Guyana adopts new surveillance technology for aircraft tracking

Jul 22, 2014 News

By Zena Henry
Local aviation is expected to be significantly improved as the sector’s operators have commenced the implementation of new aircraft surveillance/tracking system. By next year, the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is expected to be fully incorporated within the local air traffic control system, but the system’s potential will be established over time.

An simple illustration of how ADS-B works

Kaieteur News understands that testing of the US$500,000 surveillance system commenced last Friday in the country’s upper airspace. This involves the tracking of aircraft flying above 24,000 feet.
ADS-B is a cooperative surveillance technology for tracking aircraft. The system allows the aircraft to determine its own position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcast it. The information from the aircraft can be received by air traffic control ground stations as a replacement for secondary radar. It can also be received by other aircraft to provide situational awareness and allow self separation.
Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) is a radar system used in Air Traffic Control (ATC) that not only detects and measures the position of aircraft; range and bearing, but also requests additional information from the aircraft itself such as its identity and altitude.
Initially, Guyana had none of the monitoring systems in place since -like other developing aviation sectors in the region- it was believed that the volume of air traffic was not available. The control of air traffic (aircraft) was previously done by a timing system and radio contact among other measures. This means that aircraft would travel the airspace at particular time separations.
The new system will however, accommodate several aircraft in the sky at a time since all relevant parties; ATCOs and pilots would know the exact position of every craft. The tracking system is said to be an integrated one that also accommodates controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC).
Head of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Zulphicar Mohamed told Kaieteur News yesterday that the new system will be implemented although at this stage the necessary testing is being done.
He said that additional equipment is expected to be in the country soon to completely set up the apparatus. Subsequent to that, the necessary training of ATCOs will also commence.
Mohamed said that apart from increased air traffic, the system will reduce separation and it is also cheaper than the widely used radar system. The tracking system is approved and recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
While the system is being used and is mandatory in several developed countries the ADS-B system is fairly new. According to research information, ADS-B, which consists of two different services, “ADS-B Out” and “ADS-B In” could be replacing radar as the primary surveillance method for controlling aircraft worldwide.
The In system allows a pilot to view traffic information about surrounding aircraft; altitude, heading, speed and distance. It makes flying significantly safer for the aviation community by providing pilots with improved situational awareness.
Pilots in an ADS-B equipped cockpit will have the ability to see, on their in-cockpit flight display, other traffic operating in the airspace as well as be able to access clear and detailed weather information.

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