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Pilot Project Summary


Objective Background Approach Implementation	Resource Implications Appendix A Appendix B

Objective

To improve the process by which air transportation statistics are collected in Canada and to reduce the overall reporting burden on industry.

Background

Over the past few years, a number of significant changes have occurred in the Canadian aviation industry. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to accurately evaluate and plan for the impact of these changes, as most aviation statistics in Canada are not timely and in many cases, lacking the scope required for in-depth analysis. This concern was a recurring theme in a report written for the Minister of Transport in February 2001 by Debra Ward, Independent Transition Observer on Airline Restructuring. The same concerns were raised in submissions by stakeholders to the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel.

The urgency of developing a plan to address Canada's data inadequacies was seriously increased by the events of September 11, 2001, in the United States, and the resulting security and financial viability implications for Canadian carriers and airports. An electronic solution to data collection was therefore proposed as the most immediate and effective means of resolving Canada's data problems.

Approach

Very few models of electronic air data collection exist in the world. However, one system that has become quite successful and has gained international recognition recently is the model operational in Germany. The German model has become a starting point for the conceptulization of an electronic data collection system in Canada. The final system will be designed however, to reflect the realities of Canada's aviation industry and statistical processes.

The Canadian model will consist of three general stages: data collection, validation and dissemination. To develop this system on a small scale and evaluate its effectiveness, Transport Canada has begun a pilot project scheduled for completion in December 2002.

The pilot will involve the cooperation of industry. In particular, the architecture and testing stage will focus on incorporating 6 airports and 5 airlines in the pilot. Each organization has been approached and has voluntarily agreed to participate. A list of these organizations is provided in Appendix A.

A description of each stage of Canada's electronic data collection system is provided in the following section.

Data Collection - for the purpose of the pilot, Transport Canada will concentrate on collecting a finite number of data elements all within current legislative restrictions and commercial limitations. In particular, the data elements presented in Appendix B will be compiled. To ensure that the information is collected in a timely fashion, Transport Canada has proposed to electronically extract data from airline messaging systems such as SITA. For those carriers that do not rely on electronic messages, statistics will be collected in a manner to be determined once details on individual computerized data systems is known. The flow of information from all airlines will be protected with appropriate security measures.

Validation - information extracted from carrier systems will be compiled in a central database maintained by Transport Canada. As the data arrives, validation will occur in two phases. The first phase involves checking for errors inherent in the data such as missing fields or inconsistent information. The second phase will focus on validating certain data elements against other sources of information.

Dissemination - once validated, the information will be forwarded to predetermined users within the confines and limitations of existing legislation and regulations. For the purposes of the pilot, the list of users will be limited to airlines, airports and Statistics Canada. It is uncertain at this time how the data will be disseminated except that the process will be electronic.

Implementation

Over the next 9 months, Transport Canada will design and implement an electronic system of data collection. The following table defines the various stages of the pilot project including approximate timelines.

Approx. Time Period	Objective
March - April 2002	· Conceptualization of architecture
May - June 2002	· Development of architecture · Stakeholder consultations
July - August 2002	· Architecture implementation
September - November 2002	· Validation/testing of results
December 2002	· Evaluation of results of pilot

Resource Implications

Transport Canada has hired under contract the services of two consultants to help implement the proposed data collection system. The first consultant, FIPLAN GmbH [hired as of February 11, 2002], has gained extensive knowledge in electronic air data collection systems as they initially developed and currently maintain Germany's collection model. FIPLAN will therefore provide a key service during Transport Canada's pilot project by assisting with the architectural design of the system.

The second consultant, InnoVision Consulting [hired as of February 26, 2002], will also provide input into the architecture and will focus on the management of Transport Canada's database including data validation and security.

Appendix A

Stakeholders to be Involved in Pilot Project

Airports