Centre of Excellence for Air Traffic Management (ATM) in Singapore Makes Headway

Two ATM research and development centres open in Singapore

Today, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) marked a significant milestone in its vision to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for ATM with the inauguration of the ATM Research Institute (ATMRI) and MITRE Asia Pacific Singapore (MAPS).

The inauguration ceremony of the two centres was presided over by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport, Mrs Josephine Teo. Some 140 global aviation leaders attending the World Civil Aviation Chief Executives Forum in Singapore this week participated in the ceremony.

CAAS is developing Singapore as a Centre of Excellence for ATM to improve the efficiency and safety of air traffic management in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. This will allow passengers to travel more quickly, more comfortably, and in greater safety.

The ATMRI and MAPS are key elements of CAAS’ strategy. They will conduct distinct yet complementary advanced research and development (R&D) activities. The ATMRI, Singapore’s first institute dedicated to ATM R&D jointly set up by CAAS and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), will nurture talent in the ATM domain and translate academic-based research into ATM solutions. Some of the ATMRI’s work areas include, air route modelling and simulation, air-ground traffic management, unmanned aircraft systems management, aviation weather research, and human factors in ATM.

NTU Provost, Professor Freddy Boey, said, “NTU is now home to one of the world’s most advanced air traffic towers and radar simulators, capable of modelling the most complex situations and scenarios at Changi Airport as well as other international airports. The ATMRI, set up in partnership with CAAS, has identified ten research projects that will leverage on these world-class simulators. These include integrated arrival and departure management systems and unmanned aircraft systems. With NTU’s strength in engineering and track record of impactful industry collaborations, we are confident that our partnership with CAAS will go a long way in helping Singapore maintain its lead as an air transportation hub and gateway.”

MAPS, established through a partnership between The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) and CAAS, is MITRE’s first R&D centre outside the United States and serves as the premier collaboration space for regional ATM harmonisation. It will deliver solutions to meet the ATM needs of Singapore and the region. MITRE, a not-for-profit organisation, is a recognised leader in advanced ATM capabilities, with over 50 years of experience in advanced R&D for the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and civil aviation authorities around the world. MITRE will apply its breadth and depth of knowledge to adapt state-of-the-art ATM solutions to suit the region’s requirements. This will include the recreation of significant capabilities from MITRE’s Integration Demonstration and Experimentation for Aeronautics (IDEA) Laboratory in the Singapore facility. Some of the projects undertaken by MAPS include new tools for air traffic operations, remote tower for high density operations, speech recognition for runway safety, aerodrome obstacle limitation surfaces, ATM data capability development, and aviation safety information analysis and data sharing.

Senior Vice President of MITRE, Ms Lillian Ryals, said, “First let me congratulate CAAS on making their vision of a Center of Excellence (CoE) a reality. We are proud to have partnered with CAAS to establish MAPS, our first laboratory outside of the U.S. The full suite of capabilities we offer is tailored to support Singapore and the Asia Pacific region, and will serve to demonstrate the future and make new concepts and technologies come alive. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with CoE members and other regional stakeholders as we help the region transform ATM and effect global harmonisation.”

Director-General of CAAS, Mr Kevin Shum, said, “ATM is a critical part of the Singapore aviation system. We will have to raise our ATM capabilities as air traffic in the region grows. As in other fields, we advance by investing in the future, and ATM is no different. We are energised by the strong support and dedication of our partners, NTU and MITRE, who share our vision of advancing ATM for safer and more efficient air travel. Our goals are to maximise airspace capacity, optimise aircraft operations, as well as enhance the performance of air traffic controllers. These centres provide us with the opportunity to safely test-bed solutions and advanced simulations based on actual data before they are translated into real-world applications. They will help to ensure that a high level of safety and service standards is maintained even in the face of air traffic growth.”

From left to right:
1. Mr Kevin Shum, Director-General, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)
2. Professor Freddy Boey, Deputy President and Provost, Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
3. Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
4. Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport
5. Mr Pang Kin Keong, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport
6. Mr Blair Hall, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy of Singapore
7. Mr Gregg Leone, International Director, The MITRE Corporation

From left to right:
1. Mr Kevin Shum, Director-General, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)
2. Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
3. Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport
4. Mr Blair Hall, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy of Singapore
5. Mr Gregg Leone, International Director, The MITRE Corporation
6. Mr Pang Kin Keong, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport
7. Professor Freddy Boey, Deputy President and Provost, Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Enclosed:
(a) Fact Sheet on the Air Traffic Management Research Institute (ATMRI)

(b) Fact Sheet on MITRE Asia Pacific Singapore (MAPS)

About the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
The mission of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is to grow a safe, vibrant air hub and civil aviation system, making a key contribution to Singapore's success. CAAS' roles are to oversee and promote safety in the aviation industry, develop the air hub and aviation industry, provide air navigation services, provide aviation training for human resource development, and contribute to the development of international civil aviation. For more information, visit www.caas.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab)

About Nanyang Technological University
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. It has a new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI).

A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.

The University’s main Yunnan Garden campus has been named one of the Top 15 Most Beautiful in the World. NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore’s medical district.

For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg ↗ (opens in new tab).

About The MITRE Corporation
The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that provides systems engineering, research and development, and information technology support to government. MITRE operates federally funded research and development centers, including the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, and has supported the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for more than 50 years. In addition to its longstanding relationship with the FAA, MITRE provides technical expertise to various international civil aviation authorities, airport operators, airlines, and other aviation organizations in air traffic management systems engineering, aviation operations, airspace design, and systems automation and integration. To learn more, visit www.mitre.org ↗ (opens in new tab). To learn more, visit www.mitre.org ↗ (opens in new tab)

For media queries, please contact:

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
Email: caas_corporate_communications@caas.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab)