Since 2014 the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance coordinates the EUROCAE standardization working group ‘Remote and Virtual Tower’ (WG-100) to develop minimum industry standards for remote tower systems. In September 2016 the standard ‘Minimum Aviation System Performance Specification [MASPS] for Remote Tower Optical Systems’ (ED-240) was published. It pertains to remote tower systems, which in their basic implementation level focus on optical sensors. The standard describes the end performance of the optical sensor presentation that displays video images from cameras to the operator. That includes sensors for the visible as well as for the infrared spectrum. This standard will help vendors and customers to quantify an optimal operational system performance and to verify it in a standardised way.
The working group was launched in July 2014 under the chair of the German Aerospace Center – DLR, Institute of Flight Guidance, and EUROCONTROL in the secretary role. These group heads were desired by the industry to have market neutral experts in this distinctive leading position. Right in the beginning the group split in two sub-groups, one for operational aspects and one to focus on technology, in order to more efficiently analyse existing operational requirements and assess the current technology state of the art to agree on the scope of ED-240.
Within the next 18 months the EUROCAE working group will extend the MASPS to include remote tower optical target tracking technologies. It will consider existing surveillance standards as for instance MASPS already produced for A-SMGCS (ED-87C) by WG-41.
Contact
