Flight safety is paramount at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). That’s why the airport uses iFerret, a high-performing FOD detection system supported by a set of electro-optical sensors and proprietary software, to provide 24/7 surveillance of the runway in all weather conditions.
As air traffic around the world changes rapidly and flight movements with the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions, runway safety is more important than ever. The increased intensity of the use of the runway leads to a higher probability of the risk of foreign object damage for the aircraft, and such risks that occur on the runways can have catastrophic consequences. At the same time, manpower for conducting airfield inspections remains tight on the ground at many airports, resulting in an urgent need for automation to mitigate risk.
Automation of foreign object debris (FOD) detection on runways
Foreign objects as small as a metal bolt accidentally left on the runway can pose a serious risk to the safety of the aircraft if they get into its engine. To protect runway operations, Singapore Changi Airport uses a state-of-the-art, Singapore-designed intelligent and fully automatic foreign object debris (FOD) detection system, known as iFerret, on its Runways 1 and 2 since 2009.
iFerret, currently owned by CAG, provides round-the-clock protection against FOD on the runway through its high-definition electro-optical (EO) sensors and proprietary image processing software, which can detect objects as small as less than 4cm by 4km The length of the 60m wide runway with over 95% detection accuracy in all weather conditions, including in the pitch darkness of a rainy night. The system consists of a set of 12 smart cameras placed at a distance from the runway, so that they can be deployed and maintained without the need to disturb the operational runway. Upon detection of FOD, the system automatically alerts airfield operators and provides a zoom-in image of the suspect object above the runway (for example a piece of asphalt or loose pieces of tire), so that the safety personnel on duty will be able to remotely view before sending a team to the site to remove any FOD threat in real time.
This solution provides a higher level of safety assurance than manual runway inspections, which are resource-intensive, prone to human errors, and lead to high runway closure opportunity costs while providing only limited safety assurance within the short duration of each manual inspection interval. .
Go one step further to develop an improved system
In 2020, as part of continuous development, Changi Airport Group (CAG) further improved the system’s detection algorithm to reduce invalid alerts. These false alerts are sometimes caused by reflections of objects caused by puddles of water on wet runway surfaces during or after rain. For more than 15 months, CAG’s engineering team and its technology partner from NCS have worked together to improve the accuracy of the system’s analysis to remove false positives. The result – iFerret version 2.0 – was able to cut false alarms by more than ten times.
iFerret 2.0 has been installed along the new Runway 3 at Changi Airport. It is already planning to deploy this upgraded version of iFerret to Runways 1 and 2.
Photo credit: NCS
Accurate detection
iFerret is the only system on the market that produces superior full HD color images, allowing foreign objects on dark surfaces to be seen as clear as day even in low light conditions. It also allows operators to perform visual verification remotely by zooming in, and is easy to maintain without the need to close the runway due to its long distance from the runway. The use of EO sensors also means that the system does not interfere with existing aviation systems or pose health risks, unlike other solutions that use radar technology.
The use of the iFerret can also be extended to wildlife detection, airfield monitoring and surveillance, as can be seen from the data collected over the years by the iFerret at Changi Airport.
Ms Liu Yanling, Senior Vice President of Airside Operations, Transformation and Operations Strategy at Changi Airport Group, said: “iFerret is an important system that helps protect every take-off and landing of every flight at Changi Airport. In addition to mitigating the threat of FOD on our runways, iFerret’s ability to accurately detect FOD and pinpoint its exact location reduces the time required to remove FOD and the need for extended runway closures. This ensures runway safety and capacity which is essential for the operation of the airport.
