NEW PRECISIONWARE SOFTWARE TOOLS FOR GPS/GNNS PROCEDURES

CHILE TO BE FIRST BETA SITE IN SOUTH AMERICA

At the invitation of the DGAC Chile, Wavionix Innovative Solutions International (WISI) will be exhibiting at FIDAE 2000 for the first time to launch PrecisionWare 2.0, a new suite of software tools for the design, simulation and verification of GPS procedures.

This launch co-incides with the announcement that the DGAC in Chile has agreed to become the first beta test site for the software in Latin America.  Immediately after the FIDAE show, a team of CNS/ATM procedural experts from DGAC will be trained on the software at D.G.A.C. Headquarters in Santiago de Chile.

The major benefit of using these tools for procedure analysts, developers and aviation managers means that they can substantially accelerate data handling and verification in all areas of the procedure creation, development and the approval process.

Luis Rossi Jofré of Chile's DGAC says;  "It is forseen that this new software will allow the experts in our authority to save a lot of time and money.  We therefore think that PrecisionWare will become a key component in the way in which we will design IFR procedures in the future.  With these new software tools we are ready to face the challenges of the new millennium"

PrecisionWare 2.0 is an integrated suite of automation tools, which comprise:

The Designer, a PC-based tool that creates a GPS non-precision approach based on unique GPS and United States Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS).  Procedures are displayed with user-defined options.  The Designer supports procedure notification through dialog and GUI (graphical user interface) input.  After the procedure is drawn, the information is ready to be processed by the Simulator tool.

PRECISIONWARE

The Simulator, a simulation and evaluation tool for aviation approach procedures.  Simulations enable the procedure developer to evaluate procedures using realistic flight trajectories and generate single or multiple flight tracks.  The user also has the option of choosing additional variables such as wind conditions, phase of flight, aircraft type, and pilot capabilities.  Once the simulation phase is complete, the data is then transferred to the Validator for flight-testing.

The Validator, a PC-based flight test and verification system with both airborne and ground components that provide an accurate truth reference.  The Validator evaluates precision and non-precision approaches, broadcasts real-time Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) corrections and provides real-time navigation. 

PrecisionWare tools are fully integrated to manage and support ARINC, NFDC files, calculate crossing fix, convert over 200 datum sets to WGS-84, and maintain an audit trail.  They have the capability to convert between geodetic and Cartesian and the database that manages and stores all data passed between the tools.  These functions facilitate seamless transition between the tools. 

The Geodetic Calculator easily converts latitude/longitude positions using azimuth/distance or Cartesian co ordinates from known reference points.  Plus batch processing modes for inverse, datum conversion and geodetic to Cartesian processing. Data management utilities facilitate the task of handling multiple conversions.

The software has undergone extensive testing by procedure specialists in the United States and Canada and by a US FAA Focus Group at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. 

In addition to the beta testing in Chile, PrecisionWare will also be tested by Swisscontrol in Switzerland.  Results of the tests in Chile are expected to be released later this year.

PRECISIONWARE

WISI, which was formed in 1998 with the express objective of developing software, is the joint venture company of US based Innovative Solutions International Inc., the industry leaders in satellite navigation systems architecture and European based, Wavionix Software Ltd, the industry leaders in procedures design software.

March 2000