The diagram on this page schematically depicts the SMARTS approach to the dynamic airspace configuration process, highlighting the resulting workflow and the three main components:
- Basic Volume Design
- Sector Definition
- Sector Configurations and Configuration Plan
The SMARTS approach consists of three main components executed at different points in time and with different timeframes.
The SMARTS approach’s first component focuses on defining building blocks and their classification. Design criteria and flow analysis of the demand are both inputs for this activity. This activity spans a time horizon from years to several months before the day of operations.
The identified building blocks represent input for the sector definition component. This phase’s objective is to identify workable sectors, i.e., sectors that air traffic controllers can effectively control. This phase spans a timeframe from months to 6-8 hours before the operations. For the example of sector design visualization, please check: Sector Design Visualizations
The last phase of the SMARTS approach is the definition of the airspace configuration. That is, the set of sectors that should be active (configured) at each point of time during the day of operations to accommodate the predicted demand. This last phase receives as input workable sectors, traffic scenarios obtained using weather forecasts and demand analysis, grouping criteria, resilience measures, and cost structure. The obtained configuration is assessed against complexity and workload measures to make sure the proposed solution can be effectively implemented.
