NAV CANADA selects Kongsberg Geospatial as the technology partner to equip Digital Aerodrome Air Traffic Services (DAATS) program

Kongsberg Geospatial, provider of real-time software technology for air traffic services and defense applications, supported by Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace and Avinor, announced today the award of a framework contract by NAV CANADA, to provide air traffic services digital tower technology for the most ambitious digital aerodrome air traffic services program in the world to operate in some of the harshest environment conditions on the planet.  The multi-year program contract, when fully implemented by NAV CANADA with Kongsberg Geospatial as the prime partner, will provide the technology to replace selected air traffic control (ATC) towers and flight service stations (FSS) across Canada with sensor data remoted into the planned digital hubs.

The NAV CANADA DAATS program is a multi-year implementation process with a strategy to re-imagine how NAV CANADA delivers air traffic services, and where it will deliver services from.  The Digital air traffic service Tower and Hub Facilities to be implemented by Kongsberg are key components of NAV CANADA’s strategic direction, as they are the future of air traffic services and are already being deployed around the world.  Digital Facilities use advanced camera technology at airports to provide identical or enhanced local services from digital hubs that are location independent from an airport. Safety and efficiency are at the core of Digital Facilities, while also being adaptable, resilient, and forward thinking.  The modern digital hubs will be designed for flexibility, ease of maintenance, and enhanced contingency, while enhancing NAV CANADA’s employee experience and driving common processes, procedures, technology and training.

The Kongsberg Digital Towers system enhances safety and situational awareness for the air traffic service personnel, through high quality sensor data, and deployed, well-proven technology. Leading edge electro-optical sensor technology is core to the system - a direct spin-off from the world’s most advance military sensor technology. The Electro-Optical Sensor Suite consists of a rotating platform housing a visual and infrared 360° camera and a pan-tilt platform housing a visual zoom camera, a fixed lens IR camera, a laser range finder and signal lamp. The system has low bandwidth requirements, providing air traffic services personnel with panoramic airport images with high resolution at very low cost.  Already deployed across 15 airports in the harsh conditions of Norway by the Avinor NINOX program, this proven technology is in daily use in the current largest digital tower hub facility in the world in Bodo, Norway.

“Kongsberg Geospatial is proud to write aviation history in Canada, alongside NAV CANADA. We will deliver a digital ATC FSS towers solution that is state-of-the-art, and we look forward to working with NAV CANADA and our partners to develop the next generation of aviation safety,” said Jordan Freed, President of Kongsberg Geospatial.  “We have been a technology provider to NAV CANADA for over 15 years and we welcome the opportunity to continue to provide next generation air traffic services in Canada.”

“Digital facilities provide an opportunity to re-imagine how we deliver service, and where we deliver it from, allowing NAV CANADA to respond effectively and efficiently to changes in airport traffic demand,” said Raymond Bohn, President and CEO, NAV CANADA. “NAV CANADA will leverage the Kongsberg technology to continue to provide safe and efficient service levels, increasing resiliency in a way that will provide additional value to our customers and travelling Canadians.”

The initial digital facility within DAATS has been announced by NAV CANADA to serve the Kingston, Ontario Airport and will be used to refine and evaluate technology and operating procedures. This work will provide a foundation for the creation of a potential digital hub in Kingston that would provide air traffic services to airports in other communities starting in four- to six-years’ time.  The DAATS program is one of NAV CANADA’s strategic direction initiatives being implemented to enhance safety, improve services to customers and drive long term resiliency and sustainability.