Application of ADS-B for airport surface surveillance

Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) is a function on an aircraft or ground vehicle that periodically broadcasts its state vector (horizontal and vertical position, horizontal and vertical velocity) and other information. The broadcast ADS-B message provides surveillance information to other users, principally Air Traffic Control (ATC) and aircraft/vehicle operators. The applications for ADS-B include ATC display of traffic, runway incursion detection and alerting, and Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are investigating the suitability of this technology to support these applications in the airport surface environment. NASA has recently tested ADS-B using 1090 MHz data transmission in an airport surface environment as part of the Low Visibility Landing and Surface Operations (LVLASO) program. This paper presents results of the ADS-B testing and an assessment of how well 1090 MHz ADS-B performs with respect to surveillance system requirements established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and RTCA. In addition, data collected from vehicle to vehicle tests is analyzed to determine how well on-board avionics can utilize ADS-B data.