Dispatch

System and Message Overviews

Document Version: 6.5

Date: July 21, 2017

Document Revision History

The following revision history table reflects all substantive changes to this document.

Table Of Contents

1  Introduction

This document defines the interfaces which govern the interchange of data between a Dispatch system and other systems within an Airline Operation Center (AOC).  Each AOC interface is represented by a message described in an associated XSD (XML Schema Definition). The XSD defines and enforces the required, optional, and conditional data that can be included in a message.

Dispatch systems create flight documents that are used in the safe dispatch of an aircraft.

1.1  Audience

The intended audience for this document includes existing and potential Jeppesen customers, integration partners, and personnel with roles associated with application architecture, application development, system testing, implementation, and application support within Dispatch which is a system that is used to create flight documents that are used in the safe dispatch of an aircraft.

1.2  Scope

This document discusses the Dispatch messages currently supported by the Jeppesen Solution Integrator. Each message description includes the following:

• Overview for common message uses within an AOC
• Message Version Summary listing all available versions of each message
• Links to the message specifications including direct links to XSD documentation, where you can explore the XSD hierarchy and interface specifications in a navigable HTML format
• Links to the XSD source code
• Links to sample XML messages for each AOC message

Other data interfaces or formats not included in this document will be considered custom and not supported.

1.3  XML Schema/XSD

The XML schema for this ICD is published in the following file: Dispatch.XSD

2  Message Summary

Table 2-1 lists the messages that can be sent or handled by the application.

Table 2-1 Message Summary 

3 AOC Interface Messages

The following messages are processed by the Dispatch system.

3.1 DP001 - Dispatch Desk Assignment

3.1.1  Message Overview

This message is used to assign a dispatch desk to a flight leg. This message can be used for daily desk assignments, ad hoc assignments for new flights, and desk re-assignment to help balance the workload across multiple desks. A desk assignment list is later published so that other parts of the airline know which desk is responsible for which flight. Multiple desk assignments can be sent in a single message.

3.1.1.1   Daily desk assignments

The desk assignment message can be used to facilitate an Airline Operation Center’s daily flight-to-desk mapping. Typically, this mass desk assignment occurs once a day. All flights for the current or next day are run through a rule-based desk assignment model and distributed across multiple desks. Assignments can be sent using multiple messages or in a single message using the <flightLegGroup> repeating group.

3.1.1.2   Ad hoc assignments for new flights

As new flights are created during the day, the Dispatch Desk Assignment message can be used to assign those flights to specific desks. Whether the new flight is a ferry flight, positioning flight, continuation leg, or other charter, this message is used to assign the flight to a desk. When the dispatch system receives the new flight information (through an OC001 Create Flight Leg message), it will typically assign the desk immediately.

3.1.1.3   Desk re-assignment for workload-balancing

The Dispatch Desk Assignment message can also be used to re-assign a flight to a different desk. This is helpful when one desk is overloaded during the course of a day. For example, a thunderstorm in Chicago increases the workload for the dispatcher working all of the Chicago flights. He may need to reroute flights, communicate with pilots, and ensure that other passengers and cargo considerations have been addressed. In this case, some of the desk’s flights are manually moved to another, less busy, desk by sending another DP001 message.

Note that there is not a delete function related to this message. As a flight is re-assigned, the most recent message supersedes any previous assignments. The desk assignment should then be re-published so that the rest of the airline is aware of the update.

3.1.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. DP001 message system flow

3.1.3   Message Details

The following table provides details on the message version and includes links to the message’s technical specification.

3.2 DP002 - Publish Flight Plan

3.2.1 Message Overview

The Publish Flight Plan message is a multi-purpose message that provides the following information, based on a single flight.

• Flight plan data (ARINC 633 format) link to specification
• Flight plan notes (dispatcher entered via flight planning system)
• User data (user identification)
• Trip Fuel
• Deferred Maintenance Items (DMI) and their hierarchial structures
• Parent / Child associations for DMI's

3.2.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. DP002 message system flow

3.2.3  Message Details

The following table provides details on the message and includes links to the message’s technical specification.

3.3  DP003 – Get Dispatcher Desk List

3.3.1  Message Overview

This message is used to request a list of valid dispatch desks and associated information. This provides informational support to other applications in an airline operation center. For example, a Flight Following application screen might include a dropdown list of all the flights assigned to a desk. Rather than entering these desk assignments manually each day, the Flight Following application can get the desk assignment list using the DP003 message.

3.3.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. DP003 message system flow

3.3.3  Message Details

The following table provides details on the message and includes links to the message’s technical specification.

3.4  DP004 - Get Flight Release

3.4.1   Message Overview

This message is used to request the current flight paperwork required by the pilot. After the dispatcher creates and assembles all of the required paperwork for a flight, the pilot pulls this package from another system (Crew Portal, for example) using the DP004 message. This package must then be stored for a specific time frame in accordance with FAA regulations.

The following items can be returned in the DP004 message:

• Airport Analysis
• ATC Filing Strip
• Company Notams
• Field Condition Report
• Flight Plan
• Load Plan
• Release
• Weather Briefing

3.4.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. DP004 message system flow

3.4.3  Message Details

3.5  DP005 – Retrieve Flight List (DRAFT)

3.5.1  Message Overview

This message is used to request a list of released flight that is ready for departure.  Crew Portal systems require this information to display a list of flights for the crew to select.

3.5.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. DP005 message system flow

3.5.3  Message Details

3.6  DP006 – Calculation Result Record

3.6.1  Message Overview

This message returns the flight calculation results in a non-standard AOC format. Please contact Jeppesen before implementing this message in your AOC.

3.6.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. DP006 message system flow

3.6.3  Message Details

3.7  DP007 – Sign Flight Release

3.7.1  Message Overview

This message allows the captain (using a Crew Portal system) or dispatcher to request a signed flight release. The response message is a confirmation that the requested flight release was marked as signed and has been stored by the system.

Related Message: DP010 provides similar content in a Publish message format.

3.7.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. DP007 message system flow

3.7.3  Message Details

3.8  DP008 – Flight Release Signed Query

3.8.1  Message Overview

This message is used to add a note to the flight paperwork.

3.8.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8. DP008 message system flow

3.8.3  Message Details

3.9  DP009 – Flight Note

3.9.1  Message Overview

This message is used to send a note from an external system to the Dispatch application. The note can then be displayed on the Dispatch application's user interface.

3.9.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9. DP009 message system flow

3.9.3  Message Details

3.10  DP010 – Sign Flight Release

3.10.1  Message Overview

This message allows the Dispatch system to send a notification that the flight release was marked as signed and has been stored by the system. This message can be sent to other systems within the AOC or external systems.

Related Message: DP007 provides similar functionality in a Request/Response message format.

3.10.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10. DP010 message system flow

3.10.3  Message Details

3.11  DP011 – Flight Plan

3.11.1  Message Overview

The purpose of this message is to allow an external customer flight planning system to request flight plan, and related information, for the Flight Planning/Dispatch system.

3.11.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11. DP011 message system flow

3.11.3  Message Details

3.12  DP012 – Request Acars Flight Plan

3.12.1  Message Overview

The DP012 ACARS Flight Plan request message provides a method for an external system to publish a message that will trigger the flight planning/dispatch system to publish a Flight Plan in the ARINC 633 format. The Flight Plan is then picked up by the external requesting system and is processed within that system.

3.12.2  Message System Flow

This message interacts with the systems as shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12. DP012 message system flow

3.12.3  Message Details