Using Data Integrity as an Improvement Characteristic to Assess the Safety of ADS-B-based Systems

Abstract

The increasing demand for the densification of the national airspace in various social and economic applications have pressed aviation authorities to reduce aircraft separation, allowing more efficient operations in Air Traffic Management (ATM) in a given airspace. However, issues related to the safety of air traffic operations arise when considering the possibility of reducing aircraft separation. Surveillance plays a key role in monitoring and controlling air traffic in new scenarios in which a better flight performance is required. Accuracy of positional information provided by the Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B), originally designed to improve situational awareness for pilots and support controllers in air traffic management, is essential in order to avoid exposure to incidents and accidents such as events of loss of separation (AIRPROX) and collisions for new Global ATM paradigm. This paper presents a qualitative approach to assess safety when using ADS-B systems considering its data integrity as a relevant factor in aeronautical systems and operations for different scenarios. A testing platform -- the Integrated Platform for Testing Critical Embedded Systems (PIpE-SEC) -- is also presented as a possible solution for this safety evaluation.