Technology Transfer Program Updates:
Dr. Todd Truitt Introduces Electronic Flight Data Concept at World’s Best Technologies Showcase
By Deborah Germak
Dr. Todd Truitt gave an inventive presentation on electronic flight data concepts at the dazzling World’s Best Technologies Showcase, last spring, in Arlington, Texas.
Truitt, an engineering research psychologist at the Technical Center, and member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, South Jersey Chapter, presented his “Concept Development and Design Description of Electronic Flight Data Interfaces for Airport Traffic Control Towers” to a sophisticated, hi-tech international audience, from May 15-16, 2007, at the Arlington Convention Center.
Dramatic, projected increases in air traffic and focused modernization efforts have led the FAA to consider replacing paper flight progress strips with an electronic alternative. Electronic flight data (EFD) interfaces can potentially increase a controller’s ability to acquire, track and record information, as well as communicate and coordinate that information with others. More importantly, EFD can improve controller efficiency by providing new methods of flight data management that integrate information into a single source, enhancing safety.
The first prototype interface, the Integrated EFDI, combines textual EFD with an airport surface situation display provided by Airport Surface Detection Equipment - Model X (ASDE-X) radar. The second prototype interface, the Perceptual-Spatial (P-S) EFDI, combines textual EFD with an airport surface map, without using ASDE-X radar. This interface also functions as a backup flight data management system to the Integrated EFDI, if ASDE-X capabilities were to fail.
World’s Best Technologies is the premier event showcasing the largest collection of undiscovered technologies developed at top universities, labs and research institutions from across the country and around the globe. Participating technologies are selected by and presented to seasoned venture investors and Fortune 500 licensing scouts representing many varied industries. This highly visible forum serves as a catalyst between university and lab-based technologies, the investment community and ultimately, the marketplace.
“We were excited to demonstrate the effectiveness of electronic flight data interfaces to such an influential target audience, ” said Deborah Germak, the FAA’s Technology Transfer Program Manager. “This new design and technology has the potential to enhance the performance of air traffic controllers and the National Airspace System, overall.” |
