The Development of an Airport Obstruction Identification System
The State of New Jersey is extremely populated and rather small geographically. In order to ensure safety at all of the airports in New Jersey, an airport obstruction identification system must be developed. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Division of Aeronautics is statutorily obligated to identify all obstructions to the approaches at the State’s public use airports and heliports; and to have these obstructions removed. The objective of this research is the development of a prototype system to easily acquire data either at fixed intervals or over time and generate a tree removal or trimming plan for discretized trees or tree areas. There are many different technologies that could be used for raw data collection at the airfields. It was subsequently determined that a radio-controlled helicopter rather than a blimp, balloon, or airplane would be better suited for the needs of this project. From a proof of concept perspective, the project was a success. Even though certain technical obstacles such as vibration were not overcome in the full-scale implementation, the development of an airport obstruction identification system utilizing low altitude mapping technologies is an extremely promising technology. Once fully developed, it can enable NJDOT to accurately identify, map, and remove trees that are currently posing a danger to arriving and departing aircraft at various airports within New Jersey. It will also enable the NJDOT to remove the suspect vegetation from property the first time, without missing any obstructions. The technology used within this project has the potential for use in many different future applications. Other uses for this technology include the possibility of use with NJDOT’s search and rescue operations and accident investigations.
- Record URL:
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- Summary URL:
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Corporate Authors:
Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
Rutgers University
100 Brett Road
Piscataway, NJ United States 08854-8058New Jersey Department of Transportation
Bureau of Research, 1035 Parkway Avenue, P.O. Box 600
Trenton, NJ United States 08625-0600Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Authors:
- Szary, Patrick J
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0000-0003-3566-8855
- Maher, Ali
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0000-0001-9083-9317
- Zeller, Mathew
- Publication Date: 2007-6
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Web
- Edition: Final Report
- Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 71p
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Airports; Approach; Aviation safety; Flight paths; Helicopters; Obstructions (Navigation); Safety; Trees
- Uncontrolled Terms: Aerial imagery; Low altitude mapping; Obstruction identification systems
- Geographic Terms: New Jersey
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01106150
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-NJ-2007-017
- Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Aug 6 2008 11:53AM