic level. DATSIM stands for Data Link and Air Traffic Technologies
SIMulation and it simulates air traffic in the enroute sector and terminal airspace for a
single day and captures the measures of effectiveness at a microscopic level and feeds
its output to the macroscopic annual model which then runs over the entire life cycle of
the system. Airspace dwell time benefit data from the microscopic model is regressed
into three dimensional benefit surfaces as a function of the equipage level of aircraft
and aircraft density and embedded into the macroscopic model. The main function of
the annual model is to ascertain economic viability of any deployment schedule or
alternative over the entire life cycle of the system. The life cycle cost model is com-posed
of four modules namely: Operational benefits module, Safety benefit module,Technology cost module and Training cost module.
Analysis using the model showed that an enroute sector gets congested at aircraft den-sities
greater 630 per day. This is mainly because the controller workload gets satu-rated
at that traffic volume per day. Benefits realized in alternatives B, C and D as
compared to alternative A increased exponentially at traffic densities greater than 630
i.e. when controller workload for alternative A becomes saturated.

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