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Automated Aircraft video tracking with CamStreamer PlaneTracker
20 Sep 2024 - 14:39
At airports, security is the top priority. PlaneTracker, a solution developed by CamStreamer, enhances an airport's security system through automated visual monitoring of aircraft during take-off and landing. Optionally, the video stream can also serve as a powerful marketing tool, driving traffic to your channels and boosting audience engagement.
PlaneTracker combines CamStreamer's expertise in ACAP applications with Flightradar24's extensive flight-tracking data. The solution provides airports with an automated camera tracking system to monitor aircraft during their most safety-critical maneuvers: take-off and landing. In addition to the video stream, PlaneTracker supplies the video management system (VMS) with essential metadata, including flight details, destination, and aircraft information.
Below you can see what such aircraft tracking looks like. With this test camera, we're not quite close to the runway, but it's probably good for an idea of how it works. We'll show you the camera on the airfield soon.Automated visual monitoring of aircraft
The PlaneTracker solution provides automated monitoring of aircraft in the runway perimeter, helping to identify potentially dangerous situations such as bird collisions, runway issues, or aircraft mechanical defects, while providing critical input for incident resolution and investigation. Additionally, in unexpected situations, automated video surveillance of aircraft can assist with real-time monitoring and enable faster coordination of emergency services.
Technical overview
1. Axis camera
The PlaneTracker solution runs on an AXIS Q6225-LE PTZ camera equipped with a 256 GB SD card, which is installed in a suitable location on the airport premises.
2. Flightradar24 ADS-B receiver
Near the camera, on the same LAN, is a Flightradar24 ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) receiver. Its role is to collect key data such as the GPS location of departing and arriving aircraft, altitude, ground and flight speed, and more. ADS-B technology provides greater accuracy than radar
3. PlaneTracker App
The PlaneTracker App, developed by CamStreamer and installed directly on the camera, automatically links ADS-B data with the PTZ camera functions, ensuring precise tracking of aircraft at any stage of the landing or take-off maneuver. The app also supplies crucial metadata to the VMS, including timestamps, aircraft registration, model, flight number, operator, origin and destination airports, as well as actual departure and arrival times
4. Data display and remote management
The camera also runs the CamOverlay App, which displays key flight and aircraft information in the video stream, with the option to disable graphics for VMS recordings There is also option to connect the camera to the CamStreamer Cloud for secure, user-friendly remote management, watchdog functionality, and the distribution of live streams and video clips.
5. Real-time ATC Audio and Emergency Broadcast Control
To make the flight information complete, the video stream can be supplemented with real-time air traffic control (ATC) audio, provided by the AXIS C8110 Network Audio Bridge with connected ATC radio receiver. For public video streams, a red button is included for the airport's operations center, allowing for the immediate interruption of the broadcast at any time.
The result is a comprehensive plane tracking solution.
Leverage live streaming for marketing with full control over content
Video streams and recordings of aircraft take-offs and landings can also provide attractive content for marketing purposes, such as increasing reach and engagement on social media, driving traffic to websites, or enhancing digital displays at the airport with live footage from the runway.
The CamStreamer Cloud enables live video of take-offs and landings to be streamed to any streaming platform (CDN). When developing this solution, we prioritized making public live streaming not only accessible and convenient, but also secure, giving airports full control over the broadcast. To ensure this, PlaneTracker includes a red button that can stop the live stream at any time. Another option allows for easily switching the live stream to pre-recorded footage or other graphic overlays.
For even better control over content, blacklists can be used to specify which aircraft PlaneTracker will exclude from tracking. Alternatively, a whitelist can be used to select only the aircraft whose take-offs and landings are intended for tracking, that is both available for public viewing and VMS recordings.
Custom streaming options with global exposure by Flightradar24
If an airport decides to broadcast the video stream publicly, Flightradar24 will add clickable links leading to the airport's website wherever the video content appears. This allows the airport to benefit from the web traffic generated by Flightradar24's large customer base.
CamStreamer PlaneTracker is one of the gems created by our development team. Thanks to our deep knowledge of Axis cameras, we can integrate any third-party data and develop customized solutions to meet any business need.
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CamStreamer Team
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