You can be excused if the abbreviation AIXM does not ring any bells… I mean, to fly or control aircraft, you do not need to know what AIXM is… just enjoy its benefits.
Of course if you are a regular reader of Roger-Wilco, you will have seen our articles on System Wide Information Management and in them, several references to the exchange models that are essential for standardizing the way information is shuttled back and force between producers and consumers of information. AIXM is the exchange model for aeronautical information and as such, it revolutionizes one of the oldest but still most important areas of air traffic management.
That the traditional Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) is able to make the transition to Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) is due in no small part to the development and implementation of this particular information exchange model. AIXM 5.1 is significant because it is the version that has matured to the point where it can cater even for the most exotic requirements the world of AIS… oops, sorry, AIM can throw at it.
It is now on the threshold of being in operational service with the Estonian Air Navigation Services (EANS), following their site acceptance of an eAIP solution using COMSOFT’s aeronautical data base and Synclude’s AIP production system.
This is the first system in the world running an eAIP production tool based on AIXM 5.1. It also meets the ADQ regulations specified in EC 73/2010 and it features an EAD System Interface (ESI) supporting automatic upload of AIXM data and eAIS packages to the European AIS Database (EAD).
EANS will take the system into full operational service at the end of the year by which time all approvals from the Estonian CAA are expected to have been received. Full operational service will set the scene for the introduction of Electronic Input Forms (eIF) which enable data originators to digitally encode information for publication by the NOTAM Office.
Clearly, EANS is taking the transition from AIS to AIM seriously and they are setting an example for others to follow. It is important to note also that COMSOFT is offering an AIM product line that supports this kind of transition in a seamless and secure manner.