Mapping Obstacles around an Airport for safe Flight Operations

1. BACKGROUND

My college was situated in a western suburb of Mumbai called Vile Parle, which incidentally lies within an Airport Funnel Zone. While I didn't know this term back then, I was privy to rumours that my University Board had allegedly influenced the authorities to obtain permission for extra Floor Space Index (FSI) for their upcoming flagship campus building. That the other campus buildings on the street, operated by the same Board, towered above the residential buildings in the vicinity could hardly escape anyone's attention.

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2. AVIATION SAFETY

Regulated by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Airport Funnel Zone helps ensure that the flights departing from and landing at the airport are not obstructed by tall infrastructure in the vicinity. As the name suggests, this zone is a strategic hypothetical cone extending outwards and upwards from the two shorter ends of the rectangular runway - all the buildings within this zone have to comply with height regulations (FSI capping) imposed by the local municipal corporation.

Safety protocols are stringent in the aviation sector - from the security checks at the airport, to safety instructions from the cabin crew throughout the journey, and even the black box investigations in the aftermath of an unfortunate disaster. Such is the nature of the industry - flying machines travelling at high speeds can pose a significant risk to the passengers within as well as to the public and infrastructure on the ground in the event of a technical malfunction, internal security breach or adverse external factors. Because flight operations are closely-monitored, the safety records are captured in detail and updated in real time-

Figure 1: Safety in Aviation over the recent years - a positive trajectory. Source: ICAO Safety Report 2021 Edition

Figure 2: Total Accidents in scheduled commercial operations in 2020; Source: ICAO Safety Report 2021 Edition. Turbulence (external) is the leading cause of accidents followed by Abnormal Runway Contact and Runway Excursion (technical)

Limited accidents in a particular category does not, in any way, indicate that it is less susceptible to safety incidents. On the contrary, the positive performance can be attributed to excellent controls in place for a high-risk category - the perfect example being Security-related (SEC) accidents.

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AVIATION GIS

Geographic Information System (GIS) is an advanced mapping platform which can be deployed to perform numerous workflows ranging from geospatial data management and location analytics to geospatial data visualization and imagery processing.

While the utility of GIS is enormous and has been recognized since decades, the developers routinely enhance the software suite with sector-specific extensions that aid in workflows involving Military Operations Planning, Solar Siting and Drone Mapping.

In this post, I am going to demonstrate such an extension developed for the Aviation sector - ArcGIS Aviation Airports - which facilitates safe airfield operations.

Figure 3: ArcGIS Aviation Airports - a sector-specific extension in the ArcGIS Pro geospatial platform; Source: Esri.com

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MAPPING OBSTACLES AROUND AN AIRPORT USING AVIATION GIS

The video demonstration in this section depicts the creation of an Obstruction Identification Surface (OIS) layer i.e. the Airport Funnel Zone, which will be used to ascertain whether existing or upcoming infrastructure within and around the airport such as buildings, poles, construction cranes pose a threat to safe flight navigation. These aspects are covered-

1. Loading a data package on GIS

2. Understanding the data layers within

3. Loading features - existing infra objects and proposed infra objects - onto the project

4. Generating an Obstruction Identification Surface layer

5. Obstacle Analysis using the OIS layer

6. 3D Conversion and interpreting the output

Credits: Esri LearnArcGIS tutorial

Video 1: Obstacle Analysis using GIS for Safe Flight Operations

Interesting isn't it?

Figure 4: Safety Incident at Delhi Airport involving SpiceJet; Source: NDTV

Incidents like this (Figure 4), which occurred just a couple of days ago (28th March 2022), highlight the importance of utilizing Location Intelligence to monitor and enhance Aviation Safety.

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ABOUT US

Intelloc Mapping Services, Kolkata | Mapmyops.com offers Mapping services that can be integrated with Operations Planning, Design and Audit workflows. These include but are not limited to Drone Services, Subsurface Mapping Services, Location Analytics & App Development, Supply Chain Services, Remote Sensing Services and Wastewater Treatment. The services can be rendered pan-India and will aid your organization to meet its stated objectives pertaining to Operational Excellence, Sustainability and Growth.

Broadly, the firm's area of expertise can be split into two categories - Geographic Mapping and Operations Mapping. The Infographic below highlights our capabilities-

Mapmyops (Intelloc Mapping Services) - Range of Capabilities and Problem Statements that we can help address

Our Mapping for Operations-themed workflow demonstrations can be accessed from the firm's Website / YouTube Channel and an overview can be obtained from this brochure. Happy to address queries and respond to documented requirements. Custom Demonstration, Training & Trials are facilitated only on a paid-basis. Looking forward to being of service.

Regards,

Arpit Shah