Random Linear Network Coding for Satellite-Aided Flight Data Streaming

In response to the recommendation by the International Civil Aviation Organization for the enhancement of flight tracking, Inmarsat developed a platform that allows flight data recorder information to be streamed off aircrafts to defined recipients via its geostationary satellites. This paper considers various data forwarding mechanisms and demonstrates that random linear network coding can support reliable transmission that is more resilient to channel errors. Resilience can be further improved if partial packet recovery is enabled and if authorized users with receive-only capabilities share retrieved data with aviation safety recipients.