Definition
Automatic dependent surveillance — contract (ADS-C): means by which the
terms of an ADS-C agreement will be exchanged between the ground system and
the aircraft, via a data link, specifying under what conditions ADS-C reports would
be initiated, and what data would be contained in the reports. (ICAO)
Description
Although the names are similar, ADS-C and ADS-B are two different
applications.
Automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast (ADS-B), like Primary Surveillance
Radar (PSR) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) is an ATS surveillance
system which allows ATC to automatically and repeatedly access data from all
suitably equipped aircraft and both use and re-broadcast it to suitably equipped
other aircraft within range.
Automatic dependent surveillance - contract (ADS-C) uses the same systems on
board the aircraft to automatically transmit similar information - aircraft position,
altitude, speed, elements of navigational intent and meteorological data - only to
one or more specific Air Traffic Services Unit (ATSU) or AOC [1]facilities for
surveillance and/or route conformance monitoring.
Data provision by an aircraft is generated in response to a request within the terms
of the ADS contract held by the ground system. This contract identifies the types
of information and the conditions under which reports are to be sent by the aircraft.
Some types of information are included in every report, while other types are
provided only if specified in an ADS contract request. The aircraft can also send
unsolicited ADS-C emergency reports to any ATSU that has an ADS contract with
the aircraft.
An ATSU system may request multiple simultaneous ADS contracts with a single
aircraft, including one periodic and one event contract, which may be
supplemented by any number of demand contracts. Up to five separate ground
systems may request ADS contracts with a single aircraft.
ADS Contract Types
After receiving a logon request, the ATSU will need to establish ADS contract(s)
with the aircraft before it can receive any ADS-C reports. There are three types of
ADS contracts:
a) Periodic contract;
b) Demand contract; and
c) Event contract.
The ground system can establish ADS contracts without flight crew action
provided that ADS-C in the aircraft system is not selected off. The flight crew has
the ability to cancel all contracts by selecting ADS-C off and some aircraft systems
allow the flight crew to cancel an ADS contract with a specific ATSU.
Periodic Contract
A periodic contract allows an ATSU to specify:
a) The time interval at which the aircraft system sends an ADS-C report; and
b) The optional ADS-C groups that are to be included in the periodic report.
Each optional group may have a unique modulus which defines how often
the optional group is included with the periodic report (e.g. a modulus of
five indicates that the optional group would be included with every fifth
periodic report sent).
Demand Contract
A demand contract allows an ATSU to request a single ADS-C periodic report. A
demand contract does not cancel or modify any other ADS contracts that may be in
effect with the aircraft.
The ADS-C application also supports emergency alerting. An ADS-C emergency
report is a periodic report that is tagged as an “emergency” report, allowing the
emergency situation to be highlighted to ATC.
An ADS-C emergency can be triggered by the flight crew in a number of ways:
a) Manually, by selecting the ADS-C emergency function;
b) Indirectly, by triggering another type of emergency alerting system (e.g.
transmission of a CPDLC position report or selection of an SSR emergency
code); and
c) Covertly (The availability of that functionality may vary between aircraft
types).
Once an ADS-C emergency has been triggered, under normal circumstances the
avionics will continue to transmit ADS-C emergency periodic reports until the
flight crew de-selects the ADS-C emergency function.
Event Contract
An event contract allows an ATSU to request an ADS-C report whenever a
specific event occurs. An ATSU can establish only one event contract with an
aircraft at any one time. However, the event contract can contain multiple event
types. These types of optional events include:
a) Waypoint change event (WCE);
b) Level range deviation event (LRDE);
c) Lateral deviation event (LDE); and
d) Vertical rate change event (VRE).
An event contract remains in effect until the ATSU cancels it or until the event(s)
used to trigger the report occurs. The waypoint change event contract will trigger a
report for all waypoint changes. All other event contracts will trigger a report on
the first occurrence and then, if necessary, the ATSU will need to request a new
event contract indicating all desired event types.
ADS-C Reports
The aircraft system sends specific aircraft data in different groups of an ADS-C
report. Each group contains different types of data. An ADS-C event report
contains only some of the groups, which are fixed. The ADS-C periodic report can
contain any of the ADS-C groups, which the ATSU specifies in the contract
request. The ADS-C report groups consist ot:
Basic group
Flight identification group
Earth reference group
Air reference group
Airframe identification group
Meteorological group
Predicted route group
Fixed projected intent group
Intermediate projected intent group
The ATSU may use an ADS-C report for a variety of purposes. These include:
Establishing and monitoring of traditional time-based separation minima;
Establishing and monitoring of distance-based separation standards;
Flagging waypoints as ‘overflown’;
Updating estimates for downstream waypoints;
Route and level conformance monitoring;
Updating the display of the ADS-C position symbol, and the associated
extrapolation;
Generating (and clearing) alerts;
Generating (and clearing) ADS-C emergencies;
Updating meteorological information; and
Updating other information in the flight plan held by the ATSU.
For more detailed information on ADS-C principles of operation, capabilities and
merits see the ICAO Global Operational Data Link Document (in Further
Reading), Section 2.2.6.
