OmniAir Consortium® has been selected as a subcontractor to support the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Mobile Network Aviation Assessment Program (MNAAP). Southwest Research Institute is the Prime Contractor.
Sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology’s (OST-R) Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence (HASS COE), MNAAP is a program to assess and evaluate the capabilities of existing mobile network technologies to support aviation safety needs.
OmniAir’s work on the project will focus on the following:
| 1. Rapid Prototyping of Test Units | 3. Mobile application testing |
| 2. Proof of Concept Test & Demonstration | 4. Stakeholder Identification & Engagement (i.e., Community of Practice) |
Cellular-Based Electronic Conspicuity for Aviation Working Group
Cellular-Based Electronic Conspicuity for Aviation (CBEC-A) utilizes commercial mobile networks and direct communications technologies to broadcast an aircraft’s position, altitude, speed, and identity, allowing manned and unmanned aircraft to safely share the same airspace.
OmniAir®, on behalf of USDOT HASS COE, is convening an invitation-only engineering working group focused on the technical foundations of radio frequency (RF) and cellular communications systems engineering and testing to advance cellular-based electronic conspicuity technologies for aviation.
OmniAir’s collaborative efforts will prioritize the following systems engineering focus areas:
| 1. Systems Engineering & Architecture: Defining robust technical frameworks. | 3. Prototyping: Streamlining design cycles for rapid development. |
| 2. Standardization: Establishing specifications for interoperability. | 4. Testing & Planning: Aligning on methodologies to validate communications capabilities and ensure technical rigor. |
How to Participate
This working group is invitation-only to ensure the technical depth required to drive these specifications forward. We want to ensure we have the most appropriate engineering expertise at the table. Specifically, we are seeking technical subject matter experts for RF communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, cybersecurity, or other relevant subject areas.
The objective of this group is to build consensus, exchange critical engineering data, and define the necessary frameworks to accelerate the rapid creation of prototypes, systems, and modeling capabilities to test the communications capabilities of CBEC-A.
A kick-off meeting is scheduled for 10 am ET on Wednesday, August 5th. Representatives from USDOT HASS COE will present an overview of the program's goals and the vision for this Community of Practice. The Working Group is expected to convene bi-weekly for the duration of the project.
For more information, please contact OmniAir Executive Director Jason Conley. Those interested in participating in the working group will be asked to provide a CV and letter of interest, highlighting relevant technical skills and/or relevant subject matter expertise to be contributed to this project.
About OmniAir Consortium
OmniAir Consortium is the leading industry association promoting interoperability and certification for ITS, tolling, and connected vehicles. OmniAir’s membership includes public agencies, private companies, research institutions, and independent test laboratories. Learn more about OmniAir at www.omniair.org.
