DEWITT, N.Y., 17 January 2005. Sensis Corp. today announced that Zurich and Geneva International Airports, both in Switzerland, have begun live operational use of Sensis' Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS) system for surface surveillance on the runways, taxiways and gate areas.
Sensis partnered with Park Air Systems, provider of the display systems including data fusion between the MDS and surface movement radars. The system gives air traffic controllers a surveillance picture with an accuracy of 10 meters, helping the airports improve safety, efficiency and capacity.
Skyguide, Switzerland's Air Navigation Service Provider, procured the MDS system for both Zurich and Geneva airports after a successful evaluation of the system at Zurich Airport.
"Zurich recently added a midfield terminal that created the need for improved surface surveillance and we anticipate that annual traffic at Geneva will increase significantly over the next several years," said Heinz Schmid, program manager, Skyguide. "Sensis' MDS system offers the flexibility and adaptability necessary to accommodate infrastructure and passenger growth."
Prior to MDS, Zurich and Geneva operated under the "see and be seen" principle to maintain separation between aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface. During low visibility operations, special operational procedures were followed during surface movements to ensure proper separation, including limiting the landing aircraft exiting the runway to certain taxiways and to designated routes to the apron. Also, ground vehicle use was strictly controlled during low visibility procedures, and only essential vehicles were permitted on the airport surface.
"With its one second update rate, excellent accuracy and all-weather performance, MDS provides airports with the surveillance necessary to ensure safe, efficient movements," said Marc Viggiano, president of Sensis' Air Traffic Systems Division. "This system will help support the anticipated capacity increases at Zurich and Geneva International Airports."
Sensis' MDS, a transponder multilateration system, uses low-cost, non-rotating sensors to detect and track the movement of aircraft or vehicles based on their transponder signals. With precision comparable to global positioning systems, a higher update rate than traditional airport surveillance radar, and consistent surveillance performance regardless of weather conditions, the MDS system provides significant benefits.
In addition to being operational at Zurich and Geneva International Airports, Sensis' multilateration technology is in operational use at London Heathrow Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport and Vienna Airport. MDS is being installed at three additional European airports -- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Brussels Airport, and Frankfurt Airport. For enhanced terminal surveillance, Sensis' multilateration technology is being installed at Innsbruck and Frankfurt Airports.
Further, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is deploying Sensis' multilateration system to 34 airports as part of the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X program (ASDE-X).
Sensis Corp. provides sensors and information technology to the world's militaries, civil aviation authorities, airports and airlines. The company designs, manufactures and installs multilateration/ADS-B ground stations for air and surface surveillance, and sensor data interface equipment for integrating new and legacy surveillance and automation systems. Sensis Corp.'s equipment is deployed around the world, including more than 200 multilateration/ADS-B sensors and more than 1,100 sensor data interface devices in 25 countries on five continents. For more information see www.sensis.com.
Skyguide is responsible for the provision of air navigation services within Swiss airspace and in the airspace of certain adjoining regions in neighboring countries. Skyguide is a non-profit, limited company under private law. The majority of its shares are held by the Swiss Confederation. The annual turnover of the company exceeds 340 million Swiss francs. Skyguide employs some 1,400 people at 11 locations in Switzerland.
Park Air Systems provides Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) solutions for the world's airspace. It currently has an installed base encompassing 167 countries. A multi-national operation with facilities in Europe, USA and Asia, the company is dedicated to implementing advanced air traffic control systems. Throughout Park Air Systems' history the organization has specialized in providing leading-edge systems to both aviation and other transport applications. Today Park Air Systems dedicates itself completely to designing, manufacturing and installing ground-based systems for use in air traffic control and air defense applications.
