Harris experts are developing technology solutions for the security and safety challenges associated with fielding of the NextGen Air Transportation System.  For example, Mark Graham, Harris chief systems engineer and architect for FAA Next Generation air traffic management systems is working on new security challenges that are being created as the National Airspace System (NAS) evolves from a tactical-oriented system architecture used for controlling airspace to a network-centric enterprise architecture for managing airspace. On the other hand, Tom Hicks, principal investigator at Harris for NextGen Aviation Weather IR&D, is focused on how the new Harris Aviation Weather Avoidance Service (AWAS) tool addresses a core weather requirement of NextGen: the ability to identify where and when aircraft can or cannot safely fly. Hicks notes that trajectory-based operations are a foundational element of NextGen. AWAS utilizes a four dimensional trajectory (4DT) to continuously evaluate an aircraft's position in space and time to support better decision-making with regard to weather conditions and forecasts for thunderstorms, turbulence, icing, ceiling and visibility. Designed to interface with the NextGen 4D Weather Cube, AWAS was developed through a cooperative research agreement between Harris and the Army Research Laboratory.