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Air Traffic Control: Efforts to Modernize Oceanic System Delayed

IMTEC-91-2 Published: Jan 16, 1991. Publicly Released: Jan 16, 1991.
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Highlights

GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) efforts to provide automation support to improve oceanic air traffic control.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Federal Aviation Administration Because of the many problems experienced in implementing automated support for oceanic air traffic control, the Administrator, FAA, should evaluate the feasibility of successfully developing and deploying ODAPS. This evaluation should include an assessment of the likelihood that FAA will receive a system meeting requirements within reasonable costs, and consider whether other automation alternatives could better provide automated support to the oceanic environment.
Closed – Implemented
The Department concurred with the recommendation and stated that a management evaluation of ODAPS was conducted and identified deficiencies in the areas of requirements definition, program management, and contractor oversight. The evaluation team's report concluded that with appropriate management oversight and resource allocation, ODAPS is the best approach.
Federal Aviation Administration The Administrator, FAA, should reassess the current FAA strategy of using ODAPS as a baseline for developing a modern, satellite-based oceanic air traffic control system.
Closed – Implemented
The Department concurred with the recommendation and stated that, based on the internal management evaluation, ODAPS was a suitable target platform for developing a modern satellite-based oceanic system.

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Topics

Air traffic control systemsAir traffic controllersAutomatic dependent surveillance-broadcastCommunication satellitesInformation systemsInternational travelNavigation aidsOceanographic researchRegulatory agenciesTelecommunications equipmentTraffic regulation