Abstract: A system and method are provided for implementing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) deconfliction schemes by accepting representations of UAS flight plans in disparate native forms, and to converting them into a common format in support of evaluating potential conflicts, and providing flight plan approval/disapproval, and/or flight plan execution restrictions or warnings regarding potentially conflicting manned and unmanned aerial vehicle operations. The disclosed UAS Traffic Management (UTM) scheme may validate a UAS flight plan based on the provided flight plan representation, approving or disapproving the flight plan, and may provide suggestions for modification of a submitted UAS flight plan to enhance operational deconfliction without completely rejecting, through disapproval, the flight plan. Different levels of alerts and/or warnings may be provided to alert the UAS platform operators and National Airspace System operators/controllers to potential conflicts and conflict avoidance.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for integrating live flight following information provided as Trusted Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data with stored planned flight and other information, and for, in part, comparatively analyzing the data/information to generate automated alerts to one or more end-users when an aircraft is determined to deviate from a planned flight route by a predetermined degree, as specified by adjustable set parameters. Broadcast ADS-B data transmitted by participating aircraft is collected and communicated via a secure, trusted and dependable worldwide network for analysis in a centralized location. The analysis involves, in part, comparing the ADS-B data to other information provided to, or collected by, the centralized location from multiple sources regarding planned routes of flight for participating aircraft and other available information relevant to aircraft operations in particular geographic locations.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating a network cloud based hierarchical architecture for supporting unmanned aircraft are disclosed. A system may include a higher level server, one or more lower level server in direct communication with the higher level server, and one or more control station in direct communication with the lower level server. Each control station may be configured to: control flight operations of an unmanned aircraft; acquire flight information and position information of the unmanned aircraft; and provide updates to the lower level server regarding the flight information and position information of the unmanned aircraft. Each lower level server may be configured to: process the flight information and position information received from the control station; and provide updates to the higher level server regarding the flight information and position information received from the control station.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating a network cloud based hierarchical architecture for supporting unmanned aircraft are disclosed. A system may include a higher level server, one or more lower level server in direct communication with the higher level server, and one or more control station in direct communication with the lower level server. Each control station may be configured to: control flight operations of an unmanned aircraft; acquire flight information and position information of the unmanned aircraft; and provide updates to the lower level server regarding the flight information and position information of the unmanned aircraft. Each lower level server may be configured to: process the flight information and position information received from the control station; and provide updates to the higher level server regarding the flight information and position information received from the control station.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for implementing multi-mission tracking and re-tasking for a plurality of unmanned vehicles from a central location to provide mission deconfliction and mission modification in an operating environment, including an evolving and moving operating environment, to effectively employ the plurality of locally-operated unmanned vehicles. A mission controller, operating from a centralized location, takes a provided graphical situational awareness a step further in creating, modifying, or deleting/suspending missions for one or multiple unmanned vehicles to carry out, and then to transmit the proposed mission changes to the deployed unmanned vehicle operators for validation, acceptance, and execution.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for employing local, opportunistic Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) information to augment other source “knowledge” of local aircraft position information for improving situational awareness in areas lacking ADS-B coverage provided by other aircraft control agencies including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), other Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs), and/or other Air Traffic Control (ATC) entities. Locally-received, e.g., in a vicinity of a UAV or sUAS, ADS-B positional information is received by a UAV, sUAS or associated ground control station and integrated on a display component of the ground control station, e.g., a pilot display, for the UAV or sUAS. Received positional information is forwarded to other interested users/systems, including those associated with agencies or entities in overall tactical, operational or surveillance control of a particular area of operations, as appropriate as an integrated situational awareness map display picture.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for implementing low-cost real-time or near real-time tracking of a plurality of vehicles operating in a confined area, including on an airport. A MESH-type of network is provided to allow for the deployment and integration of large numbers of low power (line of sight) radios. The disclosed systems and network architecture include vehicle-mounted integrated end-device radio/GPS/power/antenna units, fixed or mobile router/repeater devices and fixed network gateways/coordinator units with Internet connectivity that may communicate near real-time end device (vehicle) position/track information for display on a situational awareness display device.

Abstract: A low-cost display unit that displays wayfinding information to a traveler in a public travel-related area is disclosed and may include a communication interface that facilitates receiving of travel-related information, a machine-readable marking reader that determines the presence of a travel document having one or more machine readable markings, scans the one or more machine-readable markings, and decodes the scanned one or more machine-readable markings, wherein the one or more machine-readable markings contain encoded traveled-related information pertaining to the traveler; and a display control unit that receives the decoded one or more machine-readable marking, determines the traveler's destination in the public travel-related area from the decoded one or more machine-readable markings, determines the path that the traveler should travel to reach the destination, and displays the determined path to the traveler on the low-cost display unit.

Abstract: A display data management unit that receives and formats data and sends the formatted data to one or more low-cost display units for display to at least one of passengers and customers is disclosed and may include a communication interface that facilitates the sending and receiving of travel data, and a display content management unit that receives travel data through the communication interface that contains travel-related content from one or more data sources, determines which travel-related content is to be displayed on each particular low-cost display unit, determines in what format the travel-related content is to be displayed on each particular low-cost display unit, formats the travel-related content for display, and sends the formatted travel-related content to one or more low-cost display units through the communication interface for display to one of passengers and customers.

Abstract: A low-cost display unit that displays wayfinding information to a traveler in a public travel-related area is disclosed and may include a communication interface that facilitates receiving of travel-related information, a machine-readable marking reader that determines the presence of a travel document having one or more machine readable markings, scans the one or more machine-readable markings, and decodes the scanned one or more machine-readable markings, wherein the one or more machine-readable markings contain encoded traveled-related information pertaining to the traveler; and a display control unit that receives the decoded one or more machine-readable marking, determines the traveler's destination in the public travel-related area from the decoded one or more machine-readable markings, determines the path that the traveler should travel to reach the destination, and displays the determined path to the traveler on the low-cost display unit.

Abstract: A method and system that receives and processes ADS-B data from one or more aircraft is disclosed. The system may include one or more ground stations that receives data from one or more aircraft and converts the received aircraft ADS-B data to XML format, determines the lowest cost communication mode available, and transmits the XML data over TCP/IP to an aircraft data server. The aircraft data server receives the aircraft ADS-B data in XML format from the one or more ground stations, processes the received ADS-B data to extract aircraft data and eliminate duplicate aircraft data; determines aircraft data missing from the processed aircraft data, receives supplemental aircraft data from other sources to provide aircraft data missing from the processed aircraft data, and outputs the processed aircraft data and the received supplemental aircraft data to one or more processing devices for processing and display.

Abstract: A display data management unit that receives and formats data and sends the formatted data to one or more low-cost display units for display to at least one of passengers and customers is disclosed and may include a communication interface that facilitates the sending and receiving of travel data, and a display content management unit that receives travel data through the communication interface that contains travel-related content from one or more data sources, determines which travel-related content is to be displayed on each particular low-cost display unit, determines in what format the travel-related content is to be displayed on each particular low-cost display unit, formats the travel-related content for display, and sends the formatted travel-related content to one or more low-cost display units through the communication interface for display to one of passengers and customers.

Abstract: A method and system that receives and processes ADS-B data from one or more aircraft is disclosed. The system may include one or more ground stations that receives data from one or more aircraft and converts the received aircraft ADS-B data to XML format, determines the lowest cost communication mode available, and transmits the XML data over TCP/IP to an aircraft data server. The aircraft data server receives the aircraft ADS-B data in XML format from the one or more ground stations, processes the received ADS-B data to extract aircraft data and eliminate duplicate aircraft data; determines aircraft data missing from the processed aircraft data, receives supplemental aircraft data from other sources to provide aircraft data missing from the processed aircraft data, and outputs the processed aircraft data and the received supplemental aircraft data to one or more processing devices for processing and display.