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Performance Data Analysis and Reporting System (PDARS)

PDARS Objective

The Performance Data Analysis and Reporting System (PDARS) was a joint Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-NASA effort that was an element of the Aviation Safety Monitoring and Modeling (ASMM) Project to develop the technologies that enabled a system-wide capability to monitor day-to-day operations of the National Airspace System (NAS) and to measure Air Traffic Control’s (ATC) delivery of services, to ensure that they were safe, efficient, and met the needs of its customers.

Screenshot of NASA Ames Research Center's Performance Data Analysis and Reporting System (PDARS) analyzing flight in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Screenshot of NASA Ames Research Center’s Performance Data Analysis and Reporting System (PDARS) analyzing flight in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Credit- NASA

PDARS Approach

PDARS provided a capability for facility- level managers to monitor the performance of the ATC system in the NAS, identify and analyze operational performance problems, and design and evaluate improvements. PDARS provided the capabilities to the interconnected ATC facilities to routinely:

– Collect, extract, process, and merge ATC data

– Compute quantitative performance measures

– Disseminate performance-measurement reports

– Access system-design and simulation tools for “what-if” studies

– Archive basic operational data and performance statistics

PDARS accomplished several key milestones during this process, including prototype network completion, prototype demonstration, generation of daily reports, prototype evaluation, design review, and delivery of the first upgrades to prototype capabilities.

Impact of PDARS

Six FAA facilities representing a microcosm of the NAS – Southern California and Bay TRACONs, Los Angeles and Oakland Centers, the Western-Pacific Region, and the System Command Center – were selected to participate in an operational evaluation of the concept and tools. An initial PDARS prototype was implemented and fielded at the six sites, FAA personnel had been trained on PDARS, and both the system and its reports were being used on a day-to-day basis. Both informal feedback and a formal design review yielded positive comments on the prototype, guidance for where to pursue upgrades, and a drive to expand the capability to other facilities. The demonstration of the PDARS prototype was extended to facilities of the Southwest Region in 2002 and to the Southern Region during 2003. In 2004, facilities in the Central Region were added and the FAA announced a schedule to all of the remaining 20 ATC Centers in the continental U.S.

PDARS Technology

PDARS incorporated innovative technology for real-time collection and rapid processing of large volumes of complex data, and state-of-the-art tools for extraction, presentation, and visualization of information, including radar flight tracks. Data was accessed daily from all sites, processed overnight, and reports were delivered to all six facilities routinely each morning to share information at the daily telecons.

More Info.

Performance Data Analysis and Reporting System (PDARS) Overview, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

* Please note, this webpage is not actively maintained and is for historical reference only.