Airport Taxi Time Estimation Using Real-Time Aircraft Location Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft crews lack real-time information on taxi times at airports, which is crucial for fuel management, engine startup, de-icing procedures, and efficient ground handling, as airports currently provide only seasonal or monthly averages.
Innovation Solution
A system that provides real-time taxi time information to aircraft crews using an electronic flight bag (EFB), leveraging computing systems to analyze aircraft location data and generate accurate taxi time estimates based on recent aircraft movements, including congestion and de-icing needs, and displays this information on a graphical interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If airports publish average taxi times on seasonal or monthly schedules, then information availability is improved, but real-time accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static seasonal/monthly average taxi times to dynamic real-time taxi time calculations by continuously processing aircraft location data and computing current taxi times based on recent aircraft movements within a sliding time window
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses actual aircraft location data from ADS-B and other sources as feedback to continuously update and recalculate taxi times, creating a closed-loop system where real-world observations directly inform and adjust the taxi time predictions
2Productivity
If real-time taxi time information is provided to aircraft crews, then fuel management efficiency is improved, but information processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically collects aircraft location data from existing ADS-B and surveillance sources, autonomously processes the data through filtering and calculation algorithms, and generates taxi time estimates without requiring manual intervention or complex ground infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The system acts as an intermediary layer between existing aircraft surveillance data sources and flight operations, translating raw location data into actionable taxi time information without requiring changes to existing aircraft or airport systems
3Measurement precision
If taxi time information is based on recent aircraft movements within a short time window, then real-time accuracy is improved, but data quantity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a dynamic time window that adapts based on current traffic conditions, expanding or contracting the observation period to ensure sufficient data points are available while maintaining relevance to current operational conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously accumulates and stores aircraft location data in real-time, building up a reservoir of historical observations that can be quickly queried and processed when taxi time information is needed, eliminating the need for extensive data collection at the moment of request
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing taxi time information for an airport includes receiving, at a computing system from a device, a request for taxi time information associated with an airport. The method includes determining, at the computing system based on aircraft location information data from a set of aircraft, taxi time information for the airport for a time window. The set of aircraft include aircraft that taxied at the airport within the time window. The time window is less than or equal to one day. The method also includes sending the taxi time information associated with the airport from the computing system to the device.