subject: Should We Program the Air Traffic Control Networks to Run With Holographic Displays? [print this page] Should We Program the Air Traffic Control Networks to Run With Holographic Displays?
One of the big debates is cutting the budget of the Federal Aviation Administration. But what about air travel safety, terrorism, and on-time flights you ask?
All good questions and perhaps this is why Troy Laclaire and I opened a dialogue on this topic. First, which technologies should go into the new NEXTGEN ATC (Next Generation Air Traffic Control) system, and how much would that cost, and can we truly have a twenty-first century aviation ATC system right now? If so what would that look like? Personally, I'd like to see a system which was cyber war safe, 100% uptime, and with the latest spectral imaging or Holographic displays.
Troy is concerned with the added complexity and the space requirement of a holographic NextGen system. I understand his concerns, and he asks; "but, as you got more people needing to follow different areas or areas with air traffic, would this not add complexity and issues in multiple people trying to view different things at different levels?"
He is referring to the air-space which would be holographically rendered for the air traffic controller, and yes, be makes a good point. True I said, but maybe not that much complexity, soon iPhones will have holographic video conferencing, so if you can put it into a little iPhone I guess the complexity issue is debatable?
Still, unconvinced Troy said; "However, for iPhone conferencing, you would be dealing with limited elements, most of which would not be moving, except for the people, and this would probably have a limit on the number of people that could connect. The question here, would be would the technology be scalable?" Okay so, this is also a good point.
And yet, there is a YouTube video floating around where DARPA is using a 3D system, holographic (spectral imaging) to bring real-time situational awareness to the battlespace and from that video, well, it sure looks more than scalable to me. Troy retorts; "Once again however we come to the problem of you need to have a large display, else you end up with things so small you cannot see anything."
Again, the world's best debating partner shows his versatility and to this I'd add; well, if you are controlling all the world's satellites from a desk top, surely. Or if it is an airport you have "ground control" - airport local traffic, and TRACON. There is plenty of redundancy if all are wired together on separate systems. You could have 3D in the aircraft too while on the ground. Or in those airliners with a second officer could have the 3D hologram in the plane too. Use their iPhone, while on the ground?
So, as the debate in congress rages on over how to pay for all this, so too does the debate at our Think Tank as to how to set it all up and program the beast - so, I ask you to think on it; Should We Program the Air Traffic Control Networks to Run With Holographic Displays?
Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.
