Abstract:
A method, system, and computer readable medium are provided for displaying air and ground surveillance information on a portable electronic device. The receipt of a plurality of surveillance messages is enabled for both air and ground vehicles on the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device is connected by a wireless connection to a surveillance server. A plurality of surveillance messages are received by the portable electronic device after establishing a communication link with the surveillance server. Surveillance information is extracted from the plurality of surveillance messages by the portable electronic device. The surveillance information is rendered on a display of the portable electronic device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/491,049, filed on May 27, 2011. The specification and drawings of the provisional patent application are specifically incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    Embodiments of the invention generally relate to portable electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets and, more specifically, to a method and system for displaying real-time or near real-time air and ground surveillance information on portable electronic devices. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Portable electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets are versatile multi-functional devices that can support a variety of applications and store significant amounts of data in the form of documents, media, and files in various formats. Such devices typically support a web browser, a portable media player, an email client, a document editor, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for providing location and tracking information. Examples of such portable electronic devices include the Apple iPhone, Android-based smartphones, Blackberry smartphones, Apple iPad tablets, Android-based tablets, and Blackberry PlayBook tablets. A large number of applications have been developed for each of the smartphones and tablets and the different manufacturers have established online application stores for their users to select, purchase, and download software applications for such portable electronic devices. In the following description, “portable electronic device” will be used to refer generally to all portable electronic devices having communications and messaging functionality. 
         [0004]    GPS provides highly accurate location results for a portable device in open environments. A Wi-Fi-based Positioning System (WPS) determines the location of a portable device based on a database of known wireless access points which are typically wireless routers having a unique identifier (i.e., MAC address). WPS has no line of sight requirements and is accurate to within 20 meters. WPS provides services similar to GPS without GPS-hardware and can be integrated with GPS-enabled devices to provide hybrid positioning. Cell tower triangulation provides generalized location results but with only 200-1000 meter accuracy. Hybrid systems can include a combination of WPS, GPS, and cell triangulation to locate portable devices. 
         [0005]    Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a surveillance technology for tracking aircraft as part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and will be required for the majority of aircraft operating in the United States by the start of the next decade. ADS-B periodically broadcasts its own state vector (i.e., identification, altitude, heading, speed, position) and other information without knowing what other vehicles or entities may be receiving it. No pilot or controller action is required for the information to be issued. Surveillance information is dependent on the navigation and broadcast capability in the source ADS-B equipped aircraft. The use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) as the primary onboard navigation data source was developed through national and international standards organizations in the 1990s. 
         [0006]    When using ADS-B, pilots and controllers will both see the same surveillance picture. With prior art systems such as Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), aircraft could only see other similarly equipped aircraft. Using ADS-B, the vehicle can receive position data from similarly equipped aircraft and ground vehicles. Using TIS-B allows the display of vehicles that are not similarly equipped that are tracked by the ground system via radar, ADS-B, or any other mechanism. 
         [0007]    The Federal Aviation Administration has approved two data links for the ADS-B system in the U.S. Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) has been approved for the general aviation community. 1090 MHz Mode S Extended Squitter (ES) has been approved for air carrier and private/commercial operators of high performance aircraft. 
         [0008]    Traffic Information Services-Broadcast (TIS-B) supplements ADS-B to provide complete situational awareness in the cockpit of all traffic known to the air traffic control system. A ground TIS-B station transmits surveillance target information from a ground radar system on an ADS-B data link to aircraft not equipped with ADS-B or aircraft transmitting on the other ADS-B data link. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    Embodiments of the invention provide a portable multifunction device having a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based application capable of displaying geospatial referenced data on an Electronic Multi-Information Display (EMID) operating on the portable multifunction device. The application supports pan and zoom and allows the user to turn data layers on and off. EMID is capable of displaying high fidelity Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) shape files of airspace volumes and aircraft layouts for precise tracking of aircraft taxiing. EMID also displays real-time or near real-time aircraft and ground vehicle surveillance information such as ADS-B and TIS-B aircraft/vehicle position data. 
         [0010]    The real-time or near real-time surveillance information received by the device is rendered on a geographical map display to represent current position and the current device position. The rendered surveillance information is presented in a way that corresponds to the type of the aircraft or ground vehicle such that the vehicle is shown with a symbol that represents its type. The color of the rendered surveillance information can be set according to user input settings. Additional information can be obtained through a single device tap close to the rendered surveillance information. An extended data block will be displayed showing additional information configurable by the user such as speed, heading, and latitude/longitude. Additionally, the EMID air and ground surveillance application on the portable multifunction device can be used to transmit its precise location to a remote surveillance server in real-time. 
         [0011]    In an exemplary embodiment, a method, system, and computer readable medium are provided for displaying air and ground surveillance information on a portable electronic device. The receipt of a plurality of surveillance messages is enabled for both air and ground vehicles on the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device is connected by a wireless connection to a surveillance server. A plurality of surveillance messages are received by the portable electronic device after establishing a communication link with the surveillance server. Surveillance information is extracted from the plurality of surveillance messages by the portable electronic device. The surveillance information is then rendered on a display of the portable electronic device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    These and other advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, as follows. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates a networking environment in which embodiments of the invention can be enabled. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  illustrates a touch-sensitive user interface for a real-time or near real-time ground surveillance display on a portable multifunction device when the application is enabled in an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  illustrates processing logic for the air and ground surveillance application for portable multifunction devices in an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  illustrates a touch-sensitive user interface for the air and ground surveillance application installed on a portable multifunction device. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  illustrates a touch-sensitive user interface for a real-time or near real-time air surveillance display on a portable multifunction device when the application is enabled in an exemplary embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of embodiments of the invention including the best, currently known embodiment. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that many changes can be made to the embodiments described, while still obtaining the beneficial results. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the embodiments described can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the embodiments without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the embodiments described are possible and may even be desirable in certain circumstances. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the invention and not in limitation thereof, since the scope of the invention is defined by the claims. 
         [0019]    In the following description, the terms “portable multifunction device” refer to a portable electronic device having the Electronic Multi-Information Display (EMID) air and ground surveillance application installed and operating. The EMID air and ground surveillance application is a ground-passed application that can display surveillance information for both ground and air vehicles. In an exemplary embodiment, the ADS-B/TIS-B data is received from aircraft by ground-based transceivers that push the data to a surveillance server. The EMID air and ground surveillance application connects to the surveillance server via one of the media  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  shown in  FIG. 1  using TCP or UDP protocol. Once connected, the application sends login information for authentication with the server before the server starts pushing the surveillance information to the client. The surveillance information received from the surveillance server includes location information such as latitude/longitude along with other information pertinent to the aircraft and ground vehicle such as vehicle identification. The surveillance information is then processed by the EMID air and ground surveillance application to extract the required information for rendering on the EMID display. The portable multifunction device that runs the EMID application can be installed in ground vehicles and can extract its location information from several sources as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and discussed below. If the EMID application installed in the ground vehicle is enabled, it will transmit its location information to the surveillance server. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  illustrates a networking environment in which embodiments of the invention can be enabled. Portable multifunction device position information can be provided by Wi-Fi-based Positioning System (WPS)  12 , Global Positioning System (GPS)  14 , and cell tower  16 . Electronic surveillance messages from portable multifunction device  10  can be transmitted over Wi-Fi network  20 , cellular network  30 , satellite  40 , or any wireless network  50 . The electronic surveillance messages are then transmitted over the Internet  60  to a surveillance server  70 . Surveillance information is also transmitted from the surveillance server to the portable multifunction device via Wi-Fi network  20 , cellular network  30 , satellite  40 , or wireless network  50 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  illustrates a ground surveillance display  100  on a touch-sensitive user interface (i.e., “touch screen”) for a portable multifunction device  10  when the EMID air and ground surveillance application is enabled in an exemplary embodiment. The EMID display  100  is a GIS (Geographical Information System) based application capable of displaying detailed geographical map data on the display including airport layout. The EMID display  100  shows the current network status as well as location monitoring status  108  if location monitoring is enabled. The EMID display  100  shows a real-time or near real-time airport-based environment including airport runway/taxiway layout map  120 , network connection status indicator  110 , location monitoring status indicator  108 , application information button  102 , and application settings button  104 . The layout map  120  on the EMID display  100  shows the airport runways and taxiways as well as the position of aircraft (with data block)  112  and ground vehicles (with data block)  114 ,  116 . An extended data block  120  can be obtained and displayed through a single device tap close to the displayed location of the aircraft showing additional information configurable by the user such as speed, heading, and latitude/longitude. 
         [0022]    The airport runway/taxiway layout map can be loaded on the portable multifunction device  10  in several ways, for example, from an airport database system that could be installed with the EMID application. Alternatively, the EMID application could download the airport runway/taxiway layout map based on the location of the portable multifunction device. 
         [0023]    The selectable application information button  102  and application settings button  104  have associated user interface displays depicting information regarding the EMID application and EMID application settings, respectively. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  illustrates processing logic for the EMID air and ground surveillance application for portable multifunction devices in an exemplary embodiment. The portable multifunction device remains in an idle state as indicated in step  300  until an “enable send” surveillance message function or an “enable receive” surveillance message function is activated by the EMID air and ground surveillance application as indicated in step  304  and  332 , respectively. If the “enable send” function is activated in step  304 , the portable multifunction device EMID air and ground surveillance application will acquire position information in step  308 . The portable multifunction device will remain in this state until its position is acquired as indicated in step  312 . Once position information is acquired, the portable multifunction device EMID application will attempt to connect to the surveillance server in step  316 . The portable multifunction device will remain in this state until surveillance server connection is acquired as indicated in step  312 . Once connection to the surveillance server is acquired in step  320 , the portable multifunction device air and ground surveillance application will send a surveillance message as indicated in step  324 . The portable multifunction device air and ground surveillance application will remain in the enable send state in step  328  and continue to transmit surveillance messages until the enable send function is deactivated. When deactivated, the portable multifunction device will return to idle state  300 . 
         [0025]    If the “enable receive” function is activated in step  332 , the portable multifunction device EMID application will attempt to connect to the surveillance server in step  336 . The portable multifunction device will remain in this state until surveillance server connection is acquired as indicated in step  340 . Once connection to the surveillance server is acquired in step  340 , the portable multifunction device air and ground surveillance application will receive surveillance messages as indicated in step  344  and will display the surveillance messages in step  352 . The portable multifunction device air and ground surveillance application will then determine if the enable receive function is still activated in step  348 . If the function is still activated, the portable multifunction device air and ground surveillance application will continue to receive and display surveillance messages until a determination is made that the enable receive function has been deactivated. When the enable receive function is deactivated, the portable multifunction device will return to idle state  300 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  illustrates a touch-sensitive user interface for the portable multifunction device EMID air and ground surveillance application. The user enters credentials (e.g., username and password) into the login block  130 , selects whether to enable or disable position monitoring with buttons  132 , and selects whether to enable or disable showing vehicle identification with buttons  134 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  illustrates a real-time or near real-time air surveillance display  100  on a touch-sensitive user interface (i.e., “touch screen”) for a portable multifunction device  10  when the EMID air and ground surveillance application is enabled in an exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, a user is enabled to access the data feeds for certain ADS-B equipped flights in the vicinity of certain airfields (i.e., in the surrounding airspace). Commercial and general aviation flights that are being conducted in the vicinity of these airfields and that are ADS-B equipped will appear on top of a map display. The source of the map display can be any readily available map display including, but not limited to, Google maps. The positions and headings of the aircraft will be adjusted continuously since the data is continuously updated. The commercial flights can be designated with a color-coded arrow  500  (e.g., blue arrow for commercial aviation flights, green arrow for general aviation flights) and flight call sign. In order to obtain additional information about a displayed flight in the form of a data block on the display, the user can tap on the flight designation to bring up the flight&#39;s current call sign, position (latitude, longitude), heading, altitude, speed, and any other relevant information. 
         [0028]    Embodiments of the invention have been described as computer-implemented processes. It is important to note, however, that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the embodiments described are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention applies regardless of the particular type of computer readable medium utilized to carry out the distribution. 
         [0029]    The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means plus function elements in any claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or acts for performing the function in combination with other claim elements as specifically claimed. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications to the exemplary embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0030]    In addition, it is possible to use some of the features of the embodiments disclosed without the corresponding use of the other features. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments is provided for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention, and not in limitation thereof, since the scope of the invention is defined solely by the appended claims.