AnInexpensiveTerrainAwarenessand

WarningSystemforPilots
Kim Martin
kmartin@cse.unr.edu

May 08, 2008

Contents
Contents...................................................................................................................2
Abstract....................................................................................................................3
1 Introduction...........................................................................................................3
2 Background...........................................................................................................4
2.1 AVMap...............................................................................................................4
2.2 Lowrance............................................................................................................5
2.3 Summary............................................................................................................5
3 Terrain Awareness and Warning System Design...................................................7
3.1 Flight Preparation Summary..............................................................................7
3.2 TAWS Elevation data.........................................................................................7
4 Digital Elevation Database...................................................................................9
4.1 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission....................................................................9
4.2 DTED Level 0....................................................................................................9
4.3 Data Validation...................................................................................................9
4.4 Cell Merging....................................................................................................10
4.5 Zero Extension.................................................................................................10
4.6 Database Creation............................................................................................11
5 Simulation and Testing........................................................................................12
5.1 The User Interface............................................................................................12
7 The Hardware......................................................................................................13
7.1 The Case...........................................................................................................13
7.2 Central Processing Unit...................................................................................13
7.3 Flash Memory..................................................................................................13
7.4 Liquid Crystal Display.....................................................................................13
7.5 LCD Backlight.................................................................................................13
7.6 Height Alarm....................................................................................................13
8 Software..............................................................................................................15
8.1 Application.......................................................................................................15
9 Conclusion..........................................................................................................15
10 Acknowledgements...........................................................................................15
References..............................................................................................................15

Abstract
For pilots the importance of knowing their elevation
above the ground cannot be minimized. As in many
occupations and activities some mistakes are very
costly. For pilots an error in determining their
elevation above the ground can easily prove fatal.
Commercial and military aircraft usually have radio
altimeters that are quite accurate (generally the
accuracy is a function of the wavelength, phase, and
timing resolution). These units cost in the thousands
of dollars, are a structural part of the aircraft, and
require FAA approval. However, radio altimeters are
generally not available to private pilots for one
reason cost. They are just too expensive. Therefore,
an inexpensive and accurate Terrain Awareness and
Warning System (TAWS) that is not dependent upon Today, almost all airliners are equipped with at least
FAA approval and doesnt have to be an integral part one and usually several radio altimeters, as they are
of the aircraft can be an important benefit to private essential to autopilot landing capabilities
pilots. Several important developments have (determining height through other methods such as
occurred in the last decade or so that has made it GPS is not permissible under current legislation).
possible to meet these criteria. These developments Even older airliners from the 1960s, such as the
are the global positioning system (GPS), powerful, Concorde and the BAC 1-11 were so equipped and
reprogrammable microcontrollers, inexpensive, today even smaller airliners in the sub-50 seat class
dense flash memory, color LCD displays, and are supplied with them (such as the ATR-42 and the
publicly available high resolution topographical BAe Jetstream series).
digital elevation data. These developments make it
Since radio altimeters are usually financially
possible to build an inexpensive, yet accurate
prohibitive for private pilots at least two companies
embedded device that a pilot can use to determine
have developed sophisticated aeronautical
height and corollary information.
navigational units. A cursory examination of several
devices from two companies is covered in the next
1 Introduction section.
An accurate Terrain Awareness and Warning System
(TAWS) is necessary, if not mandatory, for many
flying conditions. Many commercial and military
aircraft fly in conditions that make it impossible for
pilots to visually determine their height (height is the
term commonly used by pilots for their elevation
above the ground). The most common solution to this
problem has been to use radio altimetry.
Radio altimetry has been in use almost as long as
radar has been around. As the name implies radio
altimetry uses radio waves to determine an aircrafts
height. Radio waves are transmitted towards the
ground and the time it takes for the waves to be
reflected back to the aircraft is measured. Since the
speed of the waves is known the height of the aircraft
can be determined.
Alternatively, the change in the frequency of the
wave can be measured and the greater the shift in
frequency, the further the distance travelled by the
wave. This method can achieve much better accuracy
than the previously mentioned one. Radar altimeters
that use frequency modulation are the industry
standard.
Radar altimeters are frequently used by commercial
aircraft for approach and landing, especially in low-
visibility conditions, and for automatic landings when
using an autopilot.
In civil aviation applications, radio altimeters
generally only give readings up to 2,500' Above
Ground Level (AGL).
Radio altimeters are an essential part in ground
proximity warning systems (GPWS), warning the
pilot if the aircraft is flying too low or descending too
quickly. However, radar altimeters cannot see terrain
directly ahead of the aircraft, only that directly below
it; such functionality requires either knowledge of
position and terrain at that position, or forward-
looking terrain radar which uses technology similar
to a radio altimeter.
2 Background
Two companies, which have developed embedded
firmware navigational aids for the private pilot, are
AVMap[1] and Lowrance[2].
These navigational aids range in price from $799 to
over $1999.

2.1 AVMap
AVMap, a supplier of aircraft and pilot accessories,
has developed several embedded navigational units
for the private pilot. They are the:
Geopilot II Figure 2) AVMap Geopilot II Plus Color Portable
Geopilot II Plus
Its technical features include the following:
EKP IV
EKP IV PRO Dimensions(mm):140x100x35.4
Weight(g): 390
Display: LCD TFT 5 (12.7cm)
Disp. brightness: 400 nits
Auto Brightness: Yes
Display colors: 64K
Disp. resolution: 320x240 pixels
GPS Receiver: Sirf Star III 20 channels
Processor: ARM 9 300 MHz
RAM: 32 MB
Memory Support: Secure
Digital (SD)
Figure 1) AVMap Geopilot II Color Portable 256/512 MB
Battery: Li-ion
Of the two AVMap units covered in this paper the rechargeable
first is the Geopilot II Color Portable GPS/MAP. The Power Supply: Charger
hardware specifications are as follows: 10/35 VDC
Dimensions(mm):140x100x35.4 Speaker: Yes
Weight(g): 390 The suggested retail price is $1299.
Display: LCD TFT 5 (12.7cm)
The most expensive offering from AVMap is the EKP
Disp. brightness: 400 nits
IV Pro.
Auto Brightness: Yes
Display colors: 64K
Disp. resolution: 320x240 pixels
GPS Receiver: Sirf Star III 20 channels
Processor: ARM 9 300 MHz
RAM: 32 MB
Memory Suppt.: Secure
Digital (SD)
256/512 MB
Power Supply: Charger
10/35 VDC
Speaker: Yes
The suggested retail price is $799.
A step up from the Geopilot II is the Geopilot II Plus
Color Portable GPS/MAP.

Figure 3) AVMap EKP IV Pro

Its technical features include the following: Display: LCD TFT 2.8 (7.2cm)
Display colors: 64K
Weight(lb): 1.7
Disp. resolution: 320x240 pixels
Display: LCD TFT 7
GPS Antenna: Internal GPS+WAAS
Auto Brightness: Yes
GPS Channels: 16
Display colors: 64K
Memory Support: MMC/SD card
Disp. resolution: 800x480 pixels
NMEA Input: 0183
GPS Receiver: Sirf Star III 20 channels
NMEA Output: 0183
Processor: ARM 9 200 MHz
RAM: 32 MB The Airmap 2000C appears to be a more advanced
Memory Support: version of the Airmap 600C. Its technical
Compact Flash (CF) specifications are similar but different in some
4 GB respects;
Battery: NiMH
rechargeable
Power Supply: Charger
10/35 VDC
Speaker: No
The suggested retail price is $1999. It appears that the
high price represents the advanced software in this
product. As mentioned earlier the software in all
these embedded products will be reviewed when
covering the software in the Serena Industries Terrain
Awareness and Warning System.

2.2 Lowrance
Lowrance has two navigational firmware offerings in
the market. They are:
Airmap 2000C
Airmap 600C
The Airmap 600c is their low-end inexpensive market
Figure 5) Lowrance Airmap 2000C
offering. There is no suggested retail price on their
website. The technical features of the Airmap 2000C include
the following:
Dimensions(mm):159x124x64
Weight(g): 400
Display: LCD TFT 5.0 (12.7cm)
Display colors: 64K
Disp. resolution: 320x240 pixels
Both the Airmap offerings have network connectivity
built in.

2.3 Summary
Examination of the AVMap offerings shows several
similarities. All three have almost identical hardware.
Therefore it wouldnt be surprising, for a number of
reasons, to see similar software on all three models.
The displays shown in their web advertisements seem
to confirm this conclusion.
Figure 4) Lowrance Airmap 600C The AVMap Geopilot II display consists of an
The technical features of this product include the aeronautical chart on the left with some textual output
following: of flying parameters on the right. The AVMap
Geopilot II Plus has a very similar display with the
Dimensions(mm):142x64x30 addition of a graphical heading indicator on the right
Weight(g): 247 side. Finally, the AVMap EKP IV Pro follows a
similar display paradigm in that it has an aeronautical
chart along with textual data output, but the display is
oriented vertically.
The two offerings from Lowrance are somewhat
close-lipped about their hardware. But their software
is similar to AVMaps in the sense that an
aeronautical map along with flight parameter text is
displayed.
All five units have a significant number of buttons for
user control. Its unlikely that they wear out
(membrane keypad), but it implies a level of software
sophistication that may require a great deal of user
interaction.
The large number of inputs, along with the complex
displays implies that these devices are powerful
handheld computers. Theres nothing intrinsically
wrong with that, but is all this complexity necessary
when engaging in a moderately dangerous profession
as flying? How much information does a pilot need?
This level of complexity might cause enough
distraction such that a serious, maybe fatal, error
might occur.
This is where the design of the Terrain Awareness and
Warning System appears. We want to design a system
that has an informative, yet uncluttered display (no
detailed aeronautical charts), limited user interface
(very few buttons), and is inexpensive in terms of
material and hardware. Furthermore, the TAWS is
going to do one thing only, and hopefully do that one
thing well.
As mentioned earlier pilots need to know their height.
The Terrain Awareness and Warning System will be
designed to do just that. It will display the aircrafts
heading, altitude, height, and groundspeed. It will
display these parameters in large, easily read text.
The penultimate goal of this project is to generate
sales. However, even if no market sales occur, the
device can still be personally useful. I hike a great
deal and it would be interesting to see how much
usefulness I could get out the device. The things these
devices do are limited only by the software. And as is
always the case, it takes years for software to take
full advantage of the resources at its disposal.

3 Terrain Awareness and
Warning System Design
The Terrain Awareness and Warning System is
conceived as a low-cost alternative to current market
offerings. There is no intention of trying to compete
on the same level as the AVMap and Lowrance
offerings. In fact, the desire is to offer an inexpensive
product that is simple to use, easy to read, and
difficult to break.
The firmware and materials were chosen with the
goal of market sales in mind. For example, an off-the-
shelf case was chosen as part of the materials because
of its ubiquitous presence and low cost. It has a
battery compartment, a rectangular opening on one
side for an LCD, mounting tabs for circuit boards,
and no holes for buttons that wear out or break.
Concomitantly, this choice of case determines
firmware. Since the case is a specific size, the circuit
board can only hold so much hardware. I wont delve
into all the details at this time; however, the board
space set some constraints on memory that have
strongly guided the development of this project.
There is 32 KB (16,384 instruction words two bytes
per instruction) of code space and 32 MB1 of flash
memory available. Because the case has no holes for
buttons a touch panel was selected for user input.
The most important constraint in this project is cost.
There is absolutely no money for software
development costs and only a little money to pay for
the first few assembled devices. If the initial
firmware offering is successful, capital will be
invested for a larger production run.
Prior to any programming of the firmware it was
decided to simulate the TAWS using a PC
application.
3.1 Flight Preparation
Summary
Prior to any flight pilots prepare a flight plan. This
plan consists of such things as origin and destination,
flight path, the weather along the flight path,
anticipated operating ceiling, flight time, and many
other parameters. In the old days (before hand-held
digital computers), and still in use today, pilots use
aeronautical charts to plot their course over the
ground and to determine their height by examining
the terrain over the anticipated flight path.
Pilots usually know their origin and destination. They
know the operating and service ceiling of their
aircraft and have topographical maps on which they
map the vector or vectors from their origin to their
destination.
1
Originally, it was 16 MB before some trivial size analysis
of the required database necessitated a doubling of this size.
Once the vectors are determined the pilot can read the
terrain elevation from the maps that are covered by
the vectors. Using this information along with the
service ceiling of the aircraft and the desired
operating altitude, the pilot can determine his height
along the desired flight path. Using all this
information the pilot calculates many variables that
are used to determine the successful completion and
safe operation of this proposed flight.
The pilot takes his maps and flight plan with him on
his flight and visually compares the terrain seen from
the aircraft with the topographical data on his maps.
Using visual cues seen in the terrain along with
navigational information from the planes instruments,
the pilot can determine how closely he is staying to
his flight plan and makes any corrections necessary in
order to stay on course. This is called flying by Visual
Flight Reference (VFR). Following a well thought-
out and thoroughly prepared flight plan should lead to
a successful landing at the desired destination.
The Terrain Awareness and Warning System is meant
to supplement and enhance VFR flight. The initial
design of the TAWS aspires to this goal by using a
unique combination of;
Elevation data
Hardware
Software.
3.2 TAWS Elevation data
Without out some type of digital elevation database
there can be no Terrain Awareness and Warning
System. A digital elevation database can be created
by having people read the elevation from maps and
entering the data into a data structure. This would
require a large amount of man-power and would be
highly susceptible to error. Fortunately, this process
does not have to happen (except maybe only for
essential topographical regions, like the Sierra
Nevada Mountains). The Department of Defense
(DoD) made public a digital elevation database and
only just recently the United States Geological
Survey (USGS) has made available some high
resolution digital elevation data. The digital database
from the DoD has 30 arc-seconds of resolution while
the Digital Elevation Models (DEM) from the USGS
have a resolution of up to 1 arc-second for many
regions in the Western Hemisphere [6].
Naturally, the highest resolution database that can be
used within the hardware constraints is desired. Its
possible to get a rough size for the elevation database
using a few parameters. If each elevation is a signed
short (two bytes), a 1-degree square DEM of 1 arc-
second resolution would need at least 24.7 MB
(25,920,000 bytes) of storage space! It takes more
than 1000 1-degree cells to cover the coterminous
United States. Obviously, this level of resolution
cannot be used with the Terrain Awareness and
Warning System.
The Department of Defense Digital Terrain Elevation
Data (DTED) that is available to the public has a
resolution of 30 arc-seconds for each 1-degree square
cell. Using the same parameters that we used for the
USGD DEM, a 1-degree square DEM of 30 arc-
seconds of resolution would need 27.2 KB (28800
bytes) of storage space. The amount of storage space
required for the entire United States would be 29.4
MB. This fits within the 32 MB of onboard flash
memory (this is not coincidence). Whether this level
of resolution will be sufficient for the TAWS to be
successful remains to be seen. Nevertheless, we
decided to use the Digital Terrain Elevation Data
from the Department of Defense.
4 Digital Elevation Database 4.2 DTED Level 0
The most essential part of the Terrain Awareness and Each <xxx>.dt0 file contains the elevation data for a
Warning System is the digital elevation database. one-degree cell (one degree of latitude and one
This database controls many aspects of the design degree of longitude) along with some ASCII header
and concomitantly the hardware design affects data information.
database characteristics.
For example, the file w120_n39.dt0 has the elevation
The digital elevation data used in this project was data for the one degree cell whose southwest corner
derived from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. is at 120 West Longitude and 39 North Latitude and
The latest SRT mission generated publicly available the northeast corner is at 119 West Longitude, 40
datasets with 1 arc-second of resolution [5]. North Latitude. Each .dt0 file has 3428 bytes of
ASCII header data and 30734 bytes of binary
4.1 Shuttle Radar elevation data.
Topography Mission The ASCII header data consists of three sections;
User Header Label (UHL), Data Set Identification
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) (DSI), and the Accuracy Description Record (ACC).
produced Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) at Information such as Origin Latitude, Origin
three different levels of detail. The three levels of Longitude, Absolute Vertical Accuracy, etc., is stored
detail are DTED Level 0, Level 1, and Level 2. Each in ASCII format in these header fields. A full listing
DTED Level is called a class, and each class consists of the data and its parameters is available in
of several file types. #Appendix1.
The DTED Level 2 class consists of four file types; The elevation data is stored in what might be
1. onc.dir considered column major format; i.e., the elevation
2. <xxx>.dt2 data for the first meridian is followed by the elevation
3. Read.me data for the second meridian, and so on. Using the
4. dmed. file previously mentioned, the elevation data for the
120.00.00 West meridian is stored first; the elevation
The DTED Level 1 class consists of eight file types; data for 119.59.30 is stored next; and so on until the
1. onc.dir data for the final meridian which is 119.00.00 West
2. <xxx>.dt1 Longitude. The elevation data on each meridian starts
3. Read.me at 39.00.00 North Latitude and extends to 40.00.00
4. dmed. North Latitude. A full listing of the data and its
5. <country>.gaz parameters is available in #Appendix2.
6. <country>.hsh
7. Gazette.dir 4.3 Data Validation
8. Gazette.key
Its important that the digital elevation data is
The DTED Level 0 class consists of six file types; accurate. One way to check the accuracy is to
1. onc.dir compare the elevation data with topographical maps.
2. <xxx>.dt0 Certainly this can be done for certain specific areas
3. <xxx>.avg for specific reasons. But to check all 1067 DTED .dt0
4. <xxx>.min in this manner is no different than creating a digital
5. <xxx>.max elevation database by hand!
6. dmed. One way to check the data is to look at it visually.
The elevation data files in each class are the This can only detect gross errors, but it is better than
<xxx>.dt2, <xxx>.dt1, and <xxx>.dt0 files. The nothing. This can be done by using two programs
<xxx>.dt2 files contain elevation data with a publicly available on the Internet. One is Global
resolution of 1arc-second (both latitude and Mapper and the other one is Dlgv32pro. Global
longitude); the <xxx>.dt1 files have a resolution of 3 Mapper is used in this project because it can read .dt0
arc-seconds and the <xxx>.dt0 files have a resolution files, which Dlgv32 does not.
of 30 arc-seconds. The DTED Level 2 and Level 1 Figure 4 shows a screenshot of Global Mapper after
files are still classified and are not available to the opening the digital elevation data file w120_n39. For
public. The DTED Level 0 files are publicly available anyone who has lived in the Reno-Sparks area for
and this digital elevation data forms the basis of the sometime, the display is reminiscent of local area
TAWS. maps. The eastern half of Lake Tahoe can be seen in
the lower left and the southern half of Pyramid Lake
can be seen at the top. With very little work an
observer can determine the location of Reno-Sparks
and can even see Rattlesnake Mountain!
Figure 6) Global Mapper display of w120_n39.dt0 file.
On first examination it looks as if using Global
Mapper to visually check the elevation data might be
a good idea. The years spent looking at maps,
pictures, and representations of the United States But
there is a small problem. The unlicensed free version
is crippled. The user is limited to a maximum
dt0Global Mapper is a commercial product. The
version that can be downloaded from the Internet is
4.4 Cell Merging
Upon first thought the four dataset limitation of the
unregistered Global Mapper appears to make a visual
confirmation of the data somewhat problematical.
However, the DTED specifications for Level 0 .dt0
files suggest that the cell size is not limited to 1-
degree squares. It may be possible to take the
elevation data from 1-degree cells that share the same
longitude meridians and combine them in such a way
crippled. It is designed to irritate the user into buying
the complete application. It can only open four
datasets simultaneously. That means it is only
possible to view four 1-degree cells simultaneously.
Here is a screenshot of Global Mapper after opening
w120_n39.dt0. This 1-degree cell contains the area
around Lake Tahoe, Reno-Sparks, and Pyramid Lake.
Notice the height value in the status bar (1339 meters
4392 feet) while the mouse is in the Reno airport
location.
as to make a Level 0 .dt0 file that contains all the
elevation data for a 1-degree wide longitudinal strip.
Standard topographical maps can provide a level of
area coverage and resolution unequaled by any digital
databases except proprietary Department of Defense
databases that are used in war scenarios and actual
combat. Nevertheless, the Department of Defense has
made available to the public some elevation data with
a resolution of 30 seconds. The resolution level is not
very promising, but the public release of this data has
removed several problems in the design and
construction of the Terrain Awareness and Warning only data nearby needs to be accessed. The actual
System. The problem of how to easily and quickly data that is relevant is the elevation directly beneath
convert topographical map elevation data into digital the plane and the elevation in the path of its current
format is not covered in this paper. Memory access heading. The elevation data is stored in such a
requirements control hardware design. Latitude and manner that it makes it feasible to use inexpensive
longitude are used to determine the elevation of the serial r/w access flash as the memory media. The data
terrain below the aircraft by indexing into a database is stored in row, column format with 7680 rows
of elevation values. This elevation values are stored consisting of 3120 elevation values. Each row
sequentially from south to north along one meridian. contains the elevation values of a single meridian
For example, the first and second byte of the database spaced at 30 second intervals (approximately 3000
is the starting longitude and latitude respectively, of feet). The first row of data is elevation data starting at
the first meridian. w128.00.00, n24.00.00 and continuing in 30 second
intervals to w128.00.00, n50.00.00. The next row is
4.5 Zero Extension data for w127.59.30, n24.00.00 and continuing
likewise to the location w127.59.30, n50.00.00. This
Since the merging of square cells into rectangular continues for a total of 7,680 rows. The last row is the
strips is possible, the converse is also possible. The elevation data for the meridian w64.00.00.Therefore
rectangular strips can now be merged into squares an aircraft at Latitude and longitude are used to
once again. The manner in which an aircraft moves determine the elevation of the terrain below the
over terrain determines the manner of data access and aircraft by indexing into a database of elevation
how much data needs to be read. Since an aircraft at values. This elevation values are stored sequentially
one geographic location is very unlikely, actually from south to north along one meridian. For example,
impossible, to change its location instantaneously, the first and second byte of the database is the
only data nearby needs to be accessed. The actual starting longitude and latitude respectively, of the
data that is relevant is the elevation directly beneath first meridian. tarting in the location of the database
the plane and the elevation in the path of its current that corresponds to w128.00.00, n24.00.00 there will
heading. The elevation data is stored in such a be a sequence of words in fixed binary format that
manner that it makes it feasible to use inexpensive equal the elevation of the ground in a linear ma.
serial r/w access flash as the memory media. The data
is stored in row, column format with 7680 rows
consisting of 3120 elevation values. Each row
contains the elevation values of a single meridian
spaced at 30 second intervals (approximately 3000
feet). The first row of data is elevation data starting at
w128.00.00, n24.00.00 and continuing in 30 second
intervals to w128.00.00, n50.00.00. The next row is
data for w127.59.30, n24.00.00 and continuing
likewise to the location w127.59.30, n50.00.00. This
continues for a total of 7,680 rows. The last row is the
elevation data for the meridian w64.00.00.Therefore
an aircraft at Latitude and longitude are used to
determine the elevation of the terrain below the
aircraft by indexing into a database of elevation
values. This elevation values are stored sequentially
from south to north along one meridian. For example,
the first and second byte of the database is the
starting longitude and latitude respectively, of the
first meridian. starting in the location of the database
that corresponds to w128.00.00, n24.00.00 there will
be a sequence of words in fixed binary format that
equal the elevation of the ground in a linear ma.

4.6 Database Creation

Naturally, one wonders how one comes by elevation
data in digital format. That is the big questionThe
manner in which an aircraft moves over terrain
determines the manner of data access and how much
data needs to be read. Since an aircraft at one
geographic location is very unlikely, actually
impossible, to change its location instantaneously,
5 Simulation and Testing
Prior to implementing the Terrain Awareness and
Warning System (TAWS) in firmware it was decided
to design and test by developing a software platform
on a PC. There are several advantages to this
approach.

5.1 The User Interface

The user interface is designed with the firmware in
mind. There is no point in using the high-resolution
and multiple colors inherent in todays advanced
video displays. The color liquid crystal display to be
used in the TAWS can only display 256 colors and
has a resolution of 320x240 pixels. case is an off-the-
shelf design with dimensions of 4.5 x 3.5 x 1.25
(width x height x depth). The case has no holes for
input and/or power control. The main reason for
picking this case is because it is an off-the-shelf item
that is very inexpensive. Using this case requires a
LCD with a touch panel for user input and control.
7 The Hardware
The design for the Terrain Awareness and Warning
System (TAWS) has been constrained by several
parameters. Naturally, the first and foremost is cost.
The second constraint follows naturally from the first,
which is the plastic case that contains all the
hardware. The next constraint is the choice of
processor and the final parameter bounding the
design is the manner of user input (this constraint is
dependent upon the case design).

7.1 The Case Figure 4 ATMEL AT45DB642D flash memory.

The case is an off-the-shelf design with dimensions
of 4.5 x 3.5 x 1.25 (width x height x depth). The
7.4 Liquid Crystal Display
case has no holes for input and/or power control. The The liquid crystal display used in the TAWS has a
main reason for picking this case is because it is an touch screen for user input. It has a 16-bit color depth
off-the-shelf item that is very inexpensive. Using this and a resolution of 320x240. It is sufficient for the
case requires a LCD with a touch panel for user input simple user interface initially intended for the TAWS,
and control. yet it seems capable of sophisticated graphic displays
for future user interfaces.
7.2 Central Processing Unit
The central processing unit is the PIC 18F4550
microcontroller in the 44-pin TQFP package.
The PIC 18F4550 has the following specifications:
Operating Frequency DC 48 MHz
Program Memory (Bytes) 32768
Program Memory (Instructions) 16384

Figure 5 Veratronics liquid crystal display.
Display colors: 64K
Disp. resolution: 320x240 pixels
7.5 LCD Backlight
The backlight for the LDC consists of 4 light-
emitting diodes connected in series. The four LEDs
are controlled by a pulse width modulation scheme.

Figure 7.2 Central Processing Unit-3 Microchip

18F4550 microcontroller.
.

7.3 Flash Memory Figure 6 Microchip 18F4550 microcontroller.

External memory support consists of flash memory 7.6 Height Alarm

for storage of the elevation data and some lookup
The backlight for the LDC consists of 4 light-
tables. The flash memory will be accessed in serial
emitting diodes connected in series. The four LEDs
data format. This is compatible with how the
are controlled by a pulse width modulation scheme.
elevation data is stored and accessed.
Figure 7 Microchip 18F4550 microcontroller.
8 Software
The software for the Heightimeter consists of
application and data. The application reads the inputs
from several devices and uses that information along
with an elevation database to determine the aircrafts
height.

8.1 Application
The software for the Heightimeter consists of
application and data. The application reads the inputs
from several devices and uses that information along
with an elevation database to determine the aircrafts
height.

9 Conclusion
The Terrain Awareness and Warning System has
several advantages. First, and foremost, is the cost. It
is at least an order of magnitude less in cost than the
least inexpensive radio altimeter.
Secondly, the device does not require FAA approval.
Thirdly, the Terrain Awareness and Warning System
is portable. The pilot can

10 Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Glen
Gray and William Dallenbach in designing and
implementing this project. It couldnt have been
completed without them. Thanks!

References
[1] http://www.avmapnavigation.com.
[2] http://www.lowrance.com
[3] http://www.usgs.gov
[4] http://ned.usgs.gov/
[5] http://edc.usgs.gov/srtm/data/obtainingdata.html
[6] http://keck.library.unr.edu/data/DEMS/dems.html
[7]
 Appendix 1
MIL-PRF-89020B

PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION
DIGITAL TERRAIN ELEVATION DATA (DTED)
User Header Label (UHL). The UHL is used for magnetic tape and
CD-ROM.

Field Length Character

Field Contents In Characters Start Description

UHL 3 1 Recognition sentinel.

1 1 4 Fixed by standard.
DDDMMSSH 8 5 Longitude of origin (lower
left corner of data set;
full degree value; leading
zero(s) for all subfields:
degrees, minutes and
seconds). H is the
Hemisphere of the data.
DDDMMSSH 8 13 Latitude of origin (lower
left corner of data set;
full degree value; leading
zero(s) for all sub fields:
(degrees, minutes and
seconds). H is the
Hemisphere of the data.
SSSS 4 21 Longitude data interval in
tenths of seconds.
SSSS 4 25 Latitude data interval in
tenths of seconds.
0000-9999 or 4 29 Absolute Vertical Accuracy
Not Available (NA) in Meters. (With 90%
Assurance that the linear
errors will not exceed this
value relative to mean sea
level (Right justified)).
S Secret 3 33 Security code. (Left
C Confidential Justified)
U Unclassified
R Restricted
Unique Reference 12 36 *Unique reference number
Number of
Longitude lines 4 48 Count of the number of
longitude (profiles) lines
for a full one-degree cell.
Count is based on the Level
of DTED and the latitude zone
of the cell. (See Table I,
II and III).
Number of
Latitude points 4 52 Count of the number of
latitude points per longitude
 line for a full one-degree
cell. ( e.g. 1201 for DTED1,
3601.for DTED2).
Multiple accuracy 1 56 0 - Single
1 - Multiple
Reserved 24 57 Unused portion for future
use.

Note: *These fields, to be defined by producer, may be left blank.

Data Set Identification (DSI) Record. The DSI is used for magnetic
tape and CD-ROM. Fixed Length = 648 ASCII Characters

Field Length Character

Field Contents In Characters Start Description

DSI 3 1 Recognition Sentinel.

S Secret 1 4 Security Classification
C Confidential Code
U - Unclassified
R - Restricted
2 5 Security Control and
Release Markings. For DoD
use only.
27 7 Security Handling
Description. Other security
description. (Free text or
blank filled).
26 34 Reserved for future use.
(Blank filled).
DTED0, DTED1 5 60 NIMA Series Designator for
or DTED2 product level.
15 65 Unique reference number.
(For producing nations own
use (free text or zero
filled)).
8 80 Reserved for future use.
(Blank filled).
01-99 2 88 Data Edition Number.
A-Z 1 90 Match/Merge Version.
YYMM 4 91 Maintenance Date. (Zero
filled until used.)
YYMM 4 95 Match/Merge Date. (Zero
filled until used.)
0000 or ANNN 4 99 Maintenance Description
Code. (Zero filled until
used.)
CCAAABBB 8 103 Producer Code.(Country -
Free Text) (FIPS 10-4 Country
Codes used for first 2
characters).
16 111 Reserved for future use.
(Blank filled).
AAAAAAAAA 9 127 Product Specification.
(Alphanumeric field)
00-99 2 136 First digit is Product
Specification Amendment
Number and second digit is
the Change Number.
YYMM 4 138 Date of Product
Specification.
MSL, E96 3 142 Vertical Datum
WGS84 5 145 Horizontal Datum Code
(Current Version World
Geodetic System).
10 150 Digitizing/Collection
System. (Free text).
YYMM 4 160 Compilation Date. (Most
descriptive year/month).
22 164 Reserved for future use.
(Blank filled).
DDMMSS.SH 9 186 Latitude of origin of data
leading zero for values
less than 10; H is the
hemisphere of the data.
DDDMMSS.SH 10 195 Longitude of origin of
data leading zeroes for
values less than 100; H is
the hemisphere of the data.
DDMMSSH 7 205 Latitude of SW corner of data,
bounding rectangle
leading zero for values
less than 10; H is the
hemisphere of the data.
DDDMMSSH 8 212 Longitude of SW corner of
data, bounding rectangle
leading zeroes for values
less than 100; H is the
hemisphere of the data.
DDMMSSH 7 220 Latitude of NW corner of
data, bounding rectangle
leading zero for values
less than 10; H is the
hemisphere of the data.
DDDMMSSH 8 227 Longitude of NW corner of
data, bounding rectangle
leading zeroes for values
less than 100; H is the
hemisphere of the data.
DDMMSSH 7 235 Latitude of NE corner of data,
bounding rectangleleading
zero for values less than 10;
H is the hemisphere of the
data.
DDDMMSSH 8 242 Longitude of NE corner of
data, bounding rectangle
leading zeroes for values less
than 100; H is the hemisphere
of the data.
DDMMSSH 7 250 Latitude of SE corner of data,
bounding rectangleleading
zero for values less than 10;
H is the hemisphere of the
data.
DDDMMSSH 8 257 Longitude of SE corner of
data, bounding rectangle
leading zeroes for values less
than 100; H is the hemisphere
of the data.
DDDMMSS.S 9 265 Clockwise orientation angle of
data with respect to true
North. (Will usually be all
zeros.)
SSSS 4 274 Latitude interval in tenths
of seconds between rows
of elevation values.
SSSS 4 278 Longitude interval in tenths
of seconds between columns of
elevation values.
0000-9999 4 282 Number of Latitude lines.
For magnetic tape, this is the
actual count of the number of
latitude points (rows that
contain data). For CD-ROM,
this is the count of the
number of latitude points in a
full one-degree cell. (e.g.
1201 for DTED1, 3601 for
DTED2)
0000-9999 4 286 Number of Longitude lines.
For magnetic tape, this is the
actual count of the number of
longitude points (columns that
contain data). For CD-ROM,
this is the count of the
number of longitude points in
a full one-degree cell. The
count is based on the level of
DTED and the latitude zone of
the cell. (See Table II and
III).
00 or 01-99 2 290 Partial Cell Indicator
00 = Complete 1 cell
01-99 = % of data coverage.
101 292 Reserved for NIMA use only.
(Free text or Blank filled.)
100 393 Reserved for producing
nation use only. (Free text
or blank filled.)
156 493 Reserved for free text
comments. (Free text or blank
filled.)

Accuracy Description (ACC) Record. The ACC is used for

magnetic tape and CD-ROM. Fixed Length = 2700 ASCII Characters

Field Length Character

Field Contents In Characters Start Description

ACC 3 1 Recognition Sentinel.

0000-9999 or 4 4 *Absolute Horizontal Accuracy
Not Available (NA) of Product in meters
0000-9999 or 4 8 *Absolute Vertical Accuracy
Not Available (NA) of Product in meters
0000-9999 or 4 12 *Relative (Point-to-Point)
Not Available (NA) Horizontal Accuracy of Product
in meters.
0000-9999 or 4 16 *Relative (Point-to-Point)
Not Available (NA) Vertical Accuracy of Product
in meters.
4 20 Reserved for future use.(Blank
filled.)
1 24 Reserved for NIMA use only.
31 25 Reserved for future use.
(Blank filled.)
00 or 02-09 2 56 Multiple Accuracy Outline
Flag. 00 = No accuracy
sub-regions provided.
02-09 = Number of accuracy
sub-regions per 1 cell
(maximum 9).

Note: *If Product has sub-regional accuracies, the overall accuracy of the
product will be the worst accuracy.

Start of Accuracy Sub-region Description. Repeat to maximum

of nine times. Only the number of sub-regions defined in the
Multiple Accuracy Outline Flag are populated. Blank fill all
unused coordinate pairs within a sub-region. (1 Sub region =
284 ASCII Characters). Refer to 3.13.5.1 for accuracy sub-
region description.

0000-9999 or 4 58 Absolute Horizontal Accuracy

Not Available (NA) of Sub region in meters
0000-9999 or 4 62 Absolute Vertical Accuracy
Not Available (NA) of Sub region in meters.
0000-9999 or 4 66 Relative (Point-to-Point)
Not Available (NA) Horizontal Accuracy of
Sub region in meters.
0000-9999 or 4 70 Relative (Point-to-Point)
Not Available (NA) Vertical Accuracy of Sub-
region in meters.
03-14 2 74 Number of coordinates in
accuracy sub region outline.
(Maximum of 14 coordinate
pairs. The first coordinate
is the most southwestern.
Coordinates are input
clockwise. Implied closing
from last to first coordinate
pairs.)

Start of Coordinate Pair Description. Repeat to maximum of

fourteen times to outline sub-region. Blank fill all unused
accuracy sub-regions and unused portions of sub-regions.

DDMMSS.SH 9 Latitudeleading zero for

values less than 10; H is
the hemisphere of the data.
DDDMMSS.SH 10 Longitudeleading zero for
values less than 100; H is the
hemisphere of the data.
End Coordinate Pair Description
End Accuracy Sub region Description
18 2614 Reserved for NIMA use only.
69 2632 Reserved for future use.
 Appendix 2
MIL-PRF-89020B

PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION
DIGITAL TERRAIN ELEVATION DATA (DTED)
Data Record Description. The Data Record is used for magnetic tape and CD-ROM.
Each elevation is a true value as determined by the Earth Gravity
Model (EGM) 1996 recorded to the nearest meter. The horizontal position is
referenced to precise longitude-latitude locations in terms of the current
World Geodetic System (WGS), determined for each file by reference to the
origin at the southwest corner. The elevations are evenly spaced in
latitude and longitude at the interval designated in the user header label
in South to North profile sequence.

Field Length
Field Contents In Bytes Description

2528 1 Recognition Sentinel.

Data block count 3 Sequential count of the block
within the file, starting with
zero for the first block
(Fixed Binary).
Longitude count 2 Count of the meridian. True
longitude = longitude count x data
interval + origin (Offset from
the SW corner longitude)
(Fixed Binary).
Latitude count 2 Count of the parallel. True
latitude = latitude count x
data interval + origin (Offset
from the SW corner latitude)
(Fixed Binary).
Elevation 1 2 True elevation value of point
1 of meridian in meters (Fixed
Binary).
Elevation 2 2 True elevation value of point
2 of meridian in meters (Fixed
Binary).
Elevation N 2 True elevation value of point
N of meridian in meters (Fixed
Binary).
Checksum 4 Algebraic addition of contents
of block. Sum is computed as
an integer summation of 8-bit
values (Fixed Binary).