EUROCONTROL STCA Specification and Guidance Material

EUROCONTROL STCA Specification and Guidance Material

Description

STCA (Short Term Conflict Alert) assists the controller in preventing collision between aircraft by generating, in a timely manner, an alert of a potential or actual infringement of Separation Standards (separation minima).

Since 1998, EUROCONTROL has produced safety net guidelines to support the implementation of safety nets in the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) area. These specify the minimum requirements and provide guidance for the definition, implementation, optimisation and operation of ground-based safety nets. This article provides references to EUROCONTROL STCA Specification and Guidance Material. Links to the articles about the other safety nets can be found at the bottom of this page.

EUROCONTROL STCA Specification and Guidance Material has been developed over the years by the safety nets community based on the accumulated practical experience.

EUROCONTROL STCA ‘Level 2’ Specification

The EUROCONTROL STCA Specification describes the minimum requirements for the development, configuration and use of STCA in Europe. Version 1.0 of the specification (published in 2007) has been approved, version 1.1 published in 2009 remains as a draft version. Currently, there is no plan to undertake any further development of the Specification.

EUROCONTROL Specification for Short Term Conflict Alert Released

EUROCONTROL Specification for Short Term Conflict Alert (Edition 1.1 dated 19 May 2009) Draft

EUROCONTROL STCA ‘Level 2’ Guidance Material

Comprehensive guidance material to assist in implementing the EUROCONTROL Specification for Short Term Conflict Alert covers the full STCA lifecycle:

  • Definition of objectives
  • Implementation or change
  • Tuning and validation
  • Operation and monitoring

The STCA Guidance is provide with several appendices to support ANSPs in the implementation of STCA.

EUROCONTROL Guidance Material for Short Term Conflict Alert: General description of the full STCA lifecycle, aimed at staff with responsibility for overall management of STCA.

Appendix A: Reference STCA System: Detailed technical explanation of typical implementation details of STCA with emphasis on parameterisation and performance optimisation. Optimisation concepts are also covered in detail.

Appendix B: Safety Assurance: A set of three documents that can be used as starting point for STCA safety assurance work in a particular local context.

Appendix C: Cost Framework:

Appendix D: Case Study: A set of two documents describing the (partial) application of the optimisation and safety assurance guidance material in a demanding environment.

EUROCONTROL STCA ‘Level 3’ Documentation

The ‘Level 3’ material, published in 2017, is a series of documents specifying the minimum requirements and providing guidance for the definition, implementation, optimisation and operation of safety nets. These guidelines, building on the legacy of the previous two editions, are intended to facilitate the harmonisation of safety nets by providing recommendations and implementation examples.

It is important to note that the ‘Level 3’ documents are guidelines as opposed to the mandatory ‘Level 2’ Specifications they replace. This allows ANSPs to adopt a more flexible approach towards implementing safety nets that meets their needs. The guidelines also complements other recognised documentation such as International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) provisions.

 

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