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A -- REQUEST FOR COMMENTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOTYPE(S) FOR A GLOBAL ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION NETWORK (GAIN) DOCKET NO. 28567 PART 3 OF 3 DUE 061496 POC Mr. Chuck Fluet, Manager, Safety Analysis Division, Office of Aviation Safety, ASY-200, Federal Aviation Administration, 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590 Telephone No. 202-267-GAIN (202-267-4246) -- How could existing data, such as information from voluntary reporting and correction, ASRS, AQP, FOQA, and other such programs, be analyzed better to provide meaningful and useful information? -- What could industry and government do to improve existing means for data collection? -- Are incentives needed to stimulate the submission of information that is not derived from accidents or incidents, as opposed to merely removing the disincentives, in order to encourage reporting? -- To what extent can international information sharing occur with a ''virtual database'' instead of a physically centralized data base? -- What techniques and capabilities are you aware of in the aviation industry or in other industries to analyze data effectively and generate statistically significant results, with predictive value, from large quantities of data describing normal operations? -- What analytical techniques and capabilities are you aware of in the aviation industry or in other industries to respond effectively to the myriad of human factors issues that arise in operational monitoring analysis? Dissemination of Aviation Safety Information -- To what extent are security measures needed, and what security measures are available, to protect information confidentiality while still assuring that it reaches all in the industry who could use it to improve aviation safety? -- What alerting methods are available to ensure that information is automatically distributed to all recipients who could use it to improve aviation safety without their having to know to ask? General -- Will an analysis and dissemination system such as GAIN help the aviation industry reach Zero Accidents? -- Are there better ways to help the industry reach Zero Accidents? -- What concerns, if any, do you have about the existence of an analysis and dissemination system such as GAIN? -- What should the relationship be between government regulators and GAIN for it to be most effective ? -- Although commercial aviation is the initial target for this effort, how can other sectors of the aviation industry, including the military, help with this initial effort? -- How can the program be expanded to include input from, and the development of remedies in relation to information provided by, manufacturing personnel, mechanics, flight attendants, dispatchers, ramp personnel, and other aviation industry professionals whose input could help with the proactive effort? Considerations For Developing Prototypes General Ultimately GAIN could develop into a comprehensive international network of systems for analysis and sharing of aviation safety information. However, that development would have to occur incrementally, starting with one or more prototypes of various pieces of the network. Among the areas that should be evaluated from prototype development are: international data standardization, data collection protocols, analytical methods, data sharing, alerting mechanisms, and the potential value of emerging technologies. By prototyping key elements of GAIN, it will be possible to obtain operational proof of the most significant new capabilities being incorporated in this early warning system. With a minimal initial commitment of resources, risks and costs would be reduced, while allowing the overall operational feasibility of the concept to be assessed. It would help define obstacles and issues associated with the development of GAIN, and provide valuable information for future implementation planning. Because more types of data, more types of analyses, and more users should not generally be added unless experience demonstrates that such additions would be useful, prototypes would help to provide the experience to determine the desirability of such additions. Ownership For several reasons, the elements of the GAIN network should probably not be owned or operated by the FAA or the aviation regulatory agency of any other country. Instead, they should probably be owned by those members of the international aviation industry that benefit economically from its successful performance, analogous to existing collectively-owned, non-profit joint ventures in the aviation industry that provide services for the owners' mutual benefit. There are several reasons for pursuing this type of ownership. First, GAIN would probably enjoy better acceptance by the industry if it is not viewed as a government effort to gather information for enforcement purposes or to protect its own manufacturers and carriers in an international marketplace. Second, private ownership, as compared with governmental ownership, would facilitate protecting sensitive information from public disclosure. Third, the funding of GAIN should not depend upon the fiscal situation in any one country. Last, but not least, GAIN's existence would be most assured, and it would perform most effectively and efficiently, if it were owned jointly by those who have a direct economic interest in its success -- namely, the insurers, manufacturers, carriers, pilots, mechanics, controllers, and airport operators that make up the industry. Either GAIN will improve aviation safety and substantially reduce costs for the entire industry -- because prevention costs less than accidents -- in which event industry will want to own and operate it; or it will not accomplish these goals, in which event a better way must be developed to reach Zero Accidents. In determining how GAIN might be owned and structured, we invite your comment about: -- What types of prototypes could best demonstrate the concept at the lowest cost, given existing data collection and analysis techniques and capabilities? -- What entities could help develop prototype projects, how much would they cost, and what sources of funding are available? -- What role can you play in the prototyping effort and subsequent efforts to develop an operational GAIN? The Role of the FAA The FAA is already engaged in several activities to demonstrate, in relatively small scale, the utility of safety data collection and analysis, but the GAIN network and its prototypes would probably not be FAA systems. The FAA's Office of System Safety could help facilitate the creation of GAIN by informing potential participants about the concept, and by bringing potential participants together, but the FAA will not own or operate GAIN, and will probably not fund its development. Instead, the FAA would be one of many users of the analytical results and supporting data from GAIN. Given the numerous proactive accident prevention activities that are already underway in various countries, it is likely that the aviation industry would eventually develop an international cooperative data sharing system, such as the GAIN network, on its own. The problem has been that it is difficult for any one profession, manufacturer, or airline to develop a program that systematically facilitates international sharing of information to the benefit of the entire international aviation community. Thus, in addition to facilitating this development by demonstrating its intent to cooperate more with industry to reach Zero Accidents, the FAA can play a major role in accelerating the progress of private industry by bringing together the entities that can help to develop GAIN prototypes -- preferably by building as much as possible upon the systems that are already in place rather than starting anew -- and by helping to assure that the prototypes are sufficiently standardized and consistent to work together in the more comprehensive GAIN network as it ultimately develops. Conclusion: A Call To Action Please let us know of your ideas regarding the development of a GAIN network, particularly regarding how you can become involved, either in a GAIN prototype or in the more comprehensive permanent effort. This is not an invitation for bids or a request for proposals, but we are soliciting indications of interest, as well as input regarding the viability of this or any other concept to help the industry reach Zero Accidents. You are encouraged to review the comments (Commenters will be able to review all other comments by Internet) and be creative about how you, individually or together with other commenters, can begin the development of GAIN prototypes. If warranted by the nature and extent of the comments, the FAA will host a conference to bring interested parties together to discuss refinements of the GAIN concept and the development of prototypes. Issued in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 1996. Christopher A. Hart, Assistant Administrator for System Safety, Federal Aviation Administration End Part 3 of 3. (0130)

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