It would give pilots and air traffic controllers an early warning if other planes or even ground vehicles are about to intrude onto the runway. That will mean safer ground movements and, unusually for a security strategy, even faster and more efficient operations. The RIPS integrates several advanced technologies into a surface communication, navigation and surveillance system for flight crews and air traffic controllers. The system shows and sounds an alert if another plane or vehicle is about to encroach onto the runway. Air and ground vehicles can be pinpointed is several ways.
Radar is the most likely method.
Equipment installed on high points can be tuned to track surface traffic. As a back-up, aircraft and automobiles could be fitted with radio tags interfaced with GPS data or receivers embedded in the tarmac. For ground controllers and pilots with a restricted field of view, blind spots could thus be virtually eliminated. RIPS is just one component of an advanced flight deck display system that would provide flight crews with vital airborne and ground data, including terrain, ground obstacles, air traffic, landing and approach patterns and detailed airport surface maps. Another potential tool is NASA s Synthetic Vision System, which processes GPS signals, three-dimensional terrain databases and sensors of various types to give pilots unparalleled cockpit information.