Page 31 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2013 ( CHINESE EDITION ) Online Magazine
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FEATURE BIRD STRIKE









                                                                                  SPOT THE BIRdIE –
                                                                                  dAy OR NIGHT
                                                                                  According to NEC, the system’s
                                                                                  detection range varies depending
                                                                                  on the size and number of birds.
                                                                                  The horizontal radar covers
                                                                                  approximately 3.6 kilometres,
                                                                                  the vertical radar, a height of
                                                                                  around 1.35 kilometres, and the
                                                                                  width of the radar beam is roughly
                                                                                  25 degrees horizontally and 1.9
                                                                                  degrees vertically.
                                                                                       The observation camera lets
                                                                                  users distinguish a bird around
                                                                                  17 centimetres in size from within
                                                                                  1.5 kilometres when visibility is
                                                                                  unobstructed. At night, when the
                                                                                  camera’s ability is far more limited,
                                                                                  the radar system remains effective.
                                                                                       Users can programme the
                                                                                  radars to focus on areas that are
                                                                                  considered the highest priority, as
                                                                                  well as configure alarms to trigger
                                                                                  and deliver images to monitors
                                                                                  when objects of a certain size enter
                                                                                  the radars’ area of focus. Images
                                                                                  from the automatically rotating
                                                                                  camera may also be viewed in real-
                                                                                  time, and objects that are thought
                                                                                  to be birds are automatically
                                                                                  detected and marked.















        producing apparatus. Essentially, the   highly directed sounds that birds have a   even more efficient  methods of keeping
        radar systems (a combination of S band   low tolerance for”.            them away from danger or flight-path
        radars and radar signal processing     When NEC launched the system last   areas. Furthermore, NEC says that the
        devices) determine the position and   year, Masahiro Takahashi, GM of the   system could potentially contribute to
        distance of birds in and around the   Air Transportation Solutions Division,   long-term airport safety management
        airport grounds. This endeavour is aided   NEC noted, “This solution is particularly   through information sharing with other
        during the daylight hours by surveillance   valuable for reducing the occurrence   departments involved in airport security
        cameras, which use image processing to   of  bird  strikes  at  airports  that  operate   and operations.
        detect the location of birds in areas that   24 hours a day and are faced with the   While  it  is  early  yet  to  judge  the
        cannot be detected by radar.        difficulty  of  visually  confirming  bird   system’s effectiveness, should it prove to
           The data collected by the radars and   sightings during long night-time hours.”  be helpful in keeping airport operations
        cameras is then collated and displayed   In addition, it is hoped that the   less at risk of avian collisions, it is safe
        on terminals that can track birds in real   system  will  allow  year-round  collection   to say that we will soon see much more
        time. Once they are pinpointed, the birds   and analysis of data, so as to facilitate   of this kind of automated system –  and
        are warned and scared off to safer areas,   understanding of birds’ behavioural   other similar technologies – deployed at
        using, as NEC puts it, “devices emitting   patterns. This will hopefully lead to   airports worldwide.
                    WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM                                 MARCH / APRIL 2013  ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS  31
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