Page 11 - ITU-T Focus Group on Aviation Applications of Cloud Computing for Flight Data Monitoring - Use cases and requirements

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1 Introduction

This document describes the scenarios identified for – Deliverable 2/3: This deliverable will identify and
describe scenarios for cloud computing for flight data. It will use existing aviation terminology and definitions.

Recorded flight data has been used as the basis for scrutinizing aircraft operations and system performance/
integrity for 50 years. This has been supplemented in more recent years by technologies such as central
maintenance computer (CMC) functionality, aircraft condition monitoring system (ACMS) techniques, aircraft
communications addressing and reporting system (ACARS) transmissions and the wireless offload of data to
the airline back office.

ACMS functionality is responsible for powering the majority of flight data acquisition activities that generate
data for airline operations and aircraft systems performance monitoring. Whilst older and smaller aircraft
typically rely on mandatory flight data recordings as the basis for flight data gathering, ACMS provides greater
flexibility for all airlines in terms of the selection of aircraft system parameters to be recorded. This activity
is supplemented in recent years by aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who, increasingly, are
providing baseline ACMS functionality that allows performance-related parameters to be available, rather
than having to work with flight data that is optimized for accident investigations.

The capabilities of ACMS and acquisition systems have advanced significantly over the last 30 years. Data
management units that were supplied in the 1980s used to generate ACMS recordings typically of 100-200
parameters; as a measure of progress, Boeing 787 aircraft in 2016 will be recording approximately 4800
parameters that will have been acquired by the data acquisition system from a wide range of aircraft systems,
allowing unprecedented levels of scrutiny of aircraft operations and systems and supporting a wider portfolio
of ground-based data analytics.

The content of flight data recordings are, however, sensitive to the airline. The de-identification of these
recordings is necessary for many airlines that subject their data to flight data analyses. As custodians of
recorded flight data, flight safety departments are typically charged with the management of recorded flight
data and the dissemination of airline flight data outside flight safety departments. Because of union cultural
and other factors, the extent of the use of flight data beyond the ICAO-mandated accident prevention programs
is variable. See ICAO Annex 6 part 3.3, Safety Management for the use of flight data analysis as part of an
accident prevention program.

The value of ACMS recorded data is such that airlines are increasingly seeking to access these recordings as
soon as possible after the aircraft has landed and the flight is ended. Wireless technologies and the Internet
are increasingly being used to move this data rapidly to airline back offices such that flight data analyses can
be effected without unnecessary delay.

There is frustration then that this sizeable and valuable data that has been generated by an acquisition
system, or some of it, is not routinely made available via in-flight transmissions to the ground during abnormal
situations, which would facilitate scrutiny and relevant analyses, including the determination of flight track
and the prediction of flight track.

There is a balance to be struck over the use of recorded flight data. Airlines have established processes for
the processing of recorded flight data; each will have access to a ground data replay and analysis system
(GDRAS) from a small number of available GDRAS suppliers. These GDRAS systems will already possess a range
of analytical tools, including operational monitoring/operational risk identification, maintenance analyses,
performance analyses and more. Working Group 2 has agreed that there is no intent to recommend changes
that affect these existing GDRAS systems or the flight data analysis (FDA) processes that exist at airlines.
Whilst Working Group 2 has identified many use cases for the analysis of flight data, the reality is that the
prevalence of GDRAS systems, procedures and activities worldwide means that many of these use cases have been
previously captured and GDRAS solutions are already providing valuable information from recorded flight data.

Cloud computing can provide some advantages over established GDRAS systems. Cloud computing offers a
scalable and affordable environment in which a range of flight data analysis and visualization/reporting functions

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