A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/826356
SWIM Visualization Tool (SVT) We are stil l in the process of assessing the NAS Operational Dashboard (NOD) tool that is in use at the Command Center against what TFDM ' s Surface Situational Awareness (SSA) tool will be. It will ultimately be up to the Traffic Flow Management System to finalize the capabilities of the SSA, which will be used in TRACONs and Centers across the country. However, more concerns have risen the last month with rumors that this prototype is being used in operational areas without NATCA ' s collaborative efforts. TRAFFIC FLO W MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (TFMS) Brian Campos (DCC) represents the NATCA membership as their Article 114 Repre sentative to the TFMS project. His report is below: April moving forward is the time to refocus and reorganiz e how TFMS DT will adapt to changes bestow ed upon t hem. T he TFMS system growing as one , with external systems (like ERAM) and parallels (like TBFM) , into one NAS system will be a struggle given everyone's current de dicated role in the system. Previously, TFMS DT (Deployment Team) solely dealt wit h being handed tasks from AJV7 and determining how to marry them into the existing TFMS system. Within the last 20 months, that has changed to include testing with enhancements and system bug fixes to improve the system ' s health as things get missed or dro pped in order to get the full value of the TFMS system. This role becomes now more important as TFMS reliability is in discussion to be on a better path to meet this new challenge. The TFMS DT is finishing up fixes for the recent release of Protected Segme nts along with the long awaited tool of the RAD with ABRR and PDRR capability. This is only the first phase of the RAD tool and necessary for additions to be added to it to make the tool completely fully NAS capable, which in its current initial deploy ment state is not. Shortfall RAD additions need to require development, such as Field 11 amendments for PDRR and soon after ABRR. ABRR field 11 will help correct failures to communicate system strategies to the controller such TMIs as Capping an d Tunneling. A dditional requirements lacking, include the first tier facilities and Command Center SVRWX area to have the ability to share a needed RAD tactical reroute to a neighboring facility and for the Command Cen ter to share with any facility. Command Center is th e largest issuant of Tactical Reroutes to a number of facilities to adjust and manage regional changes with strategic alterations based on changes in mult iple weather systems NAS wide. These Command Center initiated primarily ABRR tactical adjustment can a ddress airborne flights movement up to five hours. Today these activities are done through phone calls or NTML , which are primitive and the reason the RAD was built but only internally for a facility on the first release. The group is using the current s hortfall list from the development of the RAD tool and adding it to many other much needed enhancements to current tools. These enhancement resolution s can make the difference in turning a poorly designed tool in to a highly desirable and functional tool in the current and future system. Tools such as RRIA and CTOP , along with baseline enhancements , are just a few that wi ll need attention. Team continued the list for categorizing and prioritizing necessar y enhancements for the system. This is a task that will require a lot of work since it was