System Provides Dispatchers With Real-Time Info

by ANN Correspondent Maxine Scheer

Location, Location, Location! It is not only the mantra of real estate, but is also a critical requirement when managing aircraft. Visitors to the Federal Pavilion at AirVenture 2007 had the opportunity to get a real-time demonstration of a powerful tool being used by the Department of the Interior, Aviation Management Directorate (Aviation Management).

The tool is called Automated Flight Following (AFF), a system that automatically tracks critical information, such as the location, altitude, course, identifier and speed of aircraft. This information is provided in real time to dispatchers, aviation managers, and other system users. Aviation Management (AM) has significantly increased efficiency, improved safety and decreased costs as a result of its effectiveness in identifying the status of critical situations and providing quick response by nearby aircraft.

In any one day, the Aviation Management Division monitors and coordinates the activities of anywhere between 500 and 1,000 aircraft, some of which are carrying out missions in remote locations throughout the US. Examples include wildlife surveys in the Bering Sea, fighting wildfires in the Montana or Wyoming, or carrying inspectors to oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico or off the coast of California.

Before AFF, radio communications were the sole means of establishing contact. This method has obvious limitations as ground-based radio communications are not always reliable. Position reports, which were sometimes required every 15 minutes, consumed limited radio "air time," and increased dispatcher and pilot workloads.

In 2002, DOI's Aviation Management partnered with the US Forest Service (USFS) to develop and implement the AFF system. Representatives at AirVenture 2007 estimate that nearly 100% of non-military government-owned and contracted aircraft are now equipped for the system.

Based on data published on DOI's website, a secondary partnership was created with Canada's Province of British Columbia, Forest Service. That government organization has tracked their aircraft for the past ten or twelve years for purposes of search and rescue and the tactical redeployment of firefighting resources.

The principle value generated from this partnership has been the sharing of a software package known as "Webtracker" (as shown in the inset photo). This web-based system was developed by the Canadians and has gone through modification for use by the US Interagency Fire partners, DOI and USFS.

(This image of Webtracker indicates large fire locations, temporary flight restrictions and aircraft locations. Additional views and information can be requested by the user -- Source: DOI Aviation Management website)

So how does the system work? A "black box" is installed in the aircraft that "talks" with a communications satellite and receives position information from a Global Position System (GPS) satellite. The GPS location data is sent via the communications satellite to an earth station and is then loaded onto the world-wide-web.

The data also includes aircraft tail number, owner, and mission and is available to all users of the Webtracker software. Access to the data is restricted to individuals participating in the management of these aircraft.

Position reporting technology has been utilized by trucking firms and the railroads for many years; however, aviation equipment standards are much higher and many technical difficulties have been overcome to produce the current AFF system. AFF systems are also used in the commercial and business aviation industry by entities such as Federal Express, UPS, and fleets used by corporate executives.

AirVenture officials mentioned that the requirements to equip contract aircraft for AFF were initially met with some skepticism. However, after demonstrating the benefits of having real time data on the position and status of people and aircraft, many of these entities expanded the use of AFF throughout their aircraft fleets.

Vendors who supported the program include Iridium Satellite and its partners Latitude Technologies, Sky Connect, Blue Sky Network, and SkyTrac Systems.

FMI: www.doi.gov, Contact: Harlan_Johnson@oas.gov