The Global Safety Information Project (GSIP) is seeking information from aviation industry stakeholders within the Asia-Pacific and Pan-America regions pertaining to safety data collection and processing. The project aims to ascertain what types of data are being collected within the regions, what systems are used to collect and store that data, and how this information is used to assist with improving aviation safety.

We know that there are numerous efforts already underway to collect and analyze data throughout the world. The Foundation believes that the first step in achieving any sort of a global standard for data collection and analysis is to understand what is already being done. The Foundation is uniquely positioned, as a trusted, international organization, to take the lead on this work.

The world of data is growing rapidly and it takes conscious, deliberate and focused efforts to consider how to harness the power of this data. Data gathered from normal operations, when de-identified and combined with data from other stakeholders, can identify risk before it leads to a safety problem. The analysis of this data allows safety professionals to determine how to address this risk.

Aviation is the safest way to travel, but the investment in safety is never done. Over the years, we’ve seen firsthand that the collection, sharing and analysis of data gathered from normal operations, both through automatic systems and voluntarily reported, gives safety professionals the ability to identify the smallest risk and develop procedures or plans to mitigate it — before it leads to a tragedy.

The more data points that can be gathered and compared, the better chance to identify a potential risk. Combining the data from many different sources leads to the largest possible pool of data and allows for the best analysis.

All responses provided in support of the assessment will be treated as confidential. It is important that honest responses be provided to ascertain the true state of the management of safety data and information.

It is intended that the results of this work will be made publicly available through the Foundation website and that the findings of the reports will be presented through a variety of aviation forums.

In 2015, we hosted focus groups in key cities throughout Asia-Pacific and the Pan America regions to better understand what data collection is already happening, how it is being collected, how it is used and also what challenges these stakeholders face in collecting and analyzing this information. We held workshops in 2016 in the same regions to share our approach to develop toolkits describing many of the industry practices. Since late in 2016, we have been engaging with members and other experts in the industry to refine those toolkits.

Currently, the project is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. We encourage other governments, companies or individuals to support this work. Please contact us if you would like additional information.

The key stakeholders that have been identified to be a part of the project include: national regulators, national investigation bodies, air traffic control organizations, airport operators, airlines and other aircraft operators, aircraft manufacturers, engine manufacturers, flight data analysis organizations, legal experts and any other organization that collects aviation safety information.

Protection of safety data is a major priority for the Foundation. Currently, very few countries have adequate protections for this data and we understand why stakeholders may hesitate to get involved. One of the major parts of our GSIP project is to address the legal protection of data. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is taking important steps to address this issue and GSIP will reflect the decisions and language being developed in Montreal.

GSIP is not collecting any actual safety data. The information we will be collecting is limited to understanding the types of information and data that are being collected, the methods used in collecting this information and data, how they are processed, how they are used to enhance aviation safety within organisations and in general, what types of systems and databases are used.

At the conclusion of the project, a report will be produced by the Foundation and circulated for the purpose of peer review and for any additional input that may be relevant to the project.

It is probable that further activities stemming from the report will be initiated to support the enhancement of aviation safety.