The Design and Implementation of FIG: a Record/Playback Mechanism for ETMS Feeds

This thesis describes the design, analysis, and implementation of FIG—a tool that records, analyzes, and plays ETMS air traffic data feeds. Its creation was motivated by the need to test air traffic control applications against a static source of air traffic data. Three fundamental requirements of the system are: 1) maintain the fidelity of the original ETMS feeds, 2) store feed data in portable, platform-independent files, and 3) allow information in recorded feeds to be easily analyzed. The core functionality of the application, including the recording and playback mechanisms, is implemented in a small-footprint, platform-independent library. This allows 3 party applications to programmatically manipulate FIG files. A separate application bundled with FIG provides a standard GUI from which to record and play ETMS feeds. Dependencies in the implementation of FIG can be traced back to major design decisions. Overall, FIG’s design is flexible and can support future enhancements. Thesis Supervisor: Daniel Jackson Title: Associate Professor