RPA – S7Innovative Airport Sensor Technologies

Presented To:  REDAC

By:  Robert Bassey

    Date:  August 2016

RPA S7 Overview –Innovative Airport Sensor Technologies

FY 2016 Accomplishments

Research Goals

Funding Requirements 

• Investigation of the feasibility of using innovative detection technology/sensors on civil airports and/or integrating with existing systems.

• Enables a consistent set of standard protocols to be established for determining the feasibility and performance capabilities of like sensors regardless of their prospective application. 

Need

• Investigation of the feasibility of using innovative detection technology/sensors on civil airports and/or integrating with existing systems.

• Enables a consistent set of standard protocols to be established for determining the feasibility and performance capabilities of like sensors regardless of their prospective application. 

Installation of non-federal AeroMACs system at BOS

Development of CONOPS framework for LCSS
| FY 2016                      | FY 2017 | FY 2018 |
|------------------------------|---------|---------|
| Low Cost Surveillance        | $600K   | $400K   | $450K |
| AeroMACs                     | $610K   | $750K   | $750K |
| Emerging Sensor Technologies | $200K   | $220K   |
| TOTAL                        | $1.21M  | $1.35M  | $1.42M |

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RPA – S7 Breakdown

RPA – S7  Innovative Sensor Technologies

S7.1  Low Cost Surveillance

S7.2  AeroMACs

S7.3  Emerging Technologies

Low Cost Surface Surveillance Framework

Implementation Opportunities for Low Cost Surveillance
| Airport Requirement                                     | Low Cost Surveillance Technologies                             | Design Issues                                                               | Status                                                                          | Research Needs                                                                                   |
|---------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Aircraft movement                                       | Light, thermal and radar sensors                               | Generally large targets                                                     | Surveillance systems primarily designed for cooperative targets                 | A system for non-cooperative aircraft identification needed                                      |
| Vehicle movement                                        | Light, thermal and radar sensors                               | Target size may vary; most targets are non-cooperative                      | Commercial systems are available but operational emphasis primarily on aircraft | Validation of sensor capabilities needed for a range of airport sizes and operational needs      |
| Personnel movement                                      | Specialized radar sensors and state of the art camera systems  | Human size and potential random behaviors                                   | Security needs have driven surveillance technologies                            | Needs beyond security needed to identify potential areas of improvement to safety and operations |
| Improving situational awareness in low light conditions | Radar and intelligent vision processing of light camera images | Matching capability or benefit with cost to provide the coverage            | Implementations of intelligent vision have been made in FOD detection           | Available systems based on IP of vendors which may limit broad adoption                          |
| Wide angle or panoramic image view                      | Light or thermal cameras                                       | Based on operational need and the characteristics of the area to be covered | Commercial systems provide enhanced viewing of large areas                      | Constantly changing technical capabilities at a given price point                                |

| Sensor System Assessment            | Technology Integration in CONOPS (Considerations)                                                                                                                                                          |
|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Optical and Thermal Sensors         | Aircraft and Vehicle IdentificationTarget Track HistoryField of viewIllumination/Low light performanceGate Occupation                                                                                      |
| Radar Sensors                       | Target discrimination in complex environment and maximum number of targetsTracking validityTarget detection size classificationEffective range/resolutionAlarm/alert functions Optimal forensic capability |
| Sensor Multiple Use and Integration | Potential for joint coverage–optimization issueOverlay/integration on GUIFusion                                                                                                                            |

AeroMACS Field Trial

     AeroMACS Architecture (Airport)

    AeroMACS Architecture

BOS Airport Characteristics

BOS has 4 terminals 94 gates
        - Terminal A: 19 gates, 2 airlines
        - Terminal B: 36 gates, 8 airlines
        - Terminal C: 27 gates, 5 airlines
        - Terminal E: 12 gates, 24 airlines

BOS has an average of 1,000 takeoff and landings (TL) per day
        - Peak can reach 75 TL per hour
        - Minimum permanence in a gate is 45 minutes
        - Maximum supported tonnage per gate: 300 MB
        - Gate coverage needs to be redundant

BOS will require approximately:
        - 54 gate cells (microcell)
        - 4 runway/taxiways cells

          3D BOS  Representation

Robert.Bassey@faa.gov  

609-485-5816

www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov

 Questions/Comments?

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