Networks of video cameras, meteorological sensors, and ancillary electronic equipment are under development in collaboration among NASA Ames Research Center, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These networks are to be established at and near airports to provide real-time information on local weather conditions that affect aircraft approaches and landings.

The prototype network is an airport approach- zone camera system (AAZCS), which has been deployed at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and San Carlos Airport (SQL). The AAZCS includes remotely controlled color video cameras located on top of SFO and SQL air-traffic control towers.

The cameras are controlled by the NOAA Center Weather Service Unit located at the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center and are accessible via a secure Web site. The AAZCS cameras can be zoomed and can be panned and tilted to cover a field of view 220° wide. The NOAA observer can see the sky condition as it is changing, thereby making possible a realtime evaluation of the conditions along the approach zones of SFO and SQL.

The next-generation network, denoted a remote tower sensor system (RTSS), will soon be deployed at the Half Moon Bay Airport and a version of it will eventually be deployed at Los Angeles International Airport. In addition to remote control of video cameras via secure Web links, the RTSS offers realtime weather observations, remote sensing, portability, and a capability for deployment at remote and uninhabited sites. The RTSS can be used at airports that lack control towers, as well as at major airport hubs, to provide synthetic augmentation of vision for both local and remote operations under what would otherwise be conditions of low or even zero visibility.A prototype of a portable RTSS unit (see figure) includes a tripod, on which are mounted the following subsystems:

  • A low-resolution pan/tilt/zoom color video camera in a dome housing;
  • Ultrasonic sensors for measuring wind velocity;
  • Temperature and relative-humidity sensors;
  • A barometric pressure sensor;
  • A data-acquisition (data-logging) subsystem for collecting sensor data;
  • An embedded Web video-image-data server computer;
  • A wireless Ethernet module;
  • A battery power supply;
  • Solar photovoltaic panels to charge the battery; and
  • A directional antenna for wireless communication.

In addition to portable units like this one, the RTSS will include a high-resolution camera mounted on a pre-existing airport tower.

It is envisioned that future RTSSs will be parts of dynamic virtual tower systems, which will be air-traffic-control systems that will serve airports that lack control towers. In a virtual tower system, the information collected from a suite of RTSS units would be sent to a facility, located elsewhere than at an affected airport, where a team of air-traffic controllers could utilize the information in performing real-time tower operations. It is further envisioned that real-time integration of data among pilots, aircraft, and virtual tower stations will become feasible.

Yet another development is that of a real-time, automated visibility-image management system that uses RTSSs to track changing airport and terminal conditions. More specifically, this system processes RTSS image data, by use of advanced algorithms, to predict trends in visibility. The image data are acquired, stored, and processed at 15- minute intervals. The processing of the data yields 15-minute updates of a visibility-versus-time plot, on which visibility is quantified on a suggested scale of 0 to 1.

This work was done by David A. Maluf, Yuri Gawdiak, Christopher Leidichj, and Richard Papasin of Ames Research Center and Peter B. Tran and Kevin Bass of QSS Group, Inc. For further information, access the Technical Support Package (TSP) free online at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Electronics/Computers category.

Inquiries concerning rights for the commercial use of this invention should be addressed to

the Ames Technology Partnerships Division at (650) 604-2954.

Refer to ARC-15029-1.