PDARS, a collaboration between FAA Office of System Capacity and NASA Aviation Safety Program, is developing networking and analysis tools for Air Traffic Control (ATC) radar data. It provides ATC decision-makers at the facility level with a comprehensive set of tools and methods for monitoring the health, performance, and safety of day-to-day ATC operations. The PDARS system is developed and maintained by ATAC Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA.

PDARS permits analysis of daily operation of the National Airspace System (NAS) on local and inter-facility levels. By translating flight track and flight plan data into measures of facility performance, PDARS significantly augments the FAA's ability to adjust operational procedures and techniques. PDARS allows facilities to both identify situations that can be changed or improved and quantify the consequences of adjustments from safety and efficiency perspectives.

PDARS incorporates innovative technology for rapidly processing large volumes of complex air traffic data, for extracting and visualizing information from these data, and for a secure network that enables facilities across the continental U.S to share and discuss this information. Data are accessed daily from all sites, processed overnight, and reports are delivered to all participating facilities routinely each morning.