Anniversary – World AIS Day

15 May 2010 World AIS Day

The Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) for Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) were adopted by the ICAO Council 57 years ago tomorrow, 15 May 2010. These SARPS are in Annex 15 to the Chicago Convention and 15 May is celebrated by the AIS community as “World AIS Day”.
The aeronautical information service is one of the most important pillars of safe and efficient air navigation and is also a shining example of world standardization and of what can be achieved when partners really work together to achieve well defined world-wide goals. Whether provided by government agencies or private companies, AIS is a fundamental element without which most modern flying would be all but impossible. Even in the most remote parts of the world with no proper AIS to speak of, the basic information needed for operations is collected somehow and even disseminated by word of mouth if there are no other means… so the concept of aeronautical information and its essential nature is of universal significance and that is what AIS is all about.
AIS is currently undergoing the most profound change this important service has ever faced. The product oriented aeronautical information service is gradually being transformed into a data oriented enterprise called Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) which is the first step towards becoming an integral part of the System Wide Information Management (SWIM) concept. SWIM as we all know is one of the most important enablers of both SESAR and NextGen.
You can read more about AIM here and SWIM here.