Remote Tower Prototype System and Automation Perspectives

In this chapter we describe the development of the videopanorama based Re-mote Tower prototype system as the main goal of the second DLR-RTO project (RAiCe, Remote Airport traffic Control Center). One focus was on the implemen-tation of an advanced RTO-environment at a second airport (besides a comparable system at the Research airport Braunschweig). It was used for the worldwide first RTO-validation experiments with controlled flight scenarios for directly comparing RTO vs. tower conditions using a DLR test aircraft (see separate chapters 10, 11). The advanced RTO system served for analysing the performance of the near-prototype level of hard and software solutions and for preparing and executing passive shadow mode field test with participation of domain experts for providing more realistic operational conditions. We will describe the design and setup of this RTO-system which was realized in cooperation with the German air-navigation service provider DFS. A detailed work analysis with DFS domain experts during workshops and RTO simulations provided a breakdown of the specific requirement specifications. The analysis showed that it would be impossible to consider all of these requirements in an RTO design within a reasonable cost frame. This concerned the selection of type, numbers and focal width of cameras, their visual resolution, contrast, dynamic range and field of view and the corresponding number and type of displays or projection systems for the reconstructed panoramic view. E.g., the vertical FOV turned out as a crucial factor, the visual surveillance up to an altitude of 1000 ft. above the runway in the panoramic view as one of the basic design condition. In the present chapter we will describe hard- and software aspects of the system design, its setup, initial tests and verification, as precondition for the RTO-validation experiments. Furthermore we include an outlook on the automation potential using image processing