Making Production More Efficient
The FAA National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO) has chosen
ESRI's Production Line Tool Set (PLTS) for ArcGIS 9.1-Aeronautical
Solution as the basis to develop and implement an automated,
database-centric aeronautical chart production system. ESRI,
the world's leading geographic information system (GIS) software
developer, will provide professional consulting, design services,
and software customization during the project, which includes the
evaluation, system design, and implementation of a central database
for the Aeronautical Information Branch.
"This contract will help NACO become more efficient in its
production of aeronautical charts and supporting production
databases, which will free up more resources for aeronautical
information management," said NACO Manager, Terry Laydon. "Because
of automation, NACO ultimately will be able to produce a greater
variety of digital products with more sophistication-vector versus
raster, for example. The system also will increase our adaptability
to changes in charting requirements in support of the evolving US
National Airspace System."
Customization will add data editing and validation components
used to maintain database integrity. ESRI will also expand
Aeronautical Solution charting tools to make it possible for the
Enroute Navigation Branch to create entirely database-driven
charts. Applications will help streamline GIS database production,
maintenance, workflow management, and quality control and support
high-volume cartographic production and workflow management. The
delivered system will provide NACO with an enterprise solution for
data management and product generation.
"We are very excited
about the opportunity to continue to expand our partnership with
the FAA. This system will dramatically improve the FAA's
efficiency and quality as they move to a true GIS data centric
approach," said Brian Cross, aeronautical program manager for ESRI
Professional Services.
The integrated system will replace NACO's current multiple
processes that incorporate data editing tools and manual and CAD
procedures. PLTS tools will provide NACO with simple,
easy-to-use, menu-driven solutions and components that allow
- Integrated data management
- One-touch maintenance
- Automated updates of database changes to published
products
- Analysis and reporting
- 3D visualization
- Web publishing
The FAA is the United States government agency responsible for
civil aviation safety, providing regulations for civil aviation and
operating the air traffic control system, among other
responsibilities. NACO plans and directs the construction,
reproduction, and distribution of all aeronautical charts,
databases, and publications that support commercial, military, and
general aviation for the United States and its territories and
possessions.