Alternate Route Availability Tool

This proposal is highly relevant to NASArsquo;s SBIR Topic A3.01, ldquo;Advanced Air Traffic Management System Concepts,rdquo; within Focus Area 20, ldquo;Airspace Operations and Safety.rdquo;In the NAS, approximately 70 percent of flight delays are caused by weather, according to FAA statistics. By providing a planning tool to explore alternate routes in a timely manner using the most up-to-date Traffic Management Initiative (TMI) and weather information, flight delays can be mitigated or reduced. The Alternate Route Availability Tool (ARAT) will apply TMI information consumed from NASArsquo;s Digital Information Platform (DIP) with current and forecasted weather to assess alternate routes between city pairs. Flight routes impacted by these conditions will be recommended to be avoided based on the severity of the restriction or weather phenomena.ARAT applies to this specific topic because it allows flight operators to better understand weather implications on proposed alternate routes and efficiently choose the best route amendment to file.ARAT will accelerate the implementation of NASA technologies in the current and future National Airspace System (NAS) by leveraging the DIP platform and providing a means to demonstrate the benefits of DIP.