There are times when events in the technology realm can affect many of us out there, this is one...
National Air Traffic Services (Nats) [in the UK] has issued new warnings to air traffic controllers that they cannot always trust information displayed on their computer screens at the £623m Swanwick air traffic centre.
Remember, this is the centre that handles fewer flights than it's predecessor due to manning issues and was six years late and £180 million over budget
Garbled radar data, especially for one part of a busy North Sea air space sector, has led to some of Swanwick's screens showing indications of non-existent aircraft.
To avoid indications of "ghost" aircraft, Nats has asked controllers to consider providing, in certain circumstances, an additional spacing of four miles laterally, or more, between aircraft. In a separate problem, corrupted radar data can lead to aircraft being shown on screens at the wrong height. A false radar reading of 500 feet or more at variance with the aircraft's actual height is not recognised by Swanwick screens as incorrect.
An internal Nats notice to controllers, TOI113/02, dated 27 September, said the incorrect height reading appears on screen as "erroneous" but "credible" data. Nats insists that safety is not compromised but controllers say new procedures to circumvent the problems are likely to increase their workload, at a time when they are already severely understaffed.
View: Don't trust your data, Nats tells controllers
News source: Computer Weekly
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