Technologies Enabling the Cockpit of the Future

User-friendly UI and Seamless Connectivity Driving Next-Gen Cockpit

Swapnadeep Nayak
Industry Analyst
Technical Insights - ICT
25-09-2014

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 SWAPNADEEP NAYAK

Functional Expertise
Experienced research and consulting professional in information and communication technology domain.
Specific functional expertise in:
- Analyzing and tracking recent technology developments in ICT across the globe
- Providing strategic recommendations on marketing strategy, market feasibility and competitor profiling
- Proposal writing, Client presentations
- Strategic support to the sales team
- Analyzing Case Studies on marketing and technical topics
Industry Expertise
- Diverse experience base in various information and communication technology markets including:
• Enterprise communications and infrastructure, mobile and wireless communication, network security with
specific emphasis on projects on technology/ R&D management, funding analysis and roadmapping
Swapnadeep Nayak What I bring to the Team
Industry Analyst
- In depth understanding of both technology and management
Technical Insights
Information and - Extensive client interaction skill while working on research and consulting projects
Communication - Teamwork & team management skills
Technologies Career Highlights
Prior to Frost & Sullivan, market research experience with Ensine Knowledge Systems Pvt. Ltd
swapnadeepnayak @
Market research and product promotion experience with Philips Electronics India Ltd. as part of internship
swapnadeepn@frost.com
Software and website development experience through freelance and academic projects
Frost & Sullivan Education
South Asia Master of Business Administration specialised in Marketing and System from West Bengal University of
Kolkata Technology (Kolkata, India)
India
B.Tech in Computer Science Engineering from West Bengal University of Technology (Kolkata, India)

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Focus Points

Agenda

• Understanding the need for Future Cockpit System

• Implementation Challenges for Future Cockpit System

• Activities of various stakeholders to transform the cockpit system

• Key R&D focus areas for the stakeholders

• Major technologies identified to shape Future Cockpit System

• Overview of the enabling technologies identified

• Enabling technologies application roadmap

• Conclusion

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Introduction–A Brief Snapshot

New types of user interaction systems and new displays are being implemented, which would
Topic replace the analogue dials and would make the cockpit more spacious.
Overview
Faster communication methods, information handling and analysis techniques are paving the
way for the most advanced cockpit systems of the future.

Need for Future Cockpits

In an increasingly complex environment, avionics system manufacturers are trying to design the cockpit in such a way
that it would improve the operational efficiency as well as flight safety. They are trying to engineer the cockpit to be
more user-friendly and present all the necessary information to pilots in the most productive way so that they can carry
out their duties efficiently.

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Challenges in the Way to Realizing the Benefits from Future Cockpits

Integration: There are certain standards that are required to be met before integration of future cockpit
systems.

Lack of Security: Using generic Internet protocols to connect the ground network with third party cockpit
systems could compromise on the reliability and security of sensitive flight information.

Massive Data Volume: Managing massive influx of data sets with the present Aircraft Communications
Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) would be difficult and time consuming.

Integration Lack of
Security Massive
Data
Volumes

Key Challenges

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Key Stakeholder Activities–Technology Developers

Here we have mentioned some of the activities of organizations around the globe.

Thales Thales’ vision of the future cockpit system could feature a single touchscreen, a permanent
color heads-up display (HUD), and voice or gesture recognition.
High
Key Industry Innovations and
It could also help in monitoring pilot and the crew status by leveraging physiological
Impact RatingInitiatives
sensors.

Rockwell Rockwell Collins is offering Pro Line Fusion flight deck which features four separate high
Collins resolution and
displays placed in a T-shaped design. The Pro Line Fusion flight deck is
Key Industry Innovations
High equipped with a heads-up guidance system, enhanced vision system, and synthetic vision
Initiatives
system.
Impact Rating

Astronics The cockpit systems of present aircraft still lacks functionalities for efficient connectivity.
Corporation Pilots have limited communication with the ground systems through satellite
Key Industry communication. Astronics provides a dedicated solution called FliteStream VVIP for
Medium Innovations and
seamless connectivity to high priority customers during flights. This could prove to be a
Initiatives
Impact Rating promising solution for future cockpit system design.

High Medium Low

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Key R&D Focus Areas

Advanced Vision Systems

NASA is conducting the Synthetic Vision Systems research project. Rockwell-Collins
and BAE Systems have conducted significant research on the military and
commercial applications of synthetic vision, enhanced vision, and blended vision
technology.

User Interaction
Research projects such as ODICIS, have successfully demonstrated the use
of touchscreens in cockpit systems.
Adacel Technologies supplies its Voice Activated Cockpit system to Lockheed
Martin Corporation.

Communication
SANDRA is a EU-funded project which is focusing on new concepts for communication
avionics and innovative airport data links. The project’s objective is to design a coherent
architecture that can be easily reconfigured and adapted for the flexible implementation
of new communication services.

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Key R&D Focus Areas (Continued)

Data Management
Industry standard regulators International Telecommunication Union (ITU) working on
future flight data recorder systems. The standardizing body is planning to implement
cloud computing with analytics functionality for continuous transmission of data from the
black box and the cockpit to the data centers.

Advanced Analytics
There were few initiatives like collaborative work from PASSUR Aerospace (business
intelligence solution provider for aerospace) and ARINC (transport communication
service provider) to develop predictive analytics and decision support tools.
Recently, with the advent of the big data age, many emerging big data analytics
solution providers are also focusing on the development of analytics solutions for the
aerospace industry.

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Technology Enablers

The five technologies that have been selected for further analysis are either based on the key R&D
focus areas in the cockpit system development space that we have discussed in previous slides or
because it could be an advancement of the current technologies which are already used for basic
operations in the system.

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Advanced Vision System & Next-Gen User Interface

Advanced Vision System : It presents the visual environment external to the

aircraft through a computer-generated image of the external scene topography.
SVS requires precise location information, onboard databases and a display
media.

SVS is critical to reduce accidents as they improve a pilot’s situation and spatial
awareness during low-visibility conditions.
Present adoption rate
SVS-EVS fusion with the help of sensor fusion algorithm will be inevitable in the across industries
future to realize the benefits of both systems.

Next-Gen User Interface : New generation interface innovations such as

touchscreens, voice recognition can be efficiently used in the future cockpit.

This technology is not ready at the moment for commercial aviation in the near
term due to concerns over inadvertent touch or complications.

Touchscreen displays will have several advantages over the traditional displays
used in cockpits. The key benefit would be the elimination of physical space Present adoption rate
constraints for instrument displays as pilots will be able to search information across industries
from the same set of screens.

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Advanced Communication; Scalable Data Storage and Analytics

Advanced Communication : The analogue communication technique used in

existing systems is not adequate enough to carry out seamless connectivity
between the flight and ground management systems. Thus there is a need for
advanced IP-based communication architecture like IPv6 which could process
digital signals in real-time for effective seamless connection.
Present adoption rate
across industries

Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) : The highly scalable, centralized approach of

XaaS enables deployment of computing infrastructure and storage resources
through web and thereby reducing cost and delivering an efficient system for the
enterprises.

XaaS solution could bring in several innovative solutions for the market
leveraging the benefits of its convergence capability with other technologies like Present adoption rate
across industries
Big data.

Big Data Analytics : Big Data Analytics refers to a set of data management
tools, appliances and techniques for effective analysis of the large data sets
towards deriving intelligence on business operations, performance of equipment
and machines.

Convergence with technologies like cloud computing and advanced analytical

functionalities facilitates delivery of advanced data processing capabilities and
real-time data delivery. It could prove to be a good alternative for the traditional Present adoption rate
business intelligence solutions used in the aerospace industry for basic across industries
information delivery and analysis.

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Enabling Technology Application Roadmap

Advanced
Cognitive
Analytics for
Flight Operation

Crew Health
Status Monitoring
Big Data Analytics application
Enabled Weather Unmanned
Forecasting Cockpit
Control
Gesture controlled Application
cockpit application

Brain-
controlled
User
Voice controlled Interaction
cockpit application system

Short Term Medium Term Long Term

(2014-2016) (2017-2020) (>2020)

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For Additional Information

Clarissa Castaneda Name

Corporate Communications
Information & Communication
Technologies
(210) 477-8481
Clarissa.castaneda@frost.com
Swapnadeep Nayak
Industry Analyst
033-6627-3010
swapnadeepn@frost.com

Name Nicolas Votano

Vedavalli Rangan Sales Manager
Industry Technical Insights
044-616-066-66 (212) 402-1813
vrangan@frost.com nicolas@votano@frost.com

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