Concept Description and Development Plan for the Surface Management System

NASA Ames Research Center, in cooperation with the FAA, is studying automation for aiding airport surface traffic management. The Surface Management System (SMS) is a decision support tool that will provide information and advisories to help controllers and air carriers collaboratively manage the movements of aircraft on the surface of busy airports, improving capacity, efficiency, and flexibility. This paper describes SMS, which is an element of the FAA’s Free Flight Phase 2 (FFP2) program, and outlines the plan for its development. Detailed information about future departure demand on airport resources is not currently available. SMS provides operational specialists at ATC facilities and air carriers with accurate predictions of the future departure demand and how the situation on the airport surface (e.g., the queues and delays at each runway) will evolve in response to that demand. SMS also provides advisories to help manage surface movements and departure operations.