Homeland Protection and Air Traffic Control

Since 1971, Homeland Protection and Air Traffic Control has been supporting the Federal Aviation Administration in the development of new technology for air traffic control. We develop systems for aircraft surveillance, weather sensing, collision avoidance, decision support, and air traffic management automation.

The safe and efficient flow of aircraft in today's skies depends on a suite of weather sensing and traffic management technologies. The 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.