Airport Surface Surveillance Capability
Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC) is a runway-safety tool that displays aircraft and ground vehicles on the airport surface, as well as aircraft on approach and departure paths within a few miles of the airport. The tool allows air traffic controllers and air crew in cockpits equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) to detect potential runway conflicts by providing detailed coverage of movement on runways and taxiways. By collecting and fusing data from a variety of sources, ASSC is able to track vehicles and aircraft on airport surfaces and obtain identification information from  aircraft ADS-B transponders. ASSC provides similar capabilities and displays as ASDE-X, as both systems provide real-time tracking information of ground movements using the same set of instruments. San Francisco International Airport was the first domestic airport to implement ASSC in October 2016. Operation. Like ASDE-X, ASSC receives inputs from a variety of sensors, including: After the inputs are collected, the ASSC controller performs automated conflict detecting and alerting using the same human-machine interface as implemented in the 35 ASDE-X sites. ASSC is part of ADS-B, which is one of the key elements of  the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System implementation. The nine ASSC sites used the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model 3 radar (ASDE-3) to provide Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS). The similar ASDE-X program also used ASDE-3 radar, but the primary difference between ASSC and ASDE-X is that ASSC does not require ASDE-3 input. List of airports. Nine sites have installed or plan to install ASSC by 2017, under a five-year contract awarded to Saab Sensis Corporation in early 2012: