Satellite moving map system

Citation

(2004), "Satellite moving map system", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 76 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2004.12776dad.005

Satellite moving map system

Satellite moving map system

Keywords: Aircraft, Satellites

The German airline Air Berlin will be the launch customer of AirTrack – a new standard for in-flight entertainment moving map systems established by Lufthansa Technik AG and TEAC Aerospace. Following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the first airplane will be equipped shortly with the new system to undergo route proving flights while the complete fleet roll out on all of Air Berlin's Boeing 737 airplanes is planned for autumn.

Since the AirTrack moving map system is based on satellite imagery, recreating the world's surface and presenting it to passengers, it goes beyond the simple maps that follow and trace the flight path. It provides 2D and 3D detailed topographical maps and satellite imagery, as well as new aerial scenes of views from the outside. AirTrack offers a worldwide terrain image database with 30 m per pixel as standard. Resolutions of 10 or 1 m per pixel can be provided, with the latter providing unsurpassed detail even for city street views.

“At Air Berlin we have not only been committed to deliver excellent service to our customers, but also to integrate the latest technologies onboard. Now, with Lufthansa Technics innovative system, we can offer a new kind of experience, where passengers can clearly see take-offs and landings and discover ground terrain along the flight path”, explained Siegfried Olivo, Technical Director, Air Berlin.

Further features of AirTrack are a video overlay function for flight data, where flight and en route information are displayed as “ticker-tape” across the bottom of the screen. In addition, AirTrack will provide an extra video output for airline advertising.

For further details, contact: Lufthansa Technik AG. Tel: +49 40 5070 3667; Fax: +44 40 5070 8534.