The Florida NextGen Test Bed (557 Innovation Way, Daytona Beach) is a state-of-the-art, 10,000-plus-foot facility conveniently and strategically located adjacent to Daytona Beach International Airport and near Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The FTB consists of two primary areas — the Demonstration Suite and the Integration Suite — plus a Data Center which houses the network equipment, rack-mounted servers, and other equipment required to drive the operational capabilities in the Integration and Demonstration Suites.
Integration Suite
The approximately 5,000-square-foot Integration Suite is used to carry out development, test, and integration efforts for the operational capabilities being evaluated at the FTB. Here, engineers from industry partners come to incorporate their NextGen product into the National Airspace System in a controlled setting.
Visiting NextGen engineers have access to offices for use as a temporary and private workspace while at the FTB. The Integration Suite also contains a video conference room, which allows for meetings and teleconferences for approximately 20 people with a high degree of technology.
The largest section of the Integration Suite is home to the Integration Area, which contains R&D versions of actual NAS and supporting air traffic control systems, with additional prototype enhancements.
Many times, these tests and integrations are done to prepare for a demonstration of the system to stakeholders in the Demonstration Suite.
Demonstration Suite
The Demonstration Suite is at the core of ERAU’s NextGen Programs mission. It is approximately 5,000 square feet and is used to conduct demonstrations of the operational capabilities deployed at the FTB.
Designed to accommodate flexibility and future growth, the suite contains reconfigurable bay areas positioned along the periphery to accommodate demonstrating and visualizing different flight domains or operational areas.
Large screen displays throughout the suite enable the audience to view activity on certain monitors within the various flight domains, while screens at the front of the suite provide projections of presentations, displays, or other materials. Seats can be organized in a stadium/theatrical arrangement in order to maximize the audience members’ views of the operational capabilities being demonstrated.