Tech Bytes

Jan. 4, 2010

Aircraft research

• Market Intelligence. Aircraft research and information provider JETNET has announced a series of enhancements to its flagship software interface, Evolution. The biggest change is a set of “Views,” or summary pages, that gather data points from throughout the Evolution program and compile these into single screens of well-organized lists, graphs, and tables for easy assessment of marketplace status and trends, says the company. Subscribers to JETNET’s service can choose from a variety of Views, depending on their industry profession and particular needs; www.jetnet.com

Flight Tracking

• Traffic Management. Era Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of SRA International, Inc., announces that its fully hosted Itinerant Aircraft Billing (IAB) system built for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has been successfully installed and is now in full operational use. The solution, which utilizes Era’s multilateration surveillance system and built on the same technology as AirScene.com RevenueVue, has been deployed at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The system was specifically designed to look beyond the charges typically captured by a standard landing fee system to address itinerant operations, parking, as well as terminal use fees, according to the company; www.sra.com

Mobile technology

• Geolocation. SITA has announced the launch of a comprehensive menu of mobile phone functionality for Malaysia Airlines. The system allows the airline’s 14 million passengers to book, pay, and check in, and board their flight using their mobile phone. It also harnesses the capabilities of smart phones to offer passengers context-aware services using geolocation. Flymas.mobi is the first mobile airline application which connects bookings to Facebook, TripIt, and Dopplr, enabling friends and colleagues to be informed about each other’s travel plans. In addition, it allows passengers to check the status of a delayed bag using flymas.mobi because the application can link to SITA’s WorldTracer, the industry-standard, fully-automated system for tracing lost and mishandled passenger baggage; www.sita.aero

Security

• Video Surveillance. Bosch Security Systems, Inc. has released the ZX55 Infrared Imager, a long-range camera that provides a powerful night imaging solution for outdoor surveillance applications. Available in IP and analog, the camera captures detailed scenes up to 1,000 feet in total darkness, making it ideal for perimeter surveillance, critical asset monitoring, or force protection applications, says the company. Advanced optics provide users the ability to monitor long stretches of perimeter with a wide-angle field of view or to narrow the scene to a particular asset or section of perimeter. The camera delivers full detection, classification, recognition and identification (DCRI) capabilities; www.boschsecurity.us

• Explosives Detection. L-3 Security & Detection Systems announces its eXaminer XLB high-performance explosives detection system (EDS) has been certified by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Designed as a high-speed in-line system, the eXaminer XLB is the first certified system to meet the industry’s high-speed EDS classification. The eXaminer XLB features a meter-wide tunnel and generates high-resolution 3-D image data for explosives detection by combining helical CT with dual-energy imaging. Using 3-D Continuous Flow CT technology, the XLB generates high-resolution color images in real time; www.L-3.com

• Optical Reader. Access IS, manufacturer of custom and programmable keyboard and data capture products, announces an optical character reader (OCR) and magnetic stripe reader (MSR) snap-on module that adds new capabilities to the Intermec CN3 and CN4 hand-held computers, which are widely used in airports, according to the company. The Access OCR310-CN3 is available in three models: combined OCR and MSR, MSR only, or OCR only. The OCR310-CN3 is designed to extend applications of the Intermec CN3 into police identification checking, queue busting at airport check in, security checks at boarding gates, and provision of advanced passenger information (APIS) gathering. The Intermec devices provide integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; www.access-is.com

Training

• Disaster Management. Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s Simulation Division, creator of the Advanced Disaster Management Simulator (ADMS), has launched a new ADMS-COMMAND Training Simulator designed for Offices of Emergency Management (OEM) to train Incident Command Teams. With the virtual reality simulator, OEM’s can train anytime, anywhere, at a fraction of the costs of live training, says the company. Additionally, events can be simulated that would not be feasible to train in a live setting due to safety, security and environmental constraints. Training staff is in full control and can provide NIMS-compliant training; the simulator is portable for on-site training; www.etcusa.com

Sacramento Launches Route Mapper

Sacramento International Airport (SMF) has revamped its website to be more consumer-friendly with the launch of OAG’s (www.oagaviation.com) Route Mapper tool on www.sacairports.org. The new application aids travelers who use SMF as their airport of choice, enabling them to easily search online for flight-related information, according to the airport.

The Route Mapper tool allows visitors to SMF’s site to:

  • Search nonstop and connecting flights to and from Sacramento simply by clicking on a visual global map of cities served by the airport.
  • View a timetable of all available flights from a chosen city for all airlines flying the route.
  • View detailed information about each flight.
  • Change preferred travel dates or flight preferences without leaving the page or starting the search over.
  • Link directly to the airline that flies the chosen route to purchase tickets.
  • Read flight schedule information with a user-friendly format.

“The OAG Route Mapper is an easy-to-use tool that provides instant point-to-point travel information,” says Hardy Acree, director of airports for the Sacramento County Airport System. “We enjoyed working with OAG to debut this tool to the travelers that pass through Sacramento International Airport.”

“We’re proud of the functionality offered through the OAG Route Mapper, as it gives our customers the ability to promote their route network online and create better experiences for their travelers,” says Brendan Hickman, CCO of OAG. “Sacramento International Airport is a leader among airports for providing a tool for experienced or occasional fliers that greatly improves flight searches for any destination in the world.”

The Route Mapper application also works seamlessly with screen readers used by the visually impaired to view the SMF timetables and mapping functions.