Dr.

Xavier Prats
xavier.prats@upc.edu
www.icarus.upc.edu

Mar 2018
Location
l Technical University of Catalonia – Barcelona TECH
– 15 schools and 40 departments
– 30.000 students - 2.500 researchers

• B.Sc. Aerospace Technology

• B.Sc.. Aerospace Vehicles
• MSc. Aeronautical Engineering

• B.Sc Aerospace systems (airport + air navigation)

• + double degree with Telecom Engineering
• M.Sc. Aerospace Science and Technology
• M.Sc. Unmanned Aircraft Systems Engineering

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 2
Location
l Technical University of Catalonia – Barcelona TECH
– 15 schools and 40 departments
– 30.000 students - 2.500 researchers

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 3
ICARUS Research group
• 9 faculty* + 1 technical staff + 6 PhD + n students/interns.
• Located in Castelldefels UPC Campus (16km from Barcelona)
• Complementary skills on aeronautics, telecommunication
engineering and computer science. (*) Computer
Architecture Department
+ Physics Department
(Aerospace Division)

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 4
Research lines

ICT: Information and Communication Technologies

CS: Computer science UAS: Unmanned Aerial Systems
OR: Operational research

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 5
Main research interests

1- Highly automated civil operations for drones

à Mission planning, payload management and flight planning
à Contingency management
à Embedded avionics and avionic architectures

2- Integration of UAS/RPAS into civil airspace and ATM

à Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM)
à Trajectory prediction and optimisation
à Separation and collision avoidance
à ATM performance impact of RPAS operations
à Simulation tools

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 6
Main research interests

Aircraft
dynamics Air Traffic

Pilot’s Flight
station Plannin
g

CPU
Controls

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 7
Main research projects

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 8
Main research projects

ATC interface RPAS ground station

(different levels of flight intents) interface

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 9
Main research interests

3- Trajectory based operations

à Trajectory optimisation (optimal control)
à Real-time and algorithm stability aspects
à Environmental impact assessment and mitigation
à On-board trajectory planning and guidance
à Self-separation algorithms
à On-board/ground trajectory prediction and estimation

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 10
Trajectory based operations
Long term (year/months) Mid/short term (months/days) Execution (minutes)

BDT: Business Development SBT: Shared Business RBT: Reference Business

Trajectory Trajectory Trajectory

Network NOP
ANSPs ANSPs Other
manager
Internal amendments airlines
by airline Other
airlines
Trajectory updating
Assessment of demand/capacity and renegotiation
imbalances

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 11
Main research projects

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 12
Main research interests

4- Network optimisation in strategic and pre-tactical phases

à Advanced demand and capacity balance (DCB) algorithms
à Multi-objective optimisation of ATM network performance
à User driven prioritisation protocols (UDPP)

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 13
Main research interests

5- ATM analytics and ATM performance

à Systematic computation of Performance Indicators
à Advanced environmental and cost-efficiency indicators
à Analysis of trade-offs in ATM key performance areas
à Weather estimation for ATM applications
à Trajectory prediction trajectory parameter estimation

Optimal sectoriation
-1 ATCo per cluster
-2 ATCo per cluster
Flexibility

-3 ATCo per cluster

-4 ATCo per cluster

-5 ATCo per cluster

All layers strategic tactic

ANSP Cost-efficiency
Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018
ICARUS research group presentation – 14
Main research interests
High performance DYNAMO instance

computing (HPC) Master

Flights
Slave 1
Core C1 C2

For trajectory
Traffic files
Chunk 1 splitter C3 CF
so6 exp2 eSo6

optimisation/prediction Meta Slave 2

Parallel Core C1 C2
Flights
Launcher Chunk 2 splitter C3 CF

Official sources DYNAMO DYNAMO

inputs outputs ... ...
BADA
F1 F1
Slave M
GRIBS
F2 F2
Core C1 C2
... ... Flights
Airspace
FN FN Chunk M splitter C3 CF

Optimal/predicted trajectories

More than 1M trajectories will be

simulated (optimised) in APACHE

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 15
 Main research projects
Competitive funded projects related with RPAS/UAS
2017- Concept of Operations for EuRopean
2019
CORUS
UTM Systems
SESAR JU
2017-
2019
FLOR FLight Operations of multiple RPAS MICINN
2014- RPAS Operations in the Single European
2016
ROSES
Sky
MICINN
2013- Evaluation of the RPAS-ATM interaction in
C 2015
ERAINT
non-segregated airspace
SESAR JU
2011- Intelligent Communications and avionics
2013
ICARUS-II
for robust UAS
MICINN
Evaluation and new strategies for the
2008- Smooth
2013 UAV
smooth integration of civil mission Eurocontrol
oriented UAV in non-segregated airspace
2008- Feasibility study of a UAV and GNSS
2009
EVSIBURG
based flight inspection system
CDTI
2007- Intelligent Communications and avionics
2010
ICARUS
for robust UAS
MICINN
2006- Aerial system for the detection, control
2007
SKY-EYE
and analysis of wild forest fires
MICINN

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 16
Main research projects
Competitive funded projects related with ATM
Misiones críticas de emergencias con
2017-
2018
ENJAMBRE medios aereos tripulados y no tripulados CDTI
en vuelo cooperativo
Assessment of Performance in current
2018- H2020
C 2016
APACHE ATM operations and of new concepts of
(SESAR)
operations for its holistic enhancement
Wake-vortex simulation and analysis to
2018- H2020
R-WAKE enhance en-route separation
2016
management in Europe
(SESAR)
Airport Improvement Research on
2015-
20118
AIRPORTS Processes & Operations of Runway, TMA CDTI
and Surface
2015-
2016
BUDAPEST2.0 Budapest 2.0 SESAR JU
2014- Flight Operations for novel continuous
2015
CONCORDE
descent approaches
Clean Sky JU
2012- Fast optimiser for continuous descent
2013
FASTOP
approaches
Clean Sky JU

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 17
Technology transfer projects
The ICARUS group also carries out projects in partnership with industry, either
offering consultancy services or providing them with technology transfer.
Principal institutions that have trusted the group’s services in the last 10
years:

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 18
 Thank you!

www.icarus.upc.edu

Xavier Prats – Technical University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTECH Mar 2018

ICARUS research group presentation – 19