Efficient Reconfigurable Cockpit Design and Fleet Operations using Software Intensive, Networked and Wireless Enabled Architecture (ECON)
Investigators: Eric Frew (PI)
Sponsor: NASA Learn
The purpose of this project is to investigate the utility of software-intensive, networked, wireless, reconfigurable cockpit design for safe and efficient fleet operations. Network-enabled, cloud-based services have the ability to improve aircraft flight operations and fleet management. The cloud-based services and architecture will increase operational consistency, reduce need for software and some sub-systems to reside in every aircraft, and enable optimization across entire fleet. However, the use of cloud-based services relies on secure network communication in order to ensure the timely flow of information to dispersed decision-making elements, to ensure the veracity of data sources in the network, and to ensure the safety and validity of plans generated off-board the individual aircraft that ultimately act on the cloud-based decision. As a result, quality of service and cyber-security of the supporting network infrastructure are of major concern. A large collaborative team is being led by the NASA Ames Research Center.
We will make specific contributions in the area of cybersecurity for networked operations. Goals of the project include:
- Systematically enumerating the attack surface for cloud controlled UAS;
- Implementing a cloud-based trajectory planning algorithm that routes aircraft around weather;
- Identifying quality of service demands for networked communication connecting aircraft to planning algorithms;
- Investigating basic Active Security concepts at network routing level.