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In recognition of its outstanding work for the URET (User Request Evaluation Tool) program, the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development at MITRE was recently awarded the President's Special Medallion Award by the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA). The award was formally announced at the most recent ATCA Annual Meeting. Now operational at ten air route traffic control centers, URET is designed to assist controllers with timely detection and resolution of predicted problems. The awards brochure included the following description of URET: "Many view this program as one of the most successful operational efforts the FAA has undertaken. MITRE, working with Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management, helped the URET program exceed all planned milestones and enabled the FAA to put the system into operation early at six Air Route Traffic Control Centers. This program provides new technology to controllers that improves safety, increases system efficiency, and saves money." Dan Brudnicki, program manager for the En Route System Engineering and Evolution department, accepted the award on behalf of the many individuals who have contributed over the years to the development of URET, which started as a prototype in 1995. "There are a lot of people from CAASD and PSI that we recognize as having made a direct and indirect contribution to URET," says Brudnicki. In 2001, the URET prototype marked one million hours of operation, which led to a "One-Million-Hour URET Daily-Use" celebration. The occasion also prompted Brudnicki and his team to look back at documents over the years that included earlier work related to strategic conflict detection resolution technology. They found 400 references from MITRE technical reports, briefings, and other documents. In fact, the oldest document-SATIN: An Experimental En Route Air Traffic Control System by Members of the D-16 Staff-dated back to 1962. "We have such a rich history here at MITRE," says Brudnicki. "The people who worked very hard on URET got to stand on all that work. That is one thing we always like to acknowledge. We worked really hard, but we also happened to be lucky to be in that place in time where things came together. We are fortunate because we have that history behind us." Brudnicki and his department are currently working on a broader set of technologies aimed at reducing the overall costs needed to safely handle traffic growth and complexity.
Date Posted:
August 5, 2004
Date Updated:
August 5, 2004
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