Tarsier uses advanced radar technology on airport runways to provide a revolutionary solution to the age-old issue of Foreign Object Debris (FOD) detection, location and verification. Tarsier constantly monitors runway areas 24 hours a day and gives automatic alerts providing accurate co-ordinates to pinpoint objects that should not be on the runway surface.
ACI forecasts indicate an annual growth in passenger numbers of over 4% annually through to 2020, with freight increasing by over 5% annually throughout the same period.
Airports will therefore need to maintain full use of existing capacity, increasing where possible to meet future traffic demands.
Airports have a duty of care to airline customers and their passengers. An accident at an airport can have a negative short term financial impact due to runway closures and loss of capacity. It can also have negative longer term impact through damage to reputation and adverse publicity.
The challenge is meeting the safety needs of all stakeholders, including regulatory bodies and insurance providers.
Optimising limited resource, especially in airside operations, is also key. It is accepted that even with operators best current efforts, foreign objects and debris will at times be deposited on the runway and that whilst there, it constitutes a risk principally of engine or airframe damage, but also a potential risk to aircraft safety.
The associated costs of FOD soon add up:
delays through lost slots due to runway closures
lost business due to damaged reputation through catastrophic incidents
engine and airframe damage
extra fuel used by planes in holding stacks due to delays
compensation for passengers due to delays
Tarsier can help reduce these costs 
The only proven automatic FOD detection system in the world.
Through the use of networked high frequency, high resolution radars, integrated digital signal processing, and a central user display, Tarsier gives airport operators the ability to continuously inspect runway surfaces in the heaviest ground traffic, day or night with no disruption to aircraft movements.
The benefits are clear:
Increased capacity: with optimum runway usage you can secure more revenue whilst minimising loss of capacity through on-runway inspections and closures due to FOD related incidents.
Increased safety: continuous automated runway inspection compared to current visual inspections at intervals throughout the day.
Reduced financial impact of FOD: runways can be inspected remotely without interrupting aircraft movement, airport resources can be used more effeciently, delays and lost slots can be reduced and engine / airframe damage can be minimised.
The user display is the main interface for the user. It is very simple to use and highly intuitive. No knowledge of radars is needed, and the system is Windows based.
The interface allows you to:
Select dection zone configurations for flexibility of use
Acknowledge Foreign Object Debris alarms
Add comments to Foreign Object Debris
Save and print reports
On detection of runway debris, both visual and audible alarms notify the user that an object has been detected. This process is fully automated and provides 24 hour continuous coverage.
The user can then ensure the FOD is removed quickly and efficiently.
Each FOD alarm is tagged with a unique identification number, the date & time and GPS longditude and lattitude coordinates, to an accuracy of 3 metres.
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