After revolutionizing domains like industrial design and engineering simulation, cloud computing is now set to drastically modify air traffic management technology.
In a recent proceeding, General Electric Company and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (that’s NASA) have teamed up to undertake a project aimed at incorporating cloud computing into conventional air traffic management solutions. The multi-million dollar arrangement will permit airline personnel and air traffic experts to carry out their usual (and utterly critical) business in an efficient manner.
As an outcome of the project, flight critical real-time information will no longer be the only valuable data presented to air traffic controllers and airline staff. Novel data analytics framework and assessment support tools would also be made readily available, streamlining airport operations, and enhancing overall aircraft safety. According to Liling Ren, project leader at the GE Global Research Division,
“Cloud computing has the potential to fundamentally change how air traffic management operates today. With the transition to it, airlines, pilots and air traffic controllers will be able to achieve increased information exchange, sharing of decision support automation capabilities that tell them more accurately and reliably about a plane’s current position and future flight path.
GE is confident that the project will lead to improved traffic flow and streamlined route configuration contributing significantly towards seamless, resourceful, and on-time travel for air commuters.
Understanding how air traffic control personnel, airline staff, and cockpit team can coordinate more efficiently within the context of a cloud-powered setup remains the main research question of this project. The traditional air traffic management architecture relies heavily upon systems managed and hosted independently by each of the three sections. However, a cloud-fueled setup would permit the parties to access practically inexhaustible computational resources and storage space. It is speculated that the project would hasten the evolution of air traffic management technology, elevating it to a level that would have taken years without the mighty cloud push.
Cloud endorsement has already directed commercial airlines towards billions of dollars in the form of returns, savings, reduced maintenance expenses, and condensed operational costs. The concept of fusing cloud computing into air traffic management will continue to bring fiscal gains for the companies. For the passengers, it would mean a superior degree of predictable air travel, both in terms of timeliness and comfort.
In addition, the project would bring GE a step closer to the real-world realization of its ground-breaking initiative—the Industrial Internet. The initiative signifies a disruptive progression in product design and development, a sophisticated network of smart machines that redefine efficacy and operational resourcefulness.
By Humayun Shahid
