A NASA project has completed a key step in developing a new technology designed to improve aviation safety by predicting and detecting hazards long before they emerge.
The team working on NASA’s System-Wide Safety project concluded Technical Challenge 1, Terminal Area Risk Management, which could help inform the development of an In-Time Aviation Safety Management System, the space agency said Thursday.
The system is designed to prevent aviation-related accidents by quickly identifying risks and delivering actionable safety procedures to address such hazards.
Work on the technology comes as the National Airspace System prepares to see an influx of drones, air taxis and other new types of aircraft in the future.
Through TC-1, researchers were able to use machine learning algorithms to analyze data from airlines, study human performance and fatigue and gather data on how pilots, air traffic managers and other stakeholders interact with safety procedures, among others.
“What we’ve accomplished with TC-1 is really just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible,” said Kyle Ellis, System-Wide Safety project manager at NASA. “Developing these systems enables a new economy for aviation uses that will benefit us all in the future.”
