Research projects


RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT	PROFILE	FOCAL AREAS	R&D NEWS	SERVICE AREA

Research projectsATM simulationsATM simulatorsInnovation management

Research projects

Here you can find more on DFS research projects:

National and international initiatives
The work in the research and development department at DFS is usually organised into research projects. We can look back on numerous participations in national and European research groupings covering aviation research. To name but a few, there are projects for EUROCONTROL (CASCADE), for the EU framework programme (e.g. C-ATM, Episode 3, Super Highway) and projects of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) (e.g. iPort, WFF, K-ATM.

Extensive linkages into national and international research groupings result in a powerful mix of universities, research institutes and industry, which work together with DFS on solutions for the future challenges in the air traffic management system. By focusing constantly on the application-related research component, we create the decisive bridge between the results of basic research and the transfer to operational application.

Furthermore, in direct interdisciplinary cooperation, we carry out a large part of the DFS work in the European research programme Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR). Within the scope of SESAR, the R&D experts represent DFS interests in the respective projects. The SESAR programme is, along with the FABEC initiative (Functional Airspace Block Europe Central) a major element in the implementation of the Single European Sky (SES) legislation. SESAR forms the operational and technical basis for future air traffic management through the development of a uniform ATM system by 2020 – see also „DFS in Europe“ or the following video.

ATM/CNS research projects
A large part of the work on ATM/CNS (Air Traffic Management and Communications, Navigation, Surveillance) topics is traditionally realised in research projects. These projects bring together two major points in the overall ATM system: concepts and procedures (ATM) on the one hand and engineering services (CNS) on the other.

Through the work in national and international research projects, there is a close support for larger changes and innovations of ATM/CNS systems and procedures in the national and international environment. This support is closely linked to the forecast need. By conducting the earliest possible assessment of newest technological developments, the department makes a decisive contribution to the investigation, development and optimisation of systems and procedures and achieving a successful reduction in possible risks on their introduction into air traffic control.

In the field of CNS technology, we also have experts who know and master the technical performance and the potential benefits of new system developments in the areas of communications and surveillance, so-called enabling technologies. Our CNS laboratory has a state-of-the-art integrated test environment for performing the associated assessments. This environment is continuously adjusted to new requirements and developments.

We have experts with many years of experience on the national and European stage and with operational expertise covering changes and innovations in the area of ATM procedures in order to define and validate concepts. They analyse, for example, the use of new planning and support tools at the controller working position and novel procedures for air traffic control, taking into consideration such things as new airspace users like unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) (unmanned aircraft systems).

A major characteristic of our research projects is the interdisciplinary cooperation between experts from the various areas, such as on the development of system or application prototypes (ATM simulator centre) or on the conduct of an ATM simulation.


14/12/2011	PRINT