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I don't think it helps to characterise this as a simple textual bulletin log. I am by no means an expert, however to me this system appears to include: a globa

I don't think it helps to characterise this as a simple textual bulletin log. I am by no means an expert, however to me this system appears to include: a globally agreed upon data format, a transmission protocol hardware distributed across the planet in ground stations and air vehicles, and 70 years of legacy. And all of that is enshrined in legislation across many countries. And while there is a modernisation effort in progress, the nature of this system means that things will move slowly. In 2023 anyone can suggest a better data format and distribution system if they start from scratch. Good luck getting the world to use it and good luck getting anyone to care.

gojomo 4y ago
You're right that the main challeges are political & bureaucratic inertia. That shouldn't stop us from honestly & plainly describing its core, & the industry's state-of-the-art for similar systems that don't have the legacy system's encumbrances. The "globally agreed-upon data format" is essentially text blobs with a standard set of abbreviations, that assist search/filtering by flight-paths & planned waypoints. It seems to be a mere 150MB a year. The inherently "move slowly" modernization effort can only be helped by a clearer outline of what's now possible. This is too important to prematurely dumb-down brainstorming ideas, based on low-expectations for the adoption process! And a modern architecture for distributed updates & reliability could trivially mimic the old system's pilot-visible outputs, to remain familiar to tenured personnel.