Compilation of aircraft and crate data

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3.4 Compilation of aircraft and crate data

3.4.1 Aircraft data No comprehensive set of data relating to aircraft heating, ventilating and air conditioning HVAC systems could be located in the public domain, and some difficulties were experienced trying to source the required data from aircraft manufacturers or operators. While the report associated with version 1 of LATSA does include a quantity of HVAC data, the dataset does not include all the variables required to undertake the calculations used in version 2. Consequently, it was necessary to supplement the existing data with information that could be obtained from aircraft manufacturer’s published values where available, values in IATA standards, and other sources. During this process the opportunity was taken to cross-check the version 1 data with other sources. If any anomalies were identified, these were investigated further and what was judged to be the best available data, whether it was the version 1 values or others, was used in version 2. A summary of the Aircraft and Hold Tables as at the time of this report can be found in Section 9.2 Appendix 2 – Aircraft Data Tables used in version 2 of LATSA. Historically, aircraft specifications, including those pertaining to HVAC systems, have used United States customary units US units rather than Système International SI units. However, both US and SI units are now being used in these publications. As a precursor to developing the aircraft datasets used in version 2 of LATSA, all data using US units were converted to SI unit values. This included the US unit datasets in version 1 of LATSA. 3.4.2 Crate data Much of the upgrade to LATSA is based on the issues of industry regulation of stock crates, the ability to place known numbers of crates in aircraft hold and the assignment of stock to crates to meet ASEL standards. In order to load and calculate nominated stocking densities, and compare these to ASEL, the software is required to store a significant amount of data relating to identifiable stock crates. The data table structure includes several tables relating to the following:  Crate Manufacturer’s detail;  Crates details including certification information;  Tier details; and  Hold Information. While the information is sufficiently detailed to allow the objectives of stock assignment and stocking density calculations to be met, no manufacturer has been required to provide proprietary information that would not normally be discovered through the general use of the product. However, manufacturers and stock crates will be individually identifiable through the use of the software. This has both positive and negative consequences for all parties, but this issue is not within the terms of reference of this project. In order to meet one objective of the project, the crate manufacturer and crate details tables include fields associated with manufacturer registration and crate certification respectively. While this information is present and is reported on output documents, it does not preclude the use of uncertified crates and unregistered manufacturers. Table links allow participants to consign specific loads of animals in specific crates to a hold in a nominated aircraft. This versatility meets the objectives of the project, however, it should be Upgrade of LATSA Page 15 of 148 noted that participants may be required to develop additional knowledge of the hold assignment in order to utilise the system effectively. While this may be seen as a constraint, it is viewed as a potential requirement in meeting regulatory demands both now and in the future. A basic participant knowledge of ventilation constraints and hold structures is required in order to operate LATSA V2.0 effectively. The number, size and configuration of crates placed in an aircraft hold are important in the calculation of volumetric data and subsequent air velocity and mixing ratios. The latter have a direct impact on the primary considerations of this project. The internal floor area of each tier and the number of stock are utilised in calculating the actual stocking density. This result is compared to the ASEL density, which the program develops from regression equations based on the ASEL standard see Section 4.1.4. The addition of crate data associated with consignment details can provide more transparency if it is provided within export documentation. This additional information may provide a higher degree of confidence on the part of the regulatory body i.e. that the industry can identify and trace issues relating to a shipment that is within its control. Upgrade of LATSA Page 16 of 148 4 Results and discussion

4.1 Terminology, concepts and assumptions