NASA has Placed into service a full-scale virtual reality air traffic control tower, which will be used to study ways of improving airport capacity and safety. The virtual tower is installed at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffat Field in California.
"With runway accidents growing 15% a year and passenger traffic expected to double by 2015, this research facility allows airports to widen the safety envelope and push the capacity envelope," says Yuri Gawdiak, aviation safety programme project manager.
The two-storey facility uses a Silicon Graphics Onyx2 workstation to process real-time graphics, imaging and video data. Using sources such as satellite imagery, digitised photographs and architectural drawings, the system can portray any airport in the world on a 360º outside-world display.
The top floor is a 7.3m (24ft)-diameter tower cab with 12 air traffic control positions. The wrap- round display allows controllers to move around as they would in a real tower, while the image generator can simulate up to 200 moving aircraft and vehicles. The lower floor can house up to eight ramp control and airport operators and up to 13 "virtual" pilots.
The virtual tower is initially being used to study San Francisco airport, the US leader in ground delays caused by weather. A new runway is planned and a computer model of the airport is being used to determine placement for the best air traffic flow.
Source: Flight International
