PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE MANUAL

As stated in Annex 15, area navigation (RNAV) implementation, i.e. the development of area navigation applications, has a significant impact on the role and importance of aeronautical information and data, which become an essential part of the overall safety of air navigation. Annex 15 recognizes this trend as follows: "The role and importance of aeronautical information/data changed significantly with the implementation of area navigation (RNAV), required navigation performance (RNP) and airborne computer-based navigation systems and data link systems. Corrupt or erroneous aeronautical information/data can potentially affect the safety of air navigation."

Among the most critical information/data are those derived from the FPD process. In order to support air navigation operations in the context of the CNS/ATM concept, it is thus necessary to ensure that both the IFP and FPD processes are consistently quality-assured. To this end, ICAO decided to develop a quality assurance manual to assist States in implementing quality assurance in the IFP process.

his volume provides a detailed description of a quality-assured IFP and an FPD process, including requirements for procedure design documentation, verification and validation methods, and guidelines about the acquisition of source information/data.