Autocorrelation Effects in Air Traffic Management Performance Data

Quantitative analysis is required as part of managing the automation systems which provide Air Traffic Management (ATM) services for the National Airspace System (NAS). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) invests significant levels of funding for such analyses for both post-hoc evaluation of tools/techniques, as well as prospective evaluation of proposed new capabilities. Statistical analysis is one quantitative analysis technique to assess the impact of a newly implemented automation capability. The general approach is to compare air traffic operations performance metrics (e.g., flight time/distance) before and after the activation of a new capability.