Brazil implements South America’s first remote air traffic control tower with FREQUENTIS

On October 18^th Brazil successfully installed the Frequentis smartVISION solution at Santa Cruz airbase in order to enhance the way air traffic is monitored and managed. The project carried out by Brazilian Airspace Control Department – DECEA, via the Commission for Implementation of the Brazilian Air Space Control System – CISCEA, was completed in 6 months and is the first of its kind in South America to provide actual remote air traffic control services using digital tower technology.

“With the Frequentis smartVISION solution we have provided controllers with a real-time visualisation of the airport and its surroundings in a remote operating environment. Digital support tools like automatic object detection, surveillance labeling, image recognition and tracking are some of the major benefits of this solution that will support the safety-critical and high-pressured work of controllers.”, said Major-Brigadeiro Fernando Cesar Pereira Santos, president of CISCEA.

The smartVISION system for Santa Cruz airfield allows controllers to benefit from an enhanced view of the airfield, compared to the one from a conventional tower. The solution is made up of 16 high resolution and high-performance Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras and an integrated light gun, located around the airbase, providing a 360° panorama view. Data from the cameras are fed back to a video wall of 14 monitors in the remote tower centre facility, built especially to house the smartVISION system, and is equipped with two integrated controller working positions.

The solution will allow static and dynamic view augmentation (including surveillance labels), automated object detection and camera tracking based on image recognition as well as legal recording and replay synchronisation.

“The implementation of this solution in Brazil marks a huge accomplishment for the region and puts an emphasis on what advancements in technology can do to support aviation growth and safety. At a time when airspace capacity is reaching its limit and the work of controllers is becoming ever more pressured, technology which supports controller workload and enhances safety is a big advantage.”, says Hannu Juurakko, Chairman of the ATM Executive team at Frequentis.

Frequentis remote and digital tower solutions have already been tested and put into operation at airports around the world, safely managing instrument flight rules (IFR) and visual flight rules (VFR) operations from remote locations.