Page 26 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2019 Online Magazine

[ AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ]

Weathering

Heights

EXPERTS ARE ANALYZING NEW
TOOLS THAT ENABLE PILOTS AND
CONTROLLERS TO SEAMLESSLY
OPERATE UNDER DIFFICULT
METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Jay Menon

Soon it will be easier to visualise airport traffic from the control runway status, even during low-visibility pro-
tower even in adverse weather conditions. Using augmented reality cedures. The validation campaign foreseen for
tools, RETINA will modernise Europe’s air traffic management for the project was completed in the Virtual Reality
safer, smarter and smoother air travel. The increasing interest in and Simulation Laboratory at the University of
synthetic vision and augmented reality technologies has led various Bologna, Italy.
analysts to positively esteem the adoption of new tools enabling
pilots and controllers to seamlessly operate under difficult mete- The test space mimicked the environment at
orological conditions. Bologna airport, a typical regional airport where
low-visibility conditions – typically fog – are reg-
Funded by the European Union the RETINA project investigated ular. RETINA partners tested a set of goggles
the potential and applicability of synthetic vision tools and virtual/ – in particular, the Microsoft HoloLens head-
augmented reality display techniques for air traffic control service mounted display. Air traffic controllers could
provision. “Built upon technology developed by the SESAR project see augmented reality 3D symbols overlaid
RETINA aimed to enhance sight capabilities and situational aware- over the out-of-window view.
ness of air traffic controllers in control towers allowing them to
better manage traffic especially when bad weather sets in,” notes The project validated the concept through
Prof. Sara Bagassi, Assistant Professor at the University of Bologna human-in-the-loop, real-time simulations. The
in the field of Aeronautical Structures and Design. view was provided in a reconfigurable virtual
environment, capable of simulating any type
The solutions proposed by RETINA offer air traffic controllers the of weather and visibility conditions in any air-
possibility to have a head-up view of the airport traffic, including port. “The validation outcomes confirm that
information such as wind velocity and direction, airport layout and the RETINA concept as well as the technology

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