The national simulation laboratory: the unifying tool for air traffic control system development

The authors report on efforts within the Federal Aviation Administration to develop a national simulation laboratory (NSL) for the study of advanced concepts in air traffic control (ATC). The NSL is intended to serve as a resource to developers and managers for studying future ATC concepts in an integrated multisystem environment. The authors also describe work on the NSL´s precursor activity, the integration and interaction laboratory (I-Lab), which is helping to develop the core capabilities necessary for the NSL and to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the program