Improving Visual-Centered Airport Control... Safer with AI and AR

With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) technologies into the airport control system, which was previously operated mainly by visual observation, airports are expected to become safer.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 10th that they will introduce a smart integrated control platform to improve the safety of aircraft at Incheon International Airport and to handle future air traffic demand in a timely manner.

The smart integrated control platform is a future-oriented control system that integrates multiple systems used in the control tower with minimal equipment and applies advanced technologies. It is also operated overseas.

As aircraft operations increase and the ground movement routes of aircraft become more complex, aircraft may move out of the controllers' line of sight, and low-visibility conditions caused by night or fog may occur. This platform enables proactive response to such situations.

The smart integrated control platform construction project will be carried out in two phases.

The first phase involves integrating various data that were previously displayed on multiple screens?such as video information from closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the apron of Terminal 2, weather and ground observation data, radar information, and arrival and departure operation information?into a single screen to enhance controllers' situational awareness. The project period is from May 2022 to September 2024, with a budget of 11.2 billion KRW.

The system visualizes aircraft movement situations in hard-to-detect corners with existing facilities and adds information on the location, distance, and movement between aircraft and ground service vehicles, providing collision and route deviation prediction alerts.

In the second phase (after September 2024), the application scope will be expanded to the apron of Terminal 1. AI-based real-time verification of the accuracy of voice messages exchanged frequently between controllers and pilots will be implemented, and using big data, AI will generate optimal aircraft movement routes within the airport.

With this smart integrated control platform construction project, Incheon Airport is expected to further enhance airport safety levels through the prevention of aircraft ground accidents and improvement of the control environment.

Joo Jong-wan, Director of Airport Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "By securing technologies related to remote and unmanned control, we will accumulate technologies for building future airports and gain a competitive edge in the increasingly fierce airport industry competition."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.