A fatal crash had taken the life of a pilot friend of Severino, and technology, he believed, could have helped avert the accident. The software packages that resulted were designed primarily for military sponsors and are now positioned for consumer market placement. The software can be run on a battery-powered laptop. TerrAvoid is a terrain avoidance system that graphically maps out and highlights threatening conditions in a pilot's flight area. A map scrolls along, as in a video game, presenting a sweeping 360-degrees of view.
Red areas indicate the tallest mountains, while safe sections are depicted in green.
Proportions change in real-time as the pilot moves through hilly terrain. It is a moving map that details the exact position of the pilot. Incorporating the unique features of JPL's GeoTIFF, this software can be adapted to operate with any map, chart, or photo image in the world. Four windows can be displayed at once, a useful function for an aviator who simultaneously can scan maps, charts, photo images, and sketches at different scales and zoom levels.