Page 19 - ATC Special Bulletin Series - Remote and Digital Towers 2023-01

| REMOTE & DIGITAL TOWERS | ADVERTORIAL | In the unlikely event of one of the control centers not being available (e.g. due to fire, power outage, natural disaster), operations can continue without interruption thanks to the geographical separation. In such a scenario, resources are redistributed dynamically: unaffected control centers quickly and transparently take over the tasks of the failed control center, providing disaster recovery and operational continuity. USE CASE: ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST DEMANDING OPERATIONAL ATC SCENARIOS OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC In terms of safety and efficiency, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and ISAVIA of Iceland operate one of the world’s most demanding operational ATC scenarios over the North Atlantic. Shanwick OCA handles in excess of 400,000 aircraft movements annually and Reykjavik OCA handles some 100,000 aircraft per year. CERTIUM® VCS are set up as two independent systems. One is located in ISAVIA’s communications center in Gufunes, Iceland, and the other in IAA’s communications center in Ballygirreen, Ireland. The direct IP link between the two voice communications systems allows advanced scenarios such as sharing of air-ground and ground-ground resources, as well as virtual center operation. In a world-first deployment, the solution enables virtual ATC center operation. ISAVIA and IAA can operate their individual control centers in Gufunes and Ballygirreen on demand in joint operation mode, sharing radio and telephony communications resources as if they were in a single ATC center. The systems have now been in operation for a few years, and the two ANSPs have reported a significant improvement in staff satisfaction as well as resource utilization since they can now react flexibly to volatility in traffic volumes. Over the North Atlantic, flight routes regularly change between more northern and more southern routes in order to avoid the seasonal changes of the jet stream. Now the two ANSPs operate as one network and handle traffic volumes jointly in their two flight information regions (FIR). RELIABLE SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIOS FOR REMOTE AND DIGITAL TOWERS The communication between pilots and controllers requires reliable and secure radios, even in remote and digital towers. CERTIUM® RADIOS cover the entire range used in ATC from HF to VHF and UHF with outstanding RF performances. These 19 |