Networking Simulation for Intelligent Transportation Systems

4Air-Ground Data Link Communications in Air Transport

The current evolution of the civil aviation industry shows a drastic increase in data exchanges between on-board and ground systems. These data are related to safety, eco-friendliness and economic purposes. The overall set of solutions, including the communication system and the applications, is known as the aeronautical data link. Regarding the considered airspace, different communication systems can be used. Some of these recent systems, such as VDL (VHF Data Link), are based on the line-of-sight links between aircraft and ground stations, thus limiting their deployment to the continental domain. In oceanic areas, satellite-based systems are proposed as the main solution for future aeronautical data link communications known as AMSS (aeronautical mobile satellite service). Both systems are intended to support very different types of services with mobile nodes. In this context, traffic characterization, communication architecture and protocols have to be explored and validated. These are the fields in which a simulator becomes handy, allowing the validation of techniques and algorithms.

4.1. Introduction

4.1.1. Context

Aeronautical communication embraces a wide spectrum of usage, from the passengers’ desire for on-board Wi-Fi with Internet connectivity and airline data collection for the cost efficiency of aircraft operation, to safety-related communication between the pilot and the controller for managing the air traffic. ...