Tarsier

Q
this system will become the
international standard
Director of Aviation Operations
Vancouver International Airport
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Automatic FOD Detection System
Increase airport safety
Increase airport capacity
Reduce the nancial impact of FOD
Customer Contact Team
QinetiQ
Cody Technology Park
Ively Road Farnborough
Hampshire GU14 0LX
United Kingdom
Tel +44 [0] 8700 100 942
www.QinetiQ.com/Tarsier
Copyright QinetiQ ltd 2006
QinetiQ/D&TS/SS/PUB0607050
Foreign Object Debris - a $4 billion problem
The associated costs of FOD soon add up:
- delays through lost slots due to runway closures
- lost business due to damaged reputation through catastrophic incidents
- engine and airframe damage
- extra fuel used by planes in holding stacks due to delays
- compensation for passengers due to delays
Safety and Capacity
ACI forecasts indicate an annual growth in passenger numbers of over
4% annually through to 2020, with freight increasing by over 5% annually
throughout the same period.
Airports will therefore need to maintain full use of existing capacity,
increasing where possible to meet future trafc demands.
Airports have a duty of care to airline customers and their passengers. An
incident at an airport can have a negative short term nancial impact due
to runway closures and loss of capacity. It can also have negative longer
term impact through damage to reputation and adverse publicity.
The challenge is meeting the safety needs of all stakeholders, including
regulatory bodies and insurance providers.
Optimising limited resource, especially in airside operations, is also key. It
is accepted that even with operators best current efforts, Foreign Object
Debris [FOD] will at times be deposited on the runway and that whilst
there, it constitutes a risk principally of engine or airframe damage, but
also a potential risk to aircraft safety.
Find out more
Tarsier has been demonstrated across the
world including London Heathrow, Dubai,
Frankfurt, Sydney, Schiphol and for the US
Air Force.
Tarsier is manufactured in the US, and in
Spring 2006 it was installed at Vancouver
International Airport.
For installation tours and general
enquiries, please get in touch to discuss
your specic requirements.
Visit us at www.QinetiQ.com/Tarsier
or call us on +44 [0] 8700 100 942
Peace of mind
We have developed the Tarsier system
from 50 years of radar research, design and
development for some of the UK Ministry
of Defences most advanced, mission
critical systems. It is the rst ever radar
designed specically for FOD detection.
We are a recognised innovator in aviation,
including inventing airborne radar, carbon
bre and passive millimetre wave imaging.
As an associate member of IATA, ACI and
CANSO, and as an advisor to ICAO, we have
a unique understanding of aviation issues.
We have proven ourselves with both
civil and military aerospace. Our client
base includes Boeing and Airbus, the
key providers of airframes to the airline
market, and Rolls Royce. We are also
working closely with a number of major
international airlines. We would be happy
to share with you our extensive range of
case studies and experience of successful
delivery with these customers.
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Tarsier

The system
Tarsier is a QinetiQ system which
automatically detects and locates FOD on
airport runways.
Through the use of networked high
frequency, high resolution radars,
integrated digital signal processing, and
a central user display, Tarsier gives airport
operators the ability to continuously
inspect runway surfaces in the heaviest
ground trafc, day or night, and even
in poor weather conditions with no
disruption to aircraft movements.
In operation
Tarsier continuously scans the runway for
FOD, giving inspection between aircraft
movement.
The systems sensitivity, location accuracy
and advanced processing methods
mean that FOD is rapidly detected and
pinpointed to within a few metres,
allowing quick and efcient removal.
All of this functionality is delivered to the
operator through a simple and intuitive
user interface, which requires no radar
knowledge or expertise.
Unique
Tarsier is the only proven automatic FOD
detection and location system available in
the world.
No other system - camera or radar
based - has been proven to reliably and
automatically detect FOD in operational
scenarios.
Your benets
Tarsier supports safe, high capacity,
efcient airport operations:
Increased safety: continuous automated
runway inspection compared to current
visual inspections at infrequent intervals
throughout the day.
Increased capacity: with optimum runway
usage you can secure more revenue whilst
minimising loss of capacity through on-
runway inspections and closures due to
FOD related incidents.
Reduced nancial impact of FOD: runways
can be inspected remotely without
interrupting aircraft movement, airport
resources can be used more efciently,
delays and lost slots can be reduced
and engine / airframe damage can be
minimised.
Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award - Flight International Safety Award - Aviation Week and Space Technology Breakthrough Product
Q&A
What can Tarsier see?
Tarsier has detected metal, plastic, glass
bottles, rubber tyres and even organic
matter such as dead birds.
What size objects can Tarsier see?
The smallest object weve detected is a 10
millimetre metal tting - impressive when
you consider Tarsier is covering an area the
size of 30 football pitches on an average
installation.
Tarsier can detect this size of object to
within about 3 metres, which is reported
in GPS latitude and longitude on the user
display.
Whats the biggest runway Tarsier
can inspect?
The Tarsier system can detect FOD on any
and every size of runway.
But what about false alarms?
The advanced processing scheme we use
is designed specically to give maximum
detection performance whilst keeping
false alarms to an absolute minimum.
There is a system of checks and double
checks when FOD is detected to absolutely
ensure it is real.
Does it work in the rain?
Yes - full detection performance is
maintained up to 16mm per hour of
rainfall. We have also demonstrated the
systems continual performance in blizzard
conditions.
Tarsier also works at night, providing 24
hour continuous coverage.
Why is Tarsier the best FOD
Detection system?
Its a real solution available now: Tarsier
has a customer base with installations
such as Vancouver International Airport,
and we have demonstrated the system
across the globe.
Radar is the only suitable core technology:
All camera-based systems [for example
CCTV, low light and thermal cameras] have
narrow elds of view and can require many
units to cover one runway. These systems
also have limited performance in fog and
rain, and they do not intrinsically give
location.
The ideal solution for detection and
location of small objects over a wide area
in all weather conditions, night and day, is
radar.
Tarsier is a world rst: Tarsier is not just
the best solution, it is the only proven
solution, and its unique - Tarsier is the only
system in the world designed specically
for the detection of FOD.
Information
Further information and soft copies of all literature can be
found on our website.
Visit us as www.QinetiQ.com/Tarsier
Call us on +44 [0] 8700 100 942