MCLEAN, VA., Sept 14, 2009 – Innovative Solutions International, Inc. (ISI) is pleased to announce that it will be supporting Stanford University to evaluate alternative navigation systems that can be used during a “GPS outage”. Currently, the GPS satellite constellation is very robust and provides position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services to all transportation users, and many others. However, no system can be at peak performance all the time (100% available), and it is anticipated that there could be “GPS outages” in the future. Since civil aviation is a critical safety-of-life function, it is important that a backup be available during those outages.

The 2008 Federal Radio-navigation Plan (FRP) states that “the Department of Transportation (DOT) has determined that sufficient alternative navigation aids currently exist in the event of a loss of GPS-based services”. However, some of the current ground-based navigation aids are reaching their end of life period and it will be very expensive to upgrade or replace all of those ground-based systems. Therefore, the FAA only wants to maintain a minimum set of ground-based navigation aids as backup in case of a “GPS outage”. In addition, during the upgrading of these ground-based systems, there is also an opportunity to modernize them to provide additional functionality for the entire communications, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) services of the FAA.

Stanford University and ISI will be collaborating on the evaluation of the technical, operational, financial, and institutional feasibility of the alternative systems that can satisfy the role as a backup, for all users worldwide, during any “GPS outage”. If any of the upgraded ground-based system(s) can satisfy all the requirements of a GPS backup, then they will become part of the FAA’s NextGen aviation system that will carry civil aviation through 2025 and beyond. “This study and evaluation is critical as GPS is expected to be the backbone of all PNT services that will be provided by the FAA for the NextGen aviation system, and no outages can be tolerated for these safety-of-life services,” ISI President and CEO Bob Loh explains.

About Innovative Solutions International, Inc.
ISI is helping the FAA and other leading civil aviation organizations, like Chile’s DGAC, India’s AAI, Saudi Arabia’s GACA, and Brazil’s DECEA to implement the next generation of air traffic control systems to increase the safety, capacity, and efficiency of air travel the world over.  ISI's support of advance aviation systems and concepts not only includes GPS and its augmentations such as the WAAS and LAAS, but other advanced systems and concepts such as: Performance Based Navigation (PBN) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP); Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) for airport runway incursion; NextGen air traffic sequencing and spacing; Tailored Arrivals and Trajectory Based Operations; Collaborative Air Traffic Management; Dynamic Secure Tracking and Reporting System (DSTAR); and GNSS Performance Monitoring Systems (GPMS).  ISI has over 15 years of experience and expertise in evaluating and implementing CNS/ATM systems for civil aviation.

Innovative Solutions International Inc. (ISI Inc.)
1608 Spring Hill Road, Suite 200
Vienna, VA 22182
www.isicns.com
(703) 883-8088

Contact: Jonatha Caspian, jcaspian@isicns.com, (703) 564-8210
Tam Mai, tmai@isicns.com, (703) 564-8206