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The ADS-B system is a crucial component of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). It provides surveillance and improved situational awareness simultaneously to pilots and air traffic controllers. ADS-B is designed to improve the safety, capacity and efficiency of the national airspace system while providing a flexible, expandable platform to accommodate future air traffic growth.

Status

In fiscal year 2006, the FAA approved funding for the implementation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) at eight sites.

What is ADS-B?

• ADS-B is surveillance, like radar, but offers more precision and additional services, such as weather and traffic information.
• ADS-B provides air traffic controllers and pilots with much more accurate information to help keep aircraft safely separated in the sky and on runways.

How does it work?

• Aircraft transponders receive GPS signals and use them to determine the aircraft’s precise position in the sky, which is combined with other data and broadcast out to other aircraft and air traffic controllers.

What will ADS-B do for pilots?

• ADS-B will give the pilot a live picture of the airspace and the planes in it.
• When properly equipped with ADS-B, both pilots and controllers will, for the very first time, see the same real-time displays of air traffic; thereby substantially improving safety.

ADS-B Applications for Aircraft

• Enhanced Visual Acquisition: provides the flight crew with enhanced traffic situational awareness in controlled and uncontrolled airspace/airports.
• Enhanced Visual Approaches: enhances successive approaches for aircraft cleared to maintain visual separation from another aircraft on the approach.
• Final Approach and Runway Occupancy Awareness: reduces the likelihood of flight crew errors associated with runway occupancy and improves the capability of the flight crew to detect ATC errors.
• Airport Surface Situational Awareness - Conflict Detection: reduces the potential for deviations, errors, and collisions through an increase in flight crew situational awareness while operating an aircraft on the airport movement area.

ADS-B Ground Services

• Surveillance Broadcast Services (En route, Terminal, Surface): using ADS-B surveillance information as a valid surveillance source to provide Air Traffic Control services throughout the National Airspace System (NAS).
• Traffic/Flight Information Broadcast Services: provides traffic and flight (weather) information to pilots.