From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Common ARTS
Common ARTS
Common ARTS (or Automated Radar Terminal System System) History
is an air traffic control computer system that air traffic
ARTS was developed in the late 1960s by Univac corpo-
controllers use to track aircraft. The computer system is
ration to help automate the TRACONS operations in the
used to automate the air traffic controllers job by corre-
United States. At many TRACONs, a Unisys mainframe
lating the various radar and human inputs in a meaning-
computer was installed to handle the processing. In the
ful way. This system being used in most of the TRACONs
early 1970s virtually all TRACONs in the US were run-
around the United States. Common ARTS is the most
ning ARTS software to help track aircraft displayed on
modern implementation of ARTS in use at various loca-
the radar console. The Burroughs Corporation was also
tions in the United States. Standard Terminal Automa-
working on radar display consoles in the 1970s to 1980s.
tion Replacement System (STARS) was designed to re-
In the 1980s Univac and Bouroughs Corporations
place Common ARTS at all the US TRACONS, however
merged creating Unisys.
that project was stalled until 2010. The FAA announced
By the early 1980s an effort was proposed to port
in Spring 2011 that STARS will be replacing the 11 largest
the ARTS functionality to microprocessors. Unisys began
CARTS sites under the TAMR Segment 3 Phase 1 plan. The
this program, and the name changed to CommonARTS.
remaining CARTS sites will be replaced under TAMR Seg-
The CommonARTS processes were running on Motorola
ment 3 Phase 2 in the near future.
68000 microprocessors. The software was mostly rewrit-
ten in the C language, running on various real-time oper-
RADAR Automation ating systems.
In the 1990s, Unisys split out some of the defense
A typical short range RADAR used in air traffic control
work, and Lockheed Martin acquired the air traffic man-
will scan the area about 60 miles every 4–6 seconds. The
agement unit.
primary signal returned will contain a range and azimuth
In the 1990s, most of the Common ARTS software was
of a target. Automation will correlate these targets scan
ported to PowerPC processors, still using the same source
to scan and make estimates of speed and direction. A
code, but with larger memory footprint, allowing con-
secondary signal (Transponder (aviation)) may be avail-
trol of more aircraft. By 1997, there were 131 small to
able, containing the aircraft transponder code, and pos-
medium TRACONS and five large TRACONS running Com-
sibly altitude (and possibly other information if Mode S).
mon ARTS software. The PowerPC also allowed the dis-
The automation will correlate the primary and secondary
play software to drive ARTS Color Displays (ACD) replac-
signals, and measure horizontal and vertical speed esti-
ing the vector-based Full Digital ARTs Displays (FDAD).
mates.
The STARS program was started to replace the Com-
Once the automation systems know the details of the
mon ARTS systems at all TRACONS in the late 1990s.
aircraft it is tracking, this information is available on the
In the late 1990s Automatic dependent surveillance-
display, as part of the datablock near the aircraft repre-
broadcast (ADS-B) support was added to Common ARTS
sentation. The information will typically show an aircraft
software to augment RADAR sensors. Multiple sensor in-
ID, if the transponder code is associated with a known
puts were added including long range (ARSR) allowing
flight plan, the altitude, and speed.
larger TRACONS to have variable size and shape sectors,
Other systems can use the speed and direction infor-
since they no longer needed to have round coverage ar-
mation. The safety systems need to use this information.
eas matching a single sensor scan area.
The conflict alert (CA) system will compare the direc-
With the bidding for En Route Automation Modern-
tion, altitude and speed of multiple aircraft to see if there
ization project (ERAM), Raytheon and Lockheed joined
are any possibilities of aircraft being too close togeth-
teams to finish the ERAM program together, mixing
er. Maps of the area along with Mode C or S transpon-
Common ARTS and STARS hardware and software.[citation
der elevations will allow Minimum Safe Altitude Warning
needed]
(MSAW) systems to warn controllers of possible terrain
conflicts.
Additional systems may include any of the Final Ap- Sources
proach Spacing (FAST/pFAST) tools available, User Re-
• http://www.as.nasa.gov/atcseminar/previous/
quest Evaluation Tool, and Parallel Runway monitors.
ATCSeminarTRACON.pdf
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Common ARTS
• http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-343 • http://www.usfamily.net/web/labenson/
Look about page 18-21 ATCDEDS.htm
• http://www.usfamily.net/web/labenson/ • http://www.usfamily.net/web/labenson/
Legacy_files/Eagan_ATC_history.pdf SystemsAirTraffic.htm
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0GZQ/ • http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7066
is_27_43/ai_89156890 • http://www.tc.faa.gov/acb300/techreports/
• http://www.usfamily.net/web/labenson/ HighAltitude_memo.pdf
ATC1219.htm
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Categories:
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