Enhanced Traffic Management System
The Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS) is a product for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed to monitor and react to air traffic congestion in both real time and in the future. The system is capable of issuing Ground Delay Programs (GDP) and Ground Stop Programs (GS). A ground delay program will be instituted on a particular airport or group of airports to alleviate volume or if there is severe weather.
The system works much like a hub and spoke system where an ETMS hubsite will send and receive data to/from many remote sites. The hubsites report directly to ATCSCC (Air Traffic Control System Command Center) in Washington DC.
ETMS hubsites generate the data used by ASDI (Aircraft Situation Display to Industry).
Other organizations (e.g., the airlines, Department of Defense, NASA, and international sites) also have access to the ETMS software and/or data.[1]