The US Government’s Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), set up by the US Congress in 2003 to manage the partnerships designed to bring NextGen online, has a new look and a new Deputy Director, Mike Dudley (ex NASA).
Mike’s experience covers a broad spectrum of aeronautics disciplines, including the activities that lead to many of the tools enabling NextGen. The newly redesigned web-site provides a more user-friendly interface, improved search functions, and a new look and feel. Accessing through mobile devices, such as a BlackBerry or iPhone, is now much easier.
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) represents a substantial and long-term change in the management and operation of the national air transportation system. This is a comprehensive initiative that involves not only the development of new technology, but also the leveraging of existing technologies. This includes satellite navigation and control of aircraft, advanced digital communications, and enhanced connectivity between all components of the national air transportation system. In the future, all airports and aircraft in the US airspace will be connected to NextGen’s advanced infrastructure and will continually share information in real-time to improve air transportation’s safety, speed, efficiency, and environmental impacts, while absorbing increased demand levels.
The demand placed on America’s air transportation system has grown significantly over the past 30 years. In 1980, the system carried 281 million passengers. In 2008, it handled nearly 650 million passengers, and the number of passengers and cargo carried annually is expected to grow over time.
NextGen was enacted in 2003 by President Bush and Congress under VISION 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-176). Under this initiative, Congress created the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) to manage the partnerships designed to bring NextGen online. These partnerships include private-sector organizations, academia, and various government departments and agencies.