If we were giving out green jackets to winners this weekend like they do at the Masters,
we'd have many, many to give! Great job!
Thanks everyone!
Swim, Swam, Swum – Making Progress on the Digital Data-Sharing Backbone of
NextGen
Hi everyone,
When we first started talking about NextGen more than a decade ago, we had to battle
the notion that it was something we would one day turn on with the flip of a switch. We
kept reminding people that our airspace modernization would be made up of a number
of elements that would be layered in and one day interconnect and make our services
much more seamless.
We have come a long way since those early days of planning, and we are well on our
way to completing the communication, navigation, surveillance and automation systems
that make up our Next Generation Air Transportation System.
A terrific example of our progress is the data-sharing backbone of NextGen, System
Wide Information Management (SWIM), which makes it easier to share airspace data
with the entities that need it. SWIM is a mature program that now has 180 consumers
including airlines, academia, airports and research institutions, as well as internal
customers such as FAA facilities and programs. SWIM is enhancing its capabilities to
include more airspace data and provide increased functionality.
Last month, not having let the government shutdown slow the program's progress,
SWIM hit a critical milestone, completing initial operating capability for a new release of
its SWIM Terminal Data Distribution System (STDDS). STDDS is located at 38 major
TRACONs and provides data for approximately 150 locations with Standard Terminal
Automation Replacement System (STARS) and other legacy systems. This latest
update enables the sharing of additional information from Tower Data Link Services and
Digital Automatic Terminal Information Service.
Other kinds of information we have been sharing using SWIM include weather,
surveillance data, flight and flow, and aeronautical information, including notices to
airmen. STDDS interfaces with our legacy systems that monitor airport surface
detection data, runway visual range, electronic flight strips and others.
We continue to hold working sessions of the SWIM Industry-FAA Team with airlines and
other services providers, a forum that helps us communicate our services and improve
integration, automation, interoperability and communication.
