AFDM

The Augmented Flight Deck Model (AFDM) is a new inter-operable model that is being developed by ISA Software under the sponsorship of the FAA to model free flight or autonomous aircraft in an ATM modelling scenario.

AFDM is developed as an external simulation tool that operates interactively with an ATC Simulator such as RAMS Plus. Most existing simulators do not support a true free flight model, although often they support semi-free flight concepts such as free route concept (e.g. through the multi-use area in RAMS Plus). As a result, if a tool like RAMS Plus, in its normal (stand-alone) operation, were to be used as a free flight modelling tool, extensive additions to its internal logic would be necessary. Having recognised that no modelling tool is able to continue to model all the new and future concepts that may be put forward in the effort to improve efficiency and capacity to cater for the anticipated demand, the RAMS Plus developers, in conjunction with the FAA decided on an inter-operable approach.

AFDM is one of the models that is used to introduce new behaviours without the need for core logic changes. Through the Open Communications Interface (OCI), RAMS Plus supports the addition of external modelling tools that can either enhance or overload internal functions of the simulator. This means that developers can rapidly produce or adapt tools to represent new concepts or behaviour expected to be found in future ATM systems and through OCI, add them as external, inter-operable models to the ATM scenario being simulated (represented by RAMS Plus).

The inter-operable modelling approach has been in use with RAMS since 1998, when the first experiments using the approach were carried out. Since that time, several models have been adapted or produced to work within the OCI architecture, and many more are currently being produced or enhanced to also work with OCI.

The role of AFDM is to provide a model that allows the study of a variety of Free-Flight or Autonomous Aircraft behaviours in a simulated ATC environment, replicating many of the anticipated features of intelligent aircraft (such as those described in the NASA DAG/TM concept).

For more information on AFDM please contact ISA Software or FAA.