A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/857389
Future Surface Surveillance: Additional meetings will take place in D.C. the week of 7/24 regarding an ASDE3 and SMRi replacement. These meetings are purely informational. MEARTS Fusion: 3nm Fusion in MEARTS is a complex undertaking, and involves bringing multiple To wer, Approach, and En Route sectors online at the same time. The lessons learned in this undertaking will help the effort with future MEARTS and ERAM sites. HCF started Fusion operations on February 22, 2017, a significant achievement after years of effor t. Unfortunately, the number of latent radar issues resulted in a pause in Fusion operati ons just days after the start. Significant progress toward a return to Fusion at HCF was made the week of July 17. An OSD was conducted after software and adaptat ion changes were introduced. NATCA, HCF Air Traffic, and many others agreed that the system is operationally suitable. HCF plans resume Fusion operations in the next few weeks once they deconflict with unrelated activities. Efforts to continue deploying 3NM Fusion in MEARTS at other sites have been postponed until key site issues are fully resolved and stable. Surveillance Portfolio Analysis Work Group Eric Labardini and James Keith (NATCA AJV - 7) have been working closely with the Agency's multifaceted analysis of post 20 20 radar infrastructure needs. The ADS - B business case was built on an assumption that today's robust radar infrastructure could be reduced once ADS - B becomes the predominant surveillance source. The Agency built their business case on an assumption that 100+ secondary radar sources could be removed throughout the NA S. This causes concern in airspace that does not require ADS - B (many Class D or other a pproach c ontrols). NATCA has been pointing toward another option, removing overlappi ng radar sources completely rather than harming operat ional capabilities nationwide. There seems to be an awakening to this idea and analysis of the benefits is underway. Terminal Fusion: The Fusion Focus Group continues to track and resolve facility rep orted issues with Fusion. These are largely issues with the underlying surveillance infrastructure, and experts from all f ields are available to assist. Please report any issues to your OSF and our N ATCA SBS group for assistance. It is critical that act ual data is recorded for evaluation and resolution. NATCA remains very focused on the Common Terminal Digitizer (CTD) effort necessary to incorporate numerous ASR - 8 sites into STARS Elite as well as Fusion. SCT issues continue to be a large focus. NATCA SBS is heavily involved in the Surveillance Automation Analysis Team (SAAT), which is examining long - term alternatives to help improve overall sur veillance in the SCT airspace. Their efforts are aimed at mitigating tracking issues in the LA Basin, includ ing the effec t of the new Stadium near LAX.