EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is now operating with Sensis Corporation's Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X), a runway incursion detection and alerting system. PHL is the 22nd airport to receive the technology under the FAA's ASDE-X program that will reach 35 airports by 2011.
"At the recent International Runway Safety Summit, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt credited technology such as ASDE-X with improving runway safety, as demonstrated by a 50 percent reduction in serious runway incursions in the FAA's last fiscal year," said John Jarrell, vice president and general manager of Sensis Air Traffic Systems. "ASDE-X is also serving as the surveillance source for the FAA's Runway Status Lights program that will address the NTSB's recommendation for potential incursion warnings to be delivered directly to the cockpit."
ASDE-X combines surface movement radar, multilateration and Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) to provide air traffic controllers with highly accurate, real-time position and identification information of all aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface. By integrating multiple surveillance technologies, the system delivers a comprehensive picture of ground operations, increasing controller situational awareness and improving airport safety in all weather conditions. The system also features advanced runway conflict detection and alerting technology, Safety Logic, which uses complex algorithms to alert controllers of potential aircraft and/or vehicle incursions.
In 2009, the ASDE-X program achieved several critical milestones:
-- FAA commissioned six ASDE-X systems. -- In June, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified that the ASDE-X system at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport alerted controllers of a runway incursion between two aircraft both cleared to take off from the same runway. The controller cancelled the take off clearance for one of the aircraft after receiving the alert, averting the potential collision. -- In August, the ASDE-X system at Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport was augmented with wide area multilateration surveillance to provide Precision Runway Monitoring - Alternative (PRM-A). PRM-A enables controllers to simultaneously separate aircraft on approaches to Detroit's closely-spaced parallel runways, enabling more flights to land per hour for increased throughput at the airport.ABOUT SENSIS CORPORATION
Sensis Corporation provides sensors, information technology, and simulation and modeling to the world's air navigation service providers, civil aviation authorities, airports, airlines and militaries. Sensis Corporation solutions are deployed around the world. For more information regarding Sensis Corporation, visit www.sensis.com.
SOURCE Sensis Corporation
