Home > Resources > Media Releases > ASI will Participate in NASA SATS R&D Program

ASI Will Participate in NASA’s Small Aircraft Transportation System R&D Program

ROSWELL, Georgia, January 10, 2002 – Applied Systems Intelligence, Inc. (ASI) announced today that it will be a member of one of four teams tapped by NASA to participate in its new Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) research and development program which was unveiled today. SATS is a five-year, $69 million proof of concept program managed by the NASA General Aviation Programs Office, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The program will be implemented in phases, beginning in the fall of 2001 and continuing to the flight demonstration phase in 2005.

Through shared public and private investments in the Advanced General Aviation Transportation Experiments (AGATE) project, and in part due to the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, improvements are being made to small aircraft that make them easier to fly, safer to fly, and more affordable to purchase and operate. SATS will continue the public/private investment model and build on these improvements. New general aviation aircraft will use advanced technology control and display systems, advanced data communications systems, advanced navigation and weather systems, and new landing systems that allow operation in near all-weather conditions at non-radar, non-towered landing facilities. These combined improvements will make on-demand, distributed personal air travel a practical reality.

The four teams to participate in the initial research and development phase, in alphabetical order, are the Maryland SATS Lab, North Carolina-Upper Great Plains SATS Lab, Southeast SATS Lab Consortium and Virginia SATS Lab. 

Each of the teams is a partnership of industry, state government, nonprofit organizations and academic institutions. These partnerships, or consortia, will share resources and costs with the federal government in an effort to move the SATS concept from the research phase to an implementation phase.  

The teams have signed cost-sharing agreements with NASA that provide a total investment of approximately $13 million for the first year of the program. The NASA portion of the investment is approximately $7.5 million. The four teams will work independently on portions of the total effort. The General Aviation Programs Office, together with a private nonprofit management organization that will be formed later this year, will coordinate the program.  
   
ASI will participate with the Maryland SATS Lab Team, formed by the Maryland Advanced Development Laboratory (MADL) of the University Research Foundation. The local synergy required to coordinate and execute the SATS initiative will be provided by state agencies and industries such as the Maryland Aviation Administration, Hinson Corporate Flight, Inc., ARINC Incorporated, Airpark Sales and Services and the University of Maryland Labs. The Maryland team has partnered its local assets with leading corporations including Applied Systems Intelligence, Inc. (ASI), Cirrus Design, Decision Studies Incorporated (DSI), Lancair Company, UPS Aviation Technologies and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Over the next year, the NASA portion of the Maryland effort is expected to be approximately $850,000. The cost-share from the Maryland partnership is expected to be slightly less than that amount.

The focus of the Maryland team will be to evolve existing flight related procedures, integrate the team’s existing and developmental technology and study the human factor requirements for both the experienced pilot and novice aircraft operator. The team’s ability to perform these tasks is aided by the use of multiple small civil aircraft already configured with developmental systems, recording and analysis equipment. The planes will ultimately be configured with additional equipment that integrates their multiple functions into a single, automated suite. Such an integrated suite will provide the equivalent of a skilled electronic co-pilot called the Cockpit Associate. 

About ASI
Applied Systems Intelligence, Inc., headquartered in Roswell, GA, is the world’s leading provider of cognitive technology used to develop highly advanced decision-aiding systems. ASI’s PreAct®-based Associate Systems harness the intelligence of world-class experts, enabling people with limited expertise to tap a vast body of knowledge and quickly deliver superior performance in highly demanding situations. The breakthrough PreAct® Software provides vast improvements over traditional artificial intelligence approaches and conventional software – in military, business and government domains.