Nextgen Air Transportation System: Mechanisms for Collaboration and Technology Transfer Could Be Enhanced to More Fully Leverage Partner Agency and Industry Resources
GAO-11-604
Published: Jun 30, 2011. Publicly Released: Jul 08, 2011.
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Highlights
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing and implementing a broad transformation of the national airspace system known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen is a complex undertaking that requires new technologies and supporting infrastructure and involves the activities of several agencies as well as private industry. This report provides information on the effectiveness of (1) FAA's and the federal partner agencies' mechanisms for collaborating and leveraging resources to develop and implement NextGen, and (2) FAA's mechanisms for working with and transferring technology to or from private industry. To do this, we assessed FAA and partner agency mechanisms against applicable agreements, the agencies' own guidance for these activities, as well as applicable key practices that GAO has reported can enhance federal collaborative efforts.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | To more fully leverage the potential of NextGen partner agencies' research and technology development efforts, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator of the FAA to work with the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to develop mechanisms that will further clarify NextGen interagency collaborative priorities and enhance technology transfer between the agencies. These mechanisms should focus on improving interagency communication about the specific needs, outcomes, and existing research that FAA has for NextGen, and the existing research and technology development portfolios that may be applicable to NextGen within DOD and DHS. These mechanisms should aim to improve the ability of the agencies to leverage resources or transfer knowledge or technology among each other consistent with the key practices for successful collaboration that we lay out in this report. |
In June 2011, we found that the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) collaborative mechanisms with the Department's of Defense (DOD) and Homeland Security (DHS) in implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) fell short of established criteria, such as not defining common outcomes, identifying and addressing needs, or establishing compatible policies, procedures and other means to operate across agency boundaries. For example, FAA's ability to identify potentially useful DOD and DHS research and technology has been impeded because DOD and DHS have not completely identified research and development in their portfolios that is applicable to NextGen, while DOD's and DHS's ability to identify potentially useful research and technology may be impeded because FAA has not made clear the scope of its needs with enough specificity. Further, communication between DOD and FAA has been hampered by differing vocabularies and terms, and mechanisms have not yet been developed to help the agencies work across agency boundaries. We therefore recommended that FAA work with DOD and DHS to develop mechanisms that will further clarify NextGen interagency collaborative priorities and enhance technology transfer between the agencies. In response to our recommendation, the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO)--the office responsible for interagency coordination on NextGen within FAA--has taken several actions. First, in the area of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), the JPDO is actively working with representatives from DOD and DHS to identify needed UAS research areas and existing UAS-related research. The result will show coverage and gaps related to national goals and objectives outlined in the UAS comprehensive plan that FAA developed in concert with its partner agencies. Second, during 2013, the JPDO and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) mapped NextGen portfolio areas with AFRL emphasis areas to create a high-level research and development portfolio crosswalk. This activity led to a technology transfer to the FAA of a testbed for interagency data exchange. Lastly, during 2013, the JPDO and the NextGen partner agencies initiated periodic interchanges designed to enhance the collaborative relationship and further identify areas of mutual interest or concern. The JPDO has held the first interchanges with DOD. These actions and new mechanisms will help FAA to more fully leverage the potential of its partner agencies' research and technology development efforts.
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Air transportationInteragency relationsOperations researchPrivate sectorResearch and developmentResearch programsTechnologyTechnology transferAviationAircraft acquisition program