Flight Safety at small aerodromes is essential for operators and pilots !
Due to the fact that in Germany the obligation to have an flight controller at small aerodromes is to be abolished in 2022, the question raised how the responsibility, safety and documentation of flight operations can be guaranteed.
A cooperation was initiated in 2021 with the aeroclub NRW e.V., Rennefeld airfield (EDKR) and iwiation GmbH.
Based on iwiation's many years of experience in the field of reconstructing flight parameters using videos, a prototype was developed that is in use for a study at the Rennefeld airfield since summer of 2021 around the clock (24/7).
This system visually records and classifies objects located on the airfield site, such as aircraft, cars, people (in compliance with data protection regulations), animals, etc. and documents their reconstructed GPS position with time stamp.
The system is also able to send information and alerts in real time to the aerodrome operator via a messenger service, such as alerts when in example people are on the runway when an aircraft is landing.
The system processes in addition local ADSB and FLARM data to consider registered aircraft movements in the area to generate alerts. The logic of those warnings and is based on the ICAO standard.
In order to be able to present the system and its functions at Aero 2022, a cooperation was agreed with Friedrichshafen Airport (EDNY) in March 2022, which supports the test operation of an iwiAI system at the airport.
Automated Flight Operations Support
Visual Object DetectionThe system detects objects that are within the cameras observed area. It classifies different object categories and shows the detection in the camera image and on the map. Further the object position is calculated, providing a GPS location with actual timestamp. In case the system detects a person, the marked area is pixeled to ensure data privacy.
|
|
ADSB and FLARM DetectionAll aircrafts that are equipped with an activate ADSB or FLARM system are detected within the airport area. The actual aircrafts position, its latest flight path and altitude are illustrated on the airfield map.
Further, all visually detected objects are illustrated on the map as well. |
|
Operation ReportThe data collected by the system over the past 12 months is used to generate regular operational reports. For all aircrafts registered at the airport, the flight time is recorded with UTC times. In addition, all other external aircraft that have landed at the airfield are documented with the registered number plate and the assigned date and UTC time. This function supports the airfield operations monitoring around the clock. In addition, the report completes the local airfield activities taking into account visually recognized and classified objects.
|
|
Airfield Safety
24/7 OperationThe system operates 24/7 and its operation mode is changed automatically considering current geo referenced civil twilight. The operation mode can be changed from "Normal Operation" (airfield is in normal operation), to "Airfield Closed" (in example after civil twilight to surveil the airport in protected mode) up to "System Off" (turing the system off).
The system architecture is a mix of cloud based and local computing processes. This allows the operator in charge to access the system information via computer or mobile devices. The system operates at all weather conditions. |
|
Airfield DashcamSimilar to a classic dashcam, the system records high-resolution individual images for the last 24 hours. These images are dated with timestamp information, encrypted and can be called up with our help in urgent situations. This can help to clarify safety-critical situations. The recording function of single images can be stopped by the responsible operator in an emergency.
|
|
NightvisionThe system can use its nightvision capability with adding locally IR beamers on the site. This allows object detection and classification also in dark environment. Any detections will be recorded and trigger customer specific alarms depending on the actual system operation mode.
|
|
AlarmsThe system can be configured with customer specific alarms that will be triggered automatically by the system. Dedicated georeferenced alarm zones are defined and used for dedicated alarm levels. In example detecting a person on the runway in combination with the ADSB/FLARM information of a landing aircraft. Protected areas will trigger alarms when persons or vehicles are entering those. In case the airfield is closed, being in "Surveillance Mode", any aircraft movement / landing or departure will be reported as an alarm. This shall avoid any illeagal aircraft operation when the airfield is closed. The alarms are tirggered on the mobile device of the operator in charge.
|
|