مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

Air Traffic Services (ATS) systems constitute an essential support element of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. Such systems enable a safer and more efficient operation of air transit by integrating information from a variety of sources such as flight plans, Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) systems or aeronautical and meteorological information providers. In addition, modern ATS systems automate routine functions, thus contributing to a reduction of the operator workload. Hence the importance of acquiring proper ATS systems and optimizing its performance throughout its life-cycle.

Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software has proved to be one of the principal factors influencing decision making when it comes to the procurement of new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems or upgrades for legacy systems.

COTS software is commercial software that can be built into and integrated within other software projects. It has been widely studied in the general domain given the supposed benefits they offer to speed up the development process and reduce overhead costs. Some studies focused on proving the advantages of COTS software solutions over bespoke ones (Blanchette, 2005; Morisio et al., 2002). According to those studies, COTS solutions do not always reduce the investment of time and effort required to successfully complete the project, rather they change the way the project has to be handled. Greater focus has been put on the integration issues of COTS software such as detection and solution of interoperability problems (Wile et al., 2010; Couts and Gerdes, 2010).