Photo: uAvionix

uAvionix has successfully installed and approved its surface situational awareness systems at two major U.S. airports: Indianapolis International Airport (IND) and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Developed in collaboration with Capital Sciences, the systems have passed the Service Acceptance Test (SAT) and will be operational for Air Traffic Control (ATC) starting June 30, 2024.

“This milestone marks the first approvals under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI), part of a broader effort to enhance runway safety across the nation,” said Christian Ramsey, chief commercial officer for uAvionix.

The uAvionix systems use the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) service called FlightLine, which offers controllers real-time, precise depictions of aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface. This technology seeks to improve situational awareness and reduce the risk of runway incursions.

The delivery of the FlightLine systems to IND and AUS was completed and accepted within a 90-day timeframe, thanks to close collaboration with the FAA, National Air Traffic Control Association (NATCA), Indianapolis Airport Authority and AUS.

Each airport also installed several of uAvionix’s VTU-20 ADS-B Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters (VMATs) on airport vehicles. The VTU-20 is an FAA-approved system that allows vehicles operating on runways and taxiways to be electronically seen by the tower and aircraft equipped with ADS-B In technologies, further reducing the risk of runway incursions.

Following the success of these implementations, uAvionix will continue working with the FAA to expand the capability to other airports nationwide.

Key benefits of the enhanced system include:

• Improved real-time tracking of aircraft and vehicles on the airfield.
• Increased safety and efficiency in all weather conditions.
• Decreased risk of runway incursions due to timely and accurate data.

<p>The post uAvionix delivers situational awareness systems to airports first appeared on GPS World.</p>

According to the announcement, the project requires collection of data across 3,200 miles of city streets, one of the single largest mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) collection efforts to date. LiDAR technology uses pulses from a laser to produce highly accurate measurements and map physical features.

“We’re proud to be at the front of using this industry-leading technology for a cost-effective approach to collecting data and developing a 3D model of the city. This truly maximizes taxpayers’ dollars by reducing the cost of a data collection effort while also providing us with the data necessary to perform government functions more efficiently, such as street rehabilitation,” said Jeremy Jobe, Woolpert project manager in Indianapolis. “Further, the dataset can be used for safety improvements through viewshed or line-of-sight analysis to proactively identify potential traffic hazards caused by the surrounding environment.”

Nearly half of the cost associated with the project is being covered through a federal grant, according to Woolpert. The city leveraged this grant to significantly reduce using local dollars for the project. Remaining funds were generated from the RebuildIndy program and other local funding sources.

Woolpert will use its Optech LYNX M1 Mobile LiDAR system to collect the data and then use that data to develop a street sign database for compliance with Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) requirements for sign inventories. This manual provides the U.S. standard for signs, signals and pavement markings.

“The benefit of using a high-accuracy mobile LiDAR system with survey-grade capabilities on such projects is the rich dataset that it captures from which assets can be extracted, in this case signage,” said Jobe. “The city will not only be able to use the data for its sign database, it will also be able to extract or call on the Woolpert team to extract additional features in the future without remobilizing the team and assuming associated costs or placing additional field crews in harm’s way, which provides the true value in this collection effort.”

Woolpert will team with VS Engineering and DB Engineering on the sign inventory and Dynatest on the pavement analysis. Upon completion of the project, data will be integrated with the city’s existing computerized maintenance management system.

<p>The post Indianapolis Awards Multi-Million Dollar Mapping Contract to Woolpert first appeared on GPS World.</p>