ATCprogram

ATCprogram is an open-source software framework for developing and evaluating air traffic control simulations and decision-support tools. It provides a modular, extensible platform that combines a real-time simulation engine with algorithms for route planning, conflict detection, and trajectory optimization. The framework aims to assist researchers, educators, and practitioners in prototyping ATC concepts, conducting experiments, and visualizing airspace operations.

Core components include:

- Real-time simulation core handling aircraft state, events, and timing

- Trajectory planning and conflict detection modules

- Decision-support plug-ins for speed/altitude changes and hand-offs

- Visualization and playback tools for airspace sectors and radar-like displays

- Data I/O interfaces supporting common aviation formats and standards

- A plugin API enabling custom modules and external integrations

The architecture emphasizes modularity; modules communicate through defined interfaces and share a common time model. It supports configurable airspace models, weather constraints, and traffic demand scenarios. It is cross-platform and designed to be portable to Linux and Windows.

History and licensing: ATCprogram originated as an academic project in the early 2010s and has evolved through community contributions. It is distributed under a permissive open-source license, encouraging collaboration and reuse in education and research settings.

Usage: Researchers use ATCprogram to test routing algorithms, traffic management strategies, and human-in-the-loop interfaces; universities incorporate it into coursework and demonstrations of ATC concepts. The project maintains online documentation, tutorials, and a repository with example scenarios.