Gander Automated Air Traffic System
Air traffic control system
Gander Automated Air Traffic System (GAATS) is a computer system used by NAV CANADA for air traffic control in the oceanic airspace of the Gander Area Control Centre (ACC).
Air traffic control procedures in oceanic airspace (see North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Manual, ICAO NAT Doc 007) differ significantly from those in most continental airspace due to limited surveillance of aircraft and historically less reliable communication with pilots (although modern developments have substantially improved both). Operations therefore need to be more strategic rather than tactical. For example, the time at which a flight will reach each of its waypoints along its route across the ocean must be calculated as accurately as possible so that controllers at the ACC can issue a clearance to the aircraft before it enters oceanic airspace that is guaranteed to be free of conflict with other aircraft until it reaches the opposite coast. Such a clearance specifies the ocean entry time, route, altitude, and speed.
GAATS is specifically designed to support air traffic control staff in this operation by automating critical functions, including vital safety monitoring.
Main Functions
Flight plan acquisition
Flight time calculations based on four-dimensional upper-air weather forecasts
Data exchange with adjacent ATC facilities
Communication with flight crews via Controller–Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC)
Flight route assignment
Aircraft-to-aircraft conflict prediction and alerting in accordance with North Atlantic separation standards (ICAO NAT Doc-008)
Flight conformance monitoring
Aircraft-to-reserved-airspace conflict prediction
Flight clearance delivery
Tools for generating and promulgating the daily North Atlantic Organized Track System
Receipt of aircraft position reports through various channels, including space-based ADS-B and ADS-C
Controller workstations, including situation displays (similar to traditional radar displays but based on merged surveillance data and flight route projections)
Flight strip printing and display
North Atlantic Operations
The North Atlantic airspace is the busiest oceanic airspace in the world, handling up to 3,000 flights per day between North America and Europe. Traffic peaks occur during the eastbound flow at night and the westbound flow during the day. The airspace is served by several control centres, but the majority of traffic is handled by Gander Oceanic ACC and Shanwick Oceanic Control, operated by NATS in the United Kingdom. The boundary between their airspaces lies at 30 degrees west longitude, where flights transfer from one centre’s jurisdiction to the other.
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