I-Corps: Software system that streams data from flight data recorders in aerial vehicles

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是使航空企业能够实时捕获和分析飞行数据，以提高效率和利润。飞行数据记录器于1947年首次投入使用。此后，它们已发展成为监测飞行各方面情况的宝贵工具。如今，联邦航空管理局（FAA）要求记录88个参数;一些运营商记录多达2，000个额外参数。目前对实时数据采集挑战的解决办法需要高昂的卫星传输成本和额外的资本设备要求。因此，商业航空公司继续使用飞行后数据分析，而许多运营商完全放弃使用飞行数据。拟议的技术旨在通过提供一种软件解决方案来改变这种情况，该解决方案可以驻留在飞机上的设备中，使用低成本的传输方法传输数据。该技术可以鼓励更广泛地使用飞行数据，并使人们能够参与飞行操作质量保证（FOQA）计划。如果灾难发生在海上或困难的地形上，拟议中的系统可能会使昂贵的恢复操作过时，因为所有的飞行数据记录器数据都将在云中提供。这个I-Corps项目为地面监控飞行提供实时数据采集，允许在飞机在空中时分析发动机数据和飞行员控制输入。目前，大多数飞行记录仪数据仅在飞行后几天或几周进行分析，而此时解决成本节约效率和安全问题的机会早已过去。有了这项技术，机组人员和维护团队将能够根据真实的流数据进行飞行和安全调整。此外，新技术将鼓励航空业的数据挖掘，以提高飞机性能，节约资源，保护环境和提高安全性。该系统在飞机服务器和分布式主服务器和数据服务器上运行。传输模式可以是无线电、蜂窝链路、卫星或通过其他新兴技术，如高空飞艇。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to enable the aviation businesses to capture and analyze flight data in real-time for increased efficiency and profits. Flight data recorders were first put into use in 1947. They have since evolved into valuable tools for monitoring all aspects of flight. Today, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates the recording of 88 parameters; Some operators are recording up to 2,000 additional parameters. Current solutions to the challenges of real-time data acquisition entail high satellite transmission costs and additional capital equipment requirements. Therefore, commercial airlines continue using post-flight data analysis, while many operators forego utilizing flight data altogether. The proposed technology intends to change this scenario by offering a software solution that can reside in equipment aboard an aircraft, transmitting data using low-cost transmission methods. The technology may encourage wider use of flight data and enable participation in Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs. If a disaster happens at sea or over difficult terrain, the proposed system could render expensive recovery operations obsolete since all flight data recorder data would be available in the cloud.This I-Corps project provides real-time data acquisition for ground-based monitoring of flights, allowing for engine data and pilot control inputs to be analyzed while an aircraft is in the air. Currently, most flight recorder data are only analyzed days or weeks after a flight, when the opportunity to address cost-saving efficiency and safety issues is long past. With the proposed technology, flight crews and maintenance teams would be able to make flight and safety adjustments based on streaming data in real time. In addition, the new technology would encourage data mining in the aviation industry to enhance aircraft performance, conserve resources, protect the environment, and improve safety. The system runs on an aircraft server and distributed main and data servers. The mode of transmission can be radio, cellular links, satellite, or via other, emerging technology such as high-altitude blimps. The amount and rate of data and the time window are highly predictable, thus resulting in efficient planning of resources.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.