Rannoch Corporation

Itt Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.

Rannock Corporation

Jonathan C Baldwin

Alexander E Smith

Thomas J Breen

Carl A Evers

Robert P Blair

Marc-Philippe Rudel

A land use compatibility software module uses an existing suite of airport management programs to generate exception reports for FAA Part 77 land use compatibly surveys. Land use compatibility management is a manually intensive and time-consuming process. The noise officer may have to compute whether a proposed structure violates FAA's obstruction clearance criteria as set out in FAA's standard for obstacle clearance zones (Part 77). With these three-dimensional zone shapes entered into AirScene&#x2122;, the user may enter lat/long and height data for potential obstructions, such as cellular telephone towers as mentioned in the above example. The system will plot the potential obstructions on the map and will determine whether or not the height and proposed position of the tower violates the FAA's obstruction criteria for that runway. The system may be used to generate 'exception reports' for proposed structures.

Land use compatibility planning software

A direct multilateration target tracking system is provided with the TOA time stamp as an input. A technique of tracking targets with varying receiver combinations is provided. Methods of correlating and combining Mode A, Mode C, and Mode S messages to enhance target tracking in a passive surveillance system are provided. A direct multilateration target tracking system is provided by TOA tracking and smoothing. A technique for selecting best receiver combination and/or solution of multilateration equations from a multitude of combinations and/or solutions is provided. A technique for correcting pseudorange values with atmospheric conditions is provided. A technique for improving height determination for regions of poor VDOP in a 3D multilateration system is provided.

Method and apparatus for accurate aircraft and vehicle tracking

A ground-based CFIT warning system provides pilots with CFIT alerts. The system is based upon a ground-based tracking system, which provides surveillance of aircraft, such as the AirScene&#x2122; multilateration system manufactured by Rannoch Corporation of Alexandria, Va. The system monitors both horizontal and vertical positions of aircraft. When an aircraft has been determined to be operating below safe altitudes, or too close to obstructions, the pilot is provided with a warning. The warning may be delivered via the pilot's voice communications and/or a data link or the like.

Minimum safe altitude warning

The accuracy of relative position estimates between two vehicles, generated using a satellite-based navigation system, is improved by eliminating at an early stage in the calculation process, errors affecting simultaneously both receivers. The standard absolute navigation equations are modified to solve directly for relative position, while avoiding a final step differentiation, thereby providing increased precision.

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Alexandria, VA, United States of America

Jonathan C Baldwin