Air Traffic Control Systems
The safe and efficient flow of aircraft in today's skies depends on a suite of weather sensing and traffic management technologies. Our group aims to improve air transportation by developing sensors, weather tracking and forecasting systems, and decision support automation that assists pilots and air traffic controllers in routing aircraft out of harm's way and maintaining smooth traffic patterns. To ensure user acceptance and the effectiveness of our technologies, we rely on extensive analysis and field evaluations and draw upon diverse areas of expertise, including signal processing, meteorology, software engineering, machine learning, human factors, and more. The systems our researchers have developed currently operate nationwide to minimize weather-related delays and protect aircraft against accidents. In addition to air traffic management, we are conducting initiatives in transportation logistics, the reduction of aircraft noise and environmental impacts, and cyber-secure information systems.
Featured Projects
aviation weather
Global Synthetic Weather Radar
By compiling lightning data, satellite imagery, and numerical weather models, the GSWR provides radar-like analyses and forecasts over regions not observed by actual weather radars.
Adaptation
Intelligent Tornado Prediction Engine
We are developing deep learning models to analyze tornadic precursors in order to enhance real-time tornado prediction.
artificial intelligence
Aerial Refueling Optimization Engine
Our model optimizes the scheduling of aerial refueling missions, saving fuel and costs for the Department of Defense.
optical systems
Laser Aircraft Strike Suppression Optical System
A system that detects laser beams being shone into the sky and alerts police of their source can help protect pilots and aircraft.
collision avoidance
Airborne Collision Avoidance System X
A next-generation collision avoidance system will help pilots and unmanned aircraft safely navigate the airspace.
Latest News
Laboratory Stories
I'm transitioning research tasks into operational algorithms that help the Federal Aviation Administration improve safety and efficiency.
James Kurdzo
Radar Meteorologist
Air Traffic Control
Air Traffic Control Systems
Advancing Our Research
Events
Featured Publications
Science applications of phased array radars
Oct 1
Bull. Amer. Meteorological Soc. (BAMS), Vol. 103, No. 10, 2022, pp. E2370-E2390.
Multimodal physiological monitoring during virtual reality piloting tasks
Aug 25
Multimodal Physiological Monitoring During Virtual Reality Piloting Tasks (version 1.0.0). PhysioNet. https://doi.org/10.13026/azwa-ge48.
Fun as a strategic advantage: applying lessons in engagement from commercial games to military logistics training
Jul 1
Train., Educ., Learn. Sci., Vol. 59, 2022, p. 180-7.
Foundational AI Concepts
Our group applies artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques to improve air traffic safety and collision avoidance systems. The video linked below provides an overview of how AI/ML capabilities are incorporated into operational workflows and describes several applications of this technology.
Transforming Cameras into Weather Sensors
The Visibility Estimation through Image Analytics (VEIA) technology provides an inexpensive and robust way to extract meteorological visibility from cameras – thus transforming cameras into weather sensors. The VEIA algorithm uses the presence and strength of edges in an image to provide an estimation of the meteorological visibility within the scene. The algorithm compares the overall edge strength of the current image to those from a clear day representation generated by creating a composite image from several days of imagery.