X
Business

Boeing, IBM create real-time aviation analysis system

Boeing and IBM Research have cooked up a new technology dubbed R3 designed to better predict and manage air traffic volume as well as deliver more real-time information about an aviation event.
Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor

Boeing and IBM Research have cooked up a new technology dubbed R3 designed to better predict and manage air traffic volume as well as deliver more real-time information about an aviation event.

R3 stands for responsive, reliable and real-time and created at IBM's Watson research lab. The joint project was designed to coordinate more flights in the same airspace. The air traffic issue is a big one considering that flight traffic is expected to double or triple by 2025.

Boeing was involved with the pilot project for obvious reasons. IBM aims to take the R3 technology and deploy it in other areas ranging from emergency services to weather forecasting to power and water management.

A few potential benefits for R3 include:

  • Better coordination in airspace anomalies such as an off-course aircraft. R3 aims to coordinate and accelerate the flow of information via sensors and networks.
  • Improved situational awareness and aggregation of data ranging from airspace restrictions, flight plans and weather issues.
  • Synchronization of multiple logistics and moving parts.

In a nutshell, software gathers complex data from sensors and another layer of applications correlate and analyze the data.

Technologies to improve flight safety and traffic management is a hot topic of late---especially since the Federal Aviation Administration is setting out to overhaul its air traffic control systems.

Editorial standards