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Disparity and uncertainty of information sources are both significant problems in information fusion. This paper investigates the problem of disparity in general, and in conjunction with FLASH -a hybrid information-fusion cognitiveprocessing approach we developed. Different forms of disparity are identified and their categorization is presented, and their implications on the information fusion process are discussed. The issue of feature-level vs. decision-level fusion is investigated, and the methods of coping with disparity within FLASH are presented. Source uncertainty estimation techniques are discussed as well. Disparity studies and the results of computational experiments related to them are presented. These studies are suggestive of the potential of the FLASH hybrid approach for fusion of disparate information sources.

Abstract-In this paper we seek to characterize traffic in the U.S. air transportation system, and to subsequently develop improved models of traffic demand. We model the air traffic within the U.S. national airspace system as dynamic weighted network. We employ techniques advanced by work in complex networks over the past several years in characterizing the structure and dynamics of the U.S. airport network. We show that the airport network is more dynamic over successive days than has been previously reported. The network has some properties that appear stationary over time, while others exhibit a high degree of variation. We characterize the network and its dynamics using structural measures such as degree distributions and clustering coefficients. We employ spectral analysis to show that dominant eigenvectors of the network are nearly stationary with time. We use this observation to suggest how low dimensional models of traffic demand in the airport network can be fashioned.

Accurate wind information is required to support some of the key applications envisioned for future air traffic concepts. A Wind Information Analysis Framework is described to assess wind information needs for different applications. The framework is applied in a Four-Dimensional Trajectory Based Operations (4D-TBO) application using simplified versions of the framework's elements to demonstrate its utility. Realistic ranges of wind information accuracy limitations in terms of wind forecast and Flight Management System wind representation errors are studied. Their impacts on 4D-TBO performance in terms of Required Time of Arrival compliance and fuel burn are presented. Interpretations of the findings to determine wind information requirements are provided.