Certification of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)

1
Certification of the Wide Area Augmentation
System (WAAS)

• Dan Hanlon
• WAAS Program Manager

2
A New Paradigm

• WAAS was the first navigation aid to be certified
  nationally
• As such, many of FAAs standard certification
  criteria had to be tailored to fit the program

3
Steps to Certification

• FAA Administrator Directs Establishment of an
  Independent Review Board (IRB)
• Role Perform an Independent Assessment of the
  Need for a Satellite Based Augmentation System
  and to Independently Review the Technical
  Solution Proposed by the WIPP
• Reported Findings to the Administrator
• WAAS Program Office Establishes a WAAS Integrity
  Performance Panel (WIPP)
• Role is to Establish Technical Approach and
  Solution for Meeting Integrity

4
Steps to Certification

• WIPP Comprised of WAAS Experts(FAA, Academia,
  Industry)
• WIPP Meetings with Contractor Held Monthly to
  Review and Evaluate Contractors Progress
• FAA Briefed Status of WIPP Activities to IRB who
  then Reported Back to Administrator

5
Role of the WAAS Integrity Performance Panel
(WIPP)

• Provided The Needed Expertise To Help Define The
  Actual Threats Or Threat Models That WAAS Would
  Have To Be Designed To Protect Against
• WIPP Was Charged With Defining The Extent Of The
  Threats Including Their Description And
  Likelihood
• WIPP Judged The Completeness Of A Monitors
  Design
• WIPP Insured That The Threat Models Generated
  Fully Spanned All Feared Events

6
FAA Certification
7
Certification by Program Phase

• System Development
• System Owned by Contractor
• Contractor Must Prove System Meets Safety
  Certification Criteria Prior to FAA Acceptance
• Contractor Acceptance Inspection (CAI)
• Program Office Formally Accepts Ownership of
  System
• Operational and Security Certification Period
  Begins
• Joint Acceptance Inspection (JAI)
• Field Satisfied That System is Functioning and
  All Support Material Is in Place
• Commissioning
• Requires JRC In Service Decision
• System Becomes Part of National Airspace System

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Types of Certification

• Safety Certification
• Performed By the Product Team Prior to Acceptance
  From the Contractor
• Design Assurance Process Used to Provide
  Sufficient Proof That The Integrity Requirements
  Are Achieved
• Operational Certification
• Performed by Airways Facilities
• Validation that WAAS is Working Properly Within
  the NAS Infrastructure
• Equipment is Functioning Within Limits
• Operators and Maintainers Are Trained
• Procedures Are in Place and Being Followed
• Security Certification
• Compliance With Security Requirements, Procedures
  Training

9
WAAS Integrity Issue

• WAAS Integrity Design Did Not Provide Proof of
  Compliance For Integrity Requirement
• Traditional Testing Methods Showed That the
  Design Did Not Fail
• Complete Definition of the Potential Threat
  Models Was Not Performed
• Standards In Place At That Time Did Not Require
  This Level of Assurance
• Integrity Monitoring Algorithms Were Not Designed
  To Support This Type Of Analysis
• In Response
• WAAS Program Office Formed WAAS Integrity
  Performance Panel (WIPP)
• FAA Administrator Requested Independent Review
  Board (IRB)
• WIPP Activities Were Integrated With System
  Engineering and Development Activities

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Summary

• Complex Architecture Requires Detailed Process
  and Documentation for Capturing and Assuring WAAS
  Safety
• FAA efforts to involve many stakeholders was
  crucial in resolving the integrity risk
• Future Changes to WAAS must undergo the same
  safety assessment activities to ensure continued
  system safety