A Short Introduction to the ICAO Digital Datasets

From Product-centric AIS to AIM

Digital datasets are gaining traction as part of a broader shift from product-centric (often paper-based) aeronautical information services (AIS) to data-centric aeronautical information management (AIM).
ICAO Annex 15 defines AIM as:

"The dynamic, integrated management of aeronautical information through the provision and exchange of quality-assured digital data in collaboration with all parties."

This post introduces the five ICAO digital datasets used in AIM. In later posts, we will explore the technical details of how these datasets are implemented and exchanged.

The ICAO Digital Datasets

ICAO Annex 15 defines the following five digital datasets:

1. AIP Dataset – A structured digital version of the Aeronautical Information Publication.
2. Obstacle Dataset – Information on obstacles that may affect aircraft surface movement or are considered a hazard to air navigation.
3. Instrument Flight Procedure Dataset – Detailed digital representations of published instrument flight procedures.
4. Aerodrome Mapping Dataset – Geospatial data describing the physical layout of an aerodrome.
5. Terrain Dataset – Digital terrain models for use in flight operations and procedure design.

Why It Matters

Air traffic management (ATM) systems must increasingly handle dynamic flows of information in real time, and the transition to digital datasets enhances the following key aspects of ATM:

• Safety – By implementing quality-assurance processes to improve the reliability of digital data exchanged between different parties.

• Interoperability – Using digital datasets and standards such as AIXM enables the seamless exchange of information between data originators and consumers.

• Efficiency – Interested parties can exchange digital datasets via machine-to-machine communication without the need for human intervention.

• Traceability – By keeping a history of all the changes performed to the datasets over their entire lifespan.

These advantages make digital datasets a critical enabler for modern, data-centric aeronautical information management.