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Metro Airport To Utilize New Vehicle Tracking System

By Edward Cardenas

ROMULUS (CBS Detroit) - Detroit Metropolitan Airport officials will soon be able to track vehicles operating on the airfield and improve safety at the airport.

The Airport Authority selected Exelis to install transponders in vehicles operating on the airfield at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The devices send a signal showing their exact location to both air traffic control (ATC) and the airport's operational control center (OCC).

"Safety is the number one priority at our airports," said Airport Authority CEO Thomas Naughton, in a release. "Allowing ATC and OCC to monitor certain vehicles on the AOA (aircraft operating area) not only improves safety by improving situational awareness, but enhances efficiency when responding to possible incidents as well."

Exelis will install the vehicle movement area transponders (VMAT) in airport rescue and fire fighting, airport maintenance, and airfield operations vehicles operating in the aircraft operating area.

By utilizing the system, air traffic control will have the ability to view vehicles equipped with the transponders instantly with the vehicle's identification being displayed on a common screen shared with the operational control center, officials said.

Vehicles currently have to check in by radio with air traffic control, and are not visible in the airport's operational control center.

"Having the vehicle identification displayed should enhance our dispatch's identification of vehicle assets for airfield job assignments," said the Director of Airfield Operations, Dianne Walker, in a release. "Another advantage is that if an incident occurs, Symphony MobileVue will give the Airport Authority OCC capability to view a display and contact the closest emergency vehicle for a faster, more efficient response time."

Airport officials said the installation of the transponders in the 48 vehicles that operate in the aircraft operating area should be complete by the spring of 2015.

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