IP Air Traffic Control Network Monitoring System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air traffic control networks lack effective mechanisms to reliably detect unwanted data traffic, which compromises security due to limited analysis of communication within closed IP networks.
Innovation Solution
An air traffic control system with an Internet protocol-based network monitoring system that includes a monitoring unit with sensor and evaluation modules to analyze and evaluate data traffic, using deep packet inspection to identify unwanted data traffic by examining content, protocols, sources, sinks, and metadata, and providing real-time alerts and graphical reports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If protocol-level analysis is used in closed IP networks, then network security is maintained through limited access control, but unwanted data traffic cannot be reliably detected
Solution Approach 1:
A network monitoring system is introduced as an intermediary component between the closed IP network and the external environment. This monitoring system includes sensors that capture data packets flowing through the network, converters that transform captured data into analysis-ready formats, and evaluators that assess security risks. This intermediary structure enables deep packet inspection and content analysis without disrupting the closed network architecture or access control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system is segmented into distinct functional modules: sensors for data capture, converters for data transformation, and evaluators for security assessment. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while working together to achieve comprehensive traffic analysis. The modular structure reduces overall system complexity by dividing the monitoring task into manageable, specialized units.
2Measurement precision
If deep packet inspection is implemented to analyze data content, then unwanted traffic detection capability is improved, but system complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Converters act as intermediaries between the captured data and the evaluation process. These converters transform raw data packets into standardized formats that are easier to analyze, extracting relevant features and metadata while filtering out unnecessary information. This preprocessing step enables the evaluator to perform deep packet inspection with reduced complexity by working with structured, normalized data rather than raw packets.
Solution Approach 2:
The analysis process is segmented into multiple stages: initial data capture by sensors, preprocessing and transformation by converters, and final evaluation by evaluators. Each segment handles specific aspects of traffic analysis, allowing for precise measurement of unwanted traffic while distributing computational complexity across multiple specialized components rather than concentrating it in a single complex system.
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring of all data traffic is performed, then network security is enhanced, but data processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system applies partial action by focusing analysis on specific aspects of data traffic rather than examining every byte of every packet in depth. Sensors capture all traffic, but converters selectively transform and extract only the most relevant features and metadata for security assessment. Evaluators then concentrate on assessing these extracted features for security risks, rather than performing exhaustive analysis on all data. This selective approach maintains high security reliability while reducing overall processing time and computational resource requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The converter component extracts essential information from captured data packets, separating critical security-relevant features from the rest of the data stream. By taking out only the necessary metadata and key characteristics for security evaluation, the system reduces the volume of data that requires intensive processing, thereby maintaining continuous monitoring capability while minimizing data processing time and computational resource consumption.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
An air traffic control system for air traffic control comprises at least one controller workstation (18), at least one radio device (20), an air traffic control network (12) configured as an Internet Protocol air traffic control network, and a network monitoring system (22) associated with the air traffic control network (12). The air traffic control network (12) comprises a local network (14) connected to a wide area network (16). The controller workstation (18) is integrated into the local network (16) and connected to the radio device (20), which is integrated into the local network (16) and/or an external network. The network monitoring system (22) includes a monitoring unit (24) integrated into the local network (14). Furthermore, a method for monitoring an air traffic control network (14) of an air traffic control system (10) for air traffic control is described.