Article 5 Common information services

U-SPACE ARCHITECTURE

(a)Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2021/664 defines the content and organises the distribution of ‘common information’ — that is, the necessary information that needs to be shared between the relevant operational stakeholders for the safe operation of UAS in the U-space airspace.

(b)Common information is a collection of data that originates mainly from three different sources:

(1)the Members States responsible for the design of the U-space airspace, including its dimensions, performance requirements, and static or dynamic restrictions;

(2)the ATS providers responsible for the transmission of manned traffic information as laid down in point ATS.OR.127 of Regulation (EU) 2017/373 amended by Regulation (EU) 2021/665, and the ATS units when applying the dynamic reconfiguration of the U-space airspace;

(3)the USSPs, through the terms and conditions as regards access to their services.

(c)Member States may decide to designate a dedicated entity to provide CIS on an exclusive basis in a given U-space airspace. Such ‘single common information service provider’ (single CIS provider) would make the relevant information available to all relevant operational stakeholders. The single CIS provider would need to be certified for the services it provides. The designation of a single CIS provider would need to be notified to other Member States as well as to the Agency.

(d)In the absence of a single CIS provider, common information is directly exchanged between the relevant operational stakeholders in a distributed communication architecture, whereby each data provider communicates directly with another USSP for sharing information. Each USSP needs to communicate with other data providers. A clear allocation of common information elements between Member States, ATS providers and USSPs would allow data users to find target data quickly and efficiently. In the absence of a single CIS provider, there is no need for additional certification; the provision of common information elements by ATS providers and USSPs will be covered by their respective certificate and the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2021/664 and Regulation (EU) 2021/665 amending Regulation (EU) 2017/373.

(e)Members States may decide to designate different single CIS providers for different U-space airspace volumes, or designate a single CIS provider for some of their designated U-space airspace volumes only, otherwise opting for a distributed model of exchange of common information.

(f)To achieve a high level of data exchange and interoperability between the CIS and State services (law enforcement and potentially military authorities), the CIS may need to comply with the national security and defence requirements.

STAKEHOLDERS

(a)As regards information and data provided to or by the CIS provider, a variety of different stakeholders may be involved. Member States may consider taking the needs and requirements of the stakeholders listed below into consideration.

(b)Stakeholders to provide information to, and retrieve information from, the CIS provider:

(1)competent authorities;

(2)ANSPs/ATSPs;

(3)military authorities (e.g. when being also ATSPs);

(4)USSPs;

(5)single CIS provider, when relevant;

(6)other relevant authorities or organisations (e.g. State agencies, municipalities, nature protection authorities, law enforcement authorities, rescue coordination centres, GNSS services, aerodrome/heliport/vertiport operators, meteorological authorities).

DEFINITIONS For the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2021/664:

(a)‘common information services’ (CIS) refers to the digital environment (network or platform) in which the common information elements (data) that support the implementation and proper functioning of the U-space airspace are provided/exchanged.

(b)‘providers of common information’ refers to entities/organisations that provide common information elements (data) to the common information services (CIS).

(c)‘single CIS provider’ refers to a certified organisation that ensures the interface and exchange between the ‘providers of common information’ and the USSPs. There is one ‘single CIS provider’ per U-space airspace. On the principles, the single CIS provider supports the provision of U-space services by providing common information to USSPs, but does not have active operational roles and responsibilities. For instance, it should not take part in the flight authorisation, which is the sole responsibility of the USSP.

(d)‘distributed model’ or ‘decentralised model’ refers to a U-space architecture without a ‘single CIS provider’ where each ‘provider of common information’ makes common information elements (data) directly available to the other operational stakeholders (e.g. USSPs).

(e)‘centralised model’ refers to a U-space architecture with a ‘single CIS provider’ which collects common information elements (data) from ‘providers of common information’ and makes them available to all operational stakeholders (e.g. USSPs).

FORMAT OF AIRSPACE INFORMATION The format of airspace information, including geographical zones, static and dynamic airspace restrictions, adjacent U-space airspace, and the horizontal and vertical limits of the U-space airspace should be as described in Chapter VIII ‘UAS geographical zone data model’ of and Appendix 2 to the ED-269 ‘MINIMUM OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE STANDARD FOR GEOFENCING’ standard in the version published in June 2020.

INTERFACES Member States or, when designated, the single CIS provider should provide and document all information required by the users to identify and implement interfaces to support access to the CIS.

GEO-ZONE DATA FORMAT Members States may define a format and data model to support the electronic sharing of information. They may use the JSON format (rfc7159) defined in EUROCAE ED-269. To support interoperability, Members States are encouraged to refer to standards and ensure consistency as regards the naming convention.

TIMELINESS Information on static and dynamic airspace restrictions should be made available within 30 and 5 seconds respectively for at least 99 % of the time.

COMPLEMENTARY AIRSPACE RESTRICTION Relevant NOTAMs, airspace use plans (AUPs) / updated airspace use plans (UUPs) and navigation warnings are to be considered airspace information and should be made available online as part of the CIS, in accordance with Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2021/664.

TIMELINESS Traffic information should be made available with a latency that is lower than that necessary for the proper functioning of the traffic information service, as determined by the U-space airspace risk assessment, for at least 99 % of the time.

FEEDBACK ON CIS DATA QUALITY The providers of common information may suggest categories of anomalies that USSPs or, when designated, the single CIS provider, may use to categorise the type of feedback they share. Those categories may be inspired by data quality requirements such as accuracy, timeliness, or completeness, and offer specific tags for user comments or requests.

INSTRUCTIONS TO CIS USERS The necessary information to get access and exchange data through the CIS (e.g. service descriptions, interfaces) should be made available to the public, and should encompass:

(a)the point of contact of the CIS administrator and the procedures to access the CIS (e.g. to obtain the required credentials);

(b)the instructions on how to configure the user interfaces/system to properly support the exchange;

(c)the instructions to ensure the security of the exchange.

INSTRUCTIONS TO USSPs The single CIS provider should develop and provide USSPs with instructions to:

(a)configure their interfaces and systems to properly support the provision of services;

(b)ensure the security of the exchange.

ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE CIS STAKEHOLDERS The single CIS provider may need to make a formal arrangement with CIS providers. To allow for flexibility, the formal form of the arrangement is left to the discretion of the parties involved, but may encompass the following items:

(a)The arrangement may:

(1)make reference to service ownership, accountability, roles and responsibilities;

(2)contain a description of the provision of data, information or services;

(3)match the expected service provision with the actual service support and delivery.

(b)The arrangement may establish:

(1)the subject matter, which may cover:

(i)the U-space airspace serviced (one arrangement may cover several U-space airspace volumes);

(ii)the coordination between stakeholders (may be covered in the same arrangement);

(2)the governance model, which may contain:

(i)points of contact for process coordination and system maintenance contacts;

(ii)a coordination process involving representatives from the stakeholders involved; the arrangement may cover procedures to organise meetings;

(iii)provision on dispute resolution;

(3)the data- and information-sharing attributes and constraints:

(i)the scope of data and information to be shared will depend on whether the Uspace is designed in controlled or uncontrolled airspace, or in airspace where both controlled and uncontrolled manned aircraft may operate simultaneously (i.e. ICAO airspace class E);

(ii)a data- and information-sharing plan may cover the following:

(A)the data and information shared;

(B)compliance with applicable data protection legislation;

(C)data processing;

(D)data quality;

(E)data subjects’ rights;

(F)data retention and deletion;

(G)security and training;

(H)security breaches and reporting procedures;

(I)responsibilities for providing data and services.

ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE SINGLE CIS PROVIDER AND THE AIR TRAFFIC SERVICE PROVIDER (ATSP) Similarly to USSPs, specific arrangements may be necessary between the single CIS provider and the relevant ATSP. The arrangement may be established according to the example presented in GM1 to Article 5(6) of Regulation (EU) 2021/664 and in Annex V to this Regulation to ensure the adequate exchange of relevant operational data and information.

MONITORING OF THE AVAILABILITY OF CIS PROVIDERS AND REPORTING OF DATA QUALITY ISSUES The single CIS provider should monitor the availability of services of the providers of common information, as well as the quality of the exchange and data received. The single CIS provider should inform the providers of common information as soon as practically possible about any detected availability or quality issues with regard to the data received.

CIS DEGRADATION The single CIS provider should inform USSPs without undue delay about CIS degradation.

PRESERVATION OF DATA INTEGRITY AND QUALITY The single CIS provider should ensure for the data it collects and distributes that:

(a)it does not alter the information, and preserves the integrity of the information received;

(b)it takes the appropriate measures to maintain the completeness, accuracy, resolution, traceability, timeliness, and logical consistency of the data.

CIS DEGRADATION It is recommended that the single CIS provider inform USSPs about CIS degradation within 30 seconds.