Distributed Air Traffic Flow Management

A non-transitory computer program product storing instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor of at least one computing system, implement a method comprising:

• first determining a price to utilize each of a plurality of air-traffic resources using data characterizing a projected capacity for each of a plurality of air-traffic resources, the plurality of air-traffic resources including predefined geographic locations and future time periods designated as available for use, the projected capacity for each of the plurality of air-traffic resources characterizing a maximum number of aerial vehicles allowed to utilize the air-traffic resource as a function of time, the price for a given air-traffic resource based on the projected capacity of the given air-traffic resource;
• first transmitting data comprising the determined price to each of a plurality of distributed computing systems to enable each of the distributed computing systems to independently determine, based on the price, proposed trajectories for one or more of the plurality of aerial vehicles;
• first receiving, from the plurality of distributed computing systems, data characterizing the proposed trajectories;
• second determining, using the proposed trajectories, whether the capacity required by the proposed trajectories in aggregate exceed the projected capacity for each of the plurality of air-traffic resources;
• third determining an updated price to utilize each of the plurality of air-traffic resources, the updated price for at least one of the air-traffic resources increasing when the proposed trajectories in combination exceed the projected capacity of the at least one of the air-traffic resources;
• and
• second transmitting data comprising the determined updated price to each of the plurality of distributed computing systems to enable each of the distributed computing systems to independently determine, based on the updated price, updated proposed trajectories for one or more of the plurality of aerial vehicles
• wherein one or more of the first determining, first transmitting, first receiving, second determining, third determining, and second transmitting are performed using at least one data processor.

A system comprising:

• at least one data processor;
• memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one data processor, causes the at least one data processor to perform operations comprising:
• first determining a price to utilize each of a plurality of air-traffic resources using data characterizing a projected capacity for each of a plurality of air-traffic resources, the plurality of air-traffic resources including predefined geographic locations and future time periods designated as available for use, the projected capacity for each of the plurality of air-traffic resources characterizing a maximum number of aerial vehicles allowed to utilize the air-traffic resource as a function of time, the price for a given air-traffic resource based on the projected capacity of the given air-traffic resource;
• first transmitting data comprising the determined price to each of a plurality of distributed computing systems to enable each of the distributed computing systems to independently determine, based on the price, proposed trajectories for one or more of the plurality of aerial vehicles;
• first receiving, from the plurality of distributed computing systems, data characterizing the proposed trajectories;
• second determining, using the proposed trajectories, whether the capacity required by the proposed trajectories in aggregate exceed the projected capacity for each of the plurality of air-traffic resources;
• third determining an updated price to utilize each of the plurality of air-traffic resources, the updated price for at least one of the air-traffic resources increasing when the proposed trajectories in combination exceed the projected capacity of the at least one of the air-traffic resources;
• and
• second transmitting data comprising the determined updated price to each of the plurality of distributed computing systems to enable each of the distributed computing systems to independently determine, based on the updated price, updated proposed trajectories for one or more of the plurality of aerial vehicles
• wherein one or more of the first determining, first transmitting, first receiving, second determining, third determining, and second transmitting are performed using at least one data processor.