A Proposed Methodology for Operational Test and Evaluation of the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System

Dwight Fuqua

Abstract:	Operational Test and Evaluation @T&E) is conducted to estimate a system’s utility, effectiveness, and suitability, and often to establish the need for any modifications. OT&E is conducted by actual field operators and support personnel with the types and qualifications normally expected to use and maintain the system. OT&E is conducted in as realistic an operational environment as possible. The OT&E results are used to support major procurement milestone decisions, and fielding decisions such as declaration of Initial Operational Capability (IW. The FAA will begin fielding of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) during 1996. The WAAS will represent a significant upgrade for navigation within the National Airspace System (NAS) and will require OT&E prior to declaration of IOC. Decision-makers will use the OT&E results to support major program milestones that will have significant impact on the future of our nation’s Air Traffic Control System concept of operations. In this paper, formulation of a methodology to conduct OT&E of the WAAS is discussed. A dendritic structure is offered that identifies Critical Operational Issues (COIs), Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs), and Measures of Performance (MOPS). This structured approach allows aggregation of field data elements collected during the dedicated OT&E operational scenarios to address the COIs; also, it ensures that data element traceability exists within the OT&E program. Also discussed are the role of Modeling & Simulation (MODSlM) in the OT&E process, and the formulation of operational scenarios. MODSIM is often employed as a tool to extrapolate results in areas where only a limited data sample size can be collected (or where significant sample sizes are cost prohibitive): an example is the petformance of the WAAS in an unintentional jamming environment. Operational Scenarios provide the field conditions for conduct of (JT&E events and are formulated to ensure that data collected wilI provide the information needed to address the COIs and MOEs.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1995) June 5 - 7, 1995 Antlers Doubletree Hotel Colorado Springs, CO
Pages:	343 - 348
Cite this article:	Fuqua, Dwight, "A Proposed Methodology for Operational Test and Evaluation of the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System," Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1995), Colorado Springs, CO, June 1995, pp. 343-348.
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