Page 72 - ITU Journal - ICT Discoveries - Volume 1, No. 2, December 2018 - Second special issue on Data for Good

ITU JOURNAL: ICT Discoveries, Vol. 1(2), December 2018

around the world. With continuous and launched the No Country Left Behind (NCLB)
collaborative efforts from the global aviation initiative to assist States in implementing SARPs
community, air transportation became one of the with the assistance of technical support, funding,
safest means of transportation. Accident statistics training and other relevant capabilities.
showed 10 fatal airliner accidents and 44 fatalities
in the year 2017, which is the record of the safest 2.2 Safety management
year in aviation history [3].
As the notion of safety has evolved from focusing on
This paper presents the overview of ICAO’s works technical failures to human factors and
in aviation safety, especially in a data governance organizational or system-wide aspects, States and
view. The paper is organized as follows: The second industry have embraced the systemic approach of
chapter gives a brief overview of ICAO’s actions for safety management. While previous actions were
aviation safety. The third chapter introduces the mainly from reactive feedback of aviation accident
ICAO’s data-driven decision-making framework reports, the modern safety management seeks to
and supporting data application and services are proactively mitigate risks before they result in
presented: indicators, SIMS, iSTARS and accidents and incidents, so that states can manage
iMPLEMENT. their safety activities in a more disciplined,
integrative and focused manner.
2. TRADITIONAL ACTIONS FOR
AVIATION SAFETY ICAO is mandating Member States to implement
State safety programmes (SSPs) and safety
2.1 Standardization and implementation management systems (SMSs). These SSPs and SMSs
require the establishment of safety targets and data
Aviation safety cannot be achieved by only a few analysis systems to track performance in reaching
leading entities, but with collaborative actions at a these objectives. The State develops SSPs to manage
global level. Historically, ICAO was responsible for its aviation safety performance, while the SMSs are
developing international rules in areas where developed and maintained by the service providers
global consistency is required. The Standards and under its authority [4-5].
Recommended Practices, or SARPs, cover technical
and operational aspects of international civil Furthermore, the concept of safety management is
aviation, such as safety, personnel licensing, evolving toward ‘predictive risk management’.
operation of aircraft, aerodromes, air traffic While the traditional approach was limited to
services, accident investigation, and other fields. retrospective actions, the new approach is
prospective, which is concerned with leveraging
However, to fully achieve the desired outcome of safety data and information to develop actionable
standardization, the SARPs shall be implemented in insights. Such insights are used by an organization’s
the operating field. Geographically and politically leadership to make data-driven decisions including
diverse, it has been a serious challenge to maintain those related to the most effective and efficient
the equal level of implementation of SARPs across allocation of resources [6].
all regions. To ensure that all States have access to
the socioeconomic benefits from safe and reliable 2.3 The Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP)
air transport, it became the ICAO’s key objective to
achieve a consistent level of safety throughout the In accordance with the No Country Left Behind
world by promoting effective implementation. initiative and to support the effective
implementation of SSPs and SMSs, ICAO developed
Therefore, ICAO does not limit its role only to the global roadmap on safety strategy: Global
developing new standards, but also it proactively Aviation Safety Plan (GASP). The GASP initiatives
specifies building global strategies, performing are monitored by ICAO’s appraisal of global and
continuous oversight and monitoring (USOAP CMA: regional aviation safety metrics on the basis of
Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, established risk management principles — a core
Continuous Monitoring Approach), encouraging component of contemporary SSPs and SMSs.
and supporting the implementation of standards to
promote safety performance at national, regional The draft of the 2020-2022 edition of GASP [7] is
and global levels. With such motivation, ICAO has structured with the GASP goals, targets and

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