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Transmitting flight data to the ground already possible, says expert
Developing new technology to continuously facilitate transmission of flight data, including those from the black boxes, to a data centre on the ground is not an impossible task.
Noting that the idea had already been developed by some international researchers, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)’s Office of Industrial Links director Associate Prof Dr Amir Akramin Shafie said the idea was not far from becoming a reality.
In fact, he pointed out that several small airlines had already been using a system called “AMS Blue Box Reporting System” which technically functioned like a black box, except that the data was transmitted directly to the ground.
“The idea was already in discussion among researchers after the 2009 Air France aircraft crash, but, of course, due to some hurdles, it was not made compulsory for airlines and is currently only used by several airlines.”
He was commenting on a call by Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek last Tuesday at the World Telecommunications Development Conference in Dubai urging the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to develop cutting-edge technology to facilitate transmission of flight data in real time.
Ahmad Shabery said the Malaysian government believed data from aircraft, including from the black boxes, could be continuously transmitted and stored in data centres on the ground.
Amir Akramin, who is also attached to the Department of Mechatronics Engineering in IIUM, said among the stumbling blocks that needed to be addressed were the size of the data, the process it had to go through and the funds required.
“This is why, not many airlines have taken the step to implement this technology.”
He said in areas where there was no terrestrial telecommunication facilities, the data needed to be relayed through satellite. This would cost a lot of money, which in turn would be added to the price of the ticket the passenger will have to pay, he said.
On the other hand, if the aircraft was within the reach of terrestrial telecommunication facilities, it might have to deal with the local spectrum band’s policy, governed by the country it currently flew in, noted Amir Akramin.
