{"project":{"acronym":"","projectId":9846,"title":"ATC Operations Analysis via Automatic Recognition of Clearances","primaryTaxonomyNodes":[{"taxonomyNodeId":10964,"taxonomyRootId":8816,"parentNodeId":10961,"level":2,"code":"TX16.3","title":"Traffic Management Concepts","definition":"This area covers technologies and procedures to enable improved efficiency and predictability of ground, departure, en-route and descent portions of flight, for high density of mixed manned and unmanned vehicles. ","exampleTechnologies":"Deployment of NextGen technologies including enhanced required navigation performance (RNP) (required navigation performance) arrival, integrated arrivals/departures/surface operations, and integrated air-ground applied weather demonstration; operator prioritization services integrated with air navigation service provider tools; safety analyses for new airspace concepts; fully integrated, service-based ground, flight deck and operations management technologies; scalable integration of airspace and application technologies.","hasChildren":false,"hasInteriorContent":true}],"startTrl":3,"currentTrl":6,"endTrl":6,"benefits":"The capability to perform automatic speech recognition of ATC clearances can provide commercial benefit to airlines in their efforts monitor airport operations and drive efficiencies into their operation. Mosaic ATM provides the surface management application that is being used operationally by UPS airline in Louisville, Kentucky. This speech recognition capability can be integrated into the UPS SMS system to improve data acquisition and prediction performance. Additionally, the automatic speech recognition capability of ATC clearances can be used in additional research and prototype capabilities for integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) into the National Airspace System (NAS). By using speech recognition and additional research, capabilities for UAS to autonomous react to ATC clearances may be possible.
Potential applications for the research results beyond Phase II include use by NASA for continued research of ATC operations and by the FAA. These applications include both off-line analysis applications and real-time applications. NASA and other aviation community researchers can use this data to analyze ATC operations and to measure workload associated with ATC communication. Analysis of conformance to clearances can also be assessed and analyzed. In real-time application, NASA can use the speech recognition of ATC clearances to improve the performance of the Surface Management System at the NASA NTX facility.","description":"Recent advances in airport surface surveillance have motivated the creation of new tools for analysis of Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations, such as the Surface Operations Data Analysis and Adaptation (SODAA) tool, which is being used by NASA to conduct airport ATC operations analysis. What is missing from ATC operations analysis, however, is accessible and reliable data regarding the clearances issued by the controller and other communication conducted with the pilot that influences the behavior seen in the surveillance data. The reliance on voice communication in ATC operations presents challenges to the researcher who is trying to obtain data and conduct detailed analyses of ATC operations. During the Phase I effort, we designed and developed a prototype system to perform automatic speech recognition (ASR) of ATC clearances. We demonstrated the feasibility of recognizing ATC clearances from speech audio data and associating the clearance data with the flight that is the subject of the clearance. In the Phase II effort, we will create a complete prototype of the ATC speech recognition, processing and analysis capability in SODAA. In addition, we will integrate ATC speech recognition capabilities into a real-time application in the Surface Management System (SMS).","startYear":2011,"startMonth":6,"endYear":2013,"endMonth":7,"statusDescription":"Completed","principalInvestigators":[{"contactId":74264,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Chris","lastName":"Brinton","fullName":"Chris Brinton","fullNameInverted":"Brinton, Chris","primaryEmail":"brinton@mosaicatm.com","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programDirectors":[{"contactId":206378,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Jason","lastName":"Kessler","fullName":"Jason L Kessler","fullNameInverted":"Kessler, Jason L","middleInitial":"L","primaryEmail":"jason.l.kessler@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programExecutives":[{"contactId":215154,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Jennifer","lastName":"Gustetic","fullName":"Jennifer L Gustetic","fullNameInverted":"Gustetic, Jennifer L","middleInitial":"L","primaryEmail":"jennifer.l.gustetic@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programManagers":[{"contactId":62051,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Carlos","lastName":"Torrez","fullName":"Carlos Torrez","fullNameInverted":"Torrez, Carlos","primaryEmail":"carlos.torrez@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"projectManagers":[{"contactId":3164113,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Paul","lastName":"Borchers","fullName":"Paul Borchers","fullNameInverted":"Borchers, Paul","primaryEmail":"Paul.F.Borchers@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false},{"contactId":461333,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Theresa","lastName":"Stanley","fullName":"Theresa M Stanley","fullNameInverted":"Stanley, Theresa M","middleInitial":"M","primaryEmail":"theresa.m.stanley@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"website":"","libraryItems":[],"transitions":[{"transitionId":65942,"projectId":9846,"partner":"Other","transitionDate":"2011-06-01","path":"Advanced From","relatedProjectId":8910,"relatedProject":{"acronym":"","projectId":8910,"title":"ATC Operations Analysis via Automatic Recognition of Clearances","startTrl":3,"currentTrl":6,"endTrl":6,"benefits":"The FAA and NASA are currently collaborating on the continued research and development of SMS/SDSS. Mosaic ATM currently supports NASA in the development of a data mining and analysis tool for airport surface research, as well as in the expansion of the SMS concept and system. The culmination of this collaborative research between Mosaic ATM, NASA and the FAA will be the development and deployment by the FAA of an advanced ATC Tower automation system. The integration of AASR into this advanced ATC Tower automation system will allow tower controllers to continue to operate using the verbal command and control approach that is most conducive to safe and efficient operations, while the advanced ATC automation system will be able to receive electronic data without requiring additional user entries and manual workload.
The capabilities of the proposed ATC automatic speech recognition capability as have been presented in this proposal would provide significant usefulness to NASA and the FAA in the research and analysis of future NGATS airportal and airspace concepts. Because ATC clearances are issued by verbal command via a radio channel, there is currently no easy way to obtain large amounts of reliable data regarding the clearances that are issued to aircraft. For research efforts that have required ATC clearance data, it has been necessary to obtain the data through manual observation and recording of clearances issues, or by laborious and time-consuming manual review and transcription of recorded ATC audio tapes. However, access to such clearance information would provide additional insights and understanding regarding the strategies and limitations of the air traffic controller for NASA research efforts.","description":"Recent advances in airport surface surveillance have motivated the creation of new tools and data sources for analysis of Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations. The Surface Operations Data Analysis and Adaptation (SODAA) tool, which is being used by NASA to conduct airport ATC operations analysis, is a prime example of one such analysis tool. What is missing from ATC operations analysis, however, is accessible and reliable data regarding the clearances issued by the controller and other communication that is conducted with the pilot that influences the behavior that is seen in the surveillance data. The current command and control paradigm for managing air traffic in the National Airspace System (NAS) is highly dependent on voice communication. This approach has benefited the development of ATC over the last century in a number of ways, including a low level of required aircraft equipage and the ability to handle contingency situations and adapt to new requirements easily due to the flexibility and adaptability of the human air traffic controllers and pilots. However, the reliance on voice communication in ATC operations presents challenges to the researcher who is trying to obtain data and conduct detailed analyses of ATC operations. In this proposal, we draw on existing Mosaic ATM expertise and tools to perform automatic speech recognition of ATC clearances. The recognized ATC clearances will be associated with the flight that is the subject of the clearance, time-stamped and encoded into an analysis database. The SODAA tool will be used as the platform for storage and analysis of this verbal clearance data.","startYear":2010,"startMonth":1,"endYear":2010,"endMonth":7,"statusDescription":"Completed","website":"","program":{"acronym":"SBIR/STTR","active":true,"description":"
The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"acronym":"STMD","canUserEdit":false,"city":"","external":false,"linkCount":0,"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","naorganization":false,"organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdId":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer"},"lastUpdated":"2024-1-10","releaseStatusString":"Released","viewCount":848,"endDateString":"Jul 2010","startDateString":"Jan 2010"},"infoText":"Advanced from another project within the program","infoTextExtra":"Another project within the program (ATC Operations Analysis via Automatic Recognition of Clearances)","dateText":"June 2011"},{"transitionId":65943,"projectId":9846,"transitionDate":"2013-07-01","path":"Closed Out","closeoutDocuments":[{"title":"Final Summary Chart","file":{"fileExtension":"pdf","fileId":306035,"fileName":"SBIR_2009_2_FSC_A3.02-9691","fileSize":54109,"objectId":65943,"objectType":{"lkuCodeId":1841,"code":"TRANSITION_FILES","description":"Transition Files","lkuCodeTypeId":182,"lkuCodeType":{"codeType":"OBJECT_TYPE","description":"Object Type"}},"fileSizeString":"52.8 KB"},"transitionId":65943,"fileId":306035}],"infoText":"Closed out","infoTextExtra":"","dateText":"July 2013"}],"responsibleMd":{"acronym":"STMD","canUserEdit":false,"city":"","external":false,"linkCount":0,"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","naorganization":false,"organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"program":{"acronym":"SBIR/STTR","active":true,"description":"The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
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