Aircraft flight event data integration and visualization

• US 8,386,100 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Lie, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US12/485,514
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 701/14, 244/75.1, 345/419, 345/653, 345/664, 345/679, 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 340/988, 434/35
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground

Abstract

Concepts and technologies described herein provide for the integration of flight event parameters with time and location data to provide a geographic visualization of a flight path and associated parameters. According to various aspects, a geographic area that encompasses a flight path according to location data associated with the aircraft is rendered on a display device. The location data is then transformed into a representation of the flight path on the rendering of the geographic area. One or more parameters associated with an event that occurred while the aircraft was in flight are retrieved and correlated with the location data to determine the location along the flight path in which the event occurred, and a representation is provided on the flight path to illustrate the exact geographic location in which it occurred.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing event visualization, the computer-implemented method comprising computer-implemented operations for:

retrieving stored aircraft location data associated with a plurality of time instances during an aircraft flight;

providing a rendering of a geographic area that encompasses the aircraft location data;

transforming the aircraft location data into a three dimensional representation of the flight path on the rendering of the geographic area;

retrieving a flight event data parameter corresponding to at least one event occurrence during the aircraft flight;

correlating the flight event data parameter with the aircraft location data to identify a geographic location of the flight event data parameter along the flight path; and

transforming the flight event data parameter into a representation of the at least one event occurrence on the representation of the flight path.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft location data comprises latitudinal coordinates, longitudinal coordinates, and altitude data, and wherein the representation of the flight path comprises a plurality of altitude indicators representing an altitude of an aircraft at a plurality of locations on the flight path.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein correlating the flight event data parameter with the aircraft location data to identify the geographic location of the flight event data parameter along the flight path comprises correlating a time instance of a flight event associated with the flight event data parameter to the geographical location of an aircraft at the time instance according to the aircraft location data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the stored aircraft location data associated with the plurality of time instances during the flight path comprises global positioning system (GPS) or inertial data stored within a flight data recorder (FDR).

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event visualization comprises a dynamic visualization such that a plurality of event occurrences of the flight event data parameter are fluidly displayed at the plurality of time instances.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to alter a zoom view of the flight path; and

in response to the request to alter the zoom view of the flight path,

rendering a view of the flight path and corresponding geographic area according to a requested zoom level, and

altering at least one representation of a flight event data parameter.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein altering the at least one representation of a flight event data parameter comprises displaying imagery of an incident area rendered at a location on the geographic area corresponding to a geographic location of the incident area.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to visualize a second flight event data parameter;

in response to the request, retrieving the second flight event data parameter corresponding to at least one event occurrence during the flight path;

correlating the second flight event data parameter with the aircraft location data to identify a geographic location of the second flight event data parameter along the flight path; and

transforming the second flight event data parameter into a representation of the at least one event occurrence on the representation of the flight path such that the flight event data parameter and the second flight event data parameter are visually distinguishable.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a alternative flight event data parameter;

receiving a plurality of flight event data parameters;

correlating the alternative flight event data parameter with the plurality of flight event data parameters to create alternative aircraft location data associated with the plurality of time instances during the aircraft flight; and

transforming the alternative aircraft location data into a representation of a alternative flight path on the rendering of the geographic area.

10. A computer system for providing event visualization, comprising:

a processor;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor; and

a program module which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer system to create a flight event visualization by

retrieving aircraft location data corresponding to a plurality of time instances associated with an aircraft flight,

retrieving geography data corresponding to a geographic area that encompasses the aircraft location data,

transforming the aircraft location data and the geography data into a visual representation of a three dimensional flight path overlaid onto a map of the geographic area,

retrieving a plurality of flight event data parameters, each corresponding to at least one event occurrence during the aircraft flight,

correlating the plurality of flight event data parameters with the aircraft location data to identify a geographic location of each flight event data parameter along the flight path, and

transforming each of the flight event data parameters into a representation of the at least one event occurrence on the representation of the flight path.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the aircraft location data comprises latitudinal coordinates, longitudinal coordinates, and altitude data, and wherein the representation of the flight path comprises a plurality of altitude indicators representing an altitude of an aircraft at a plurality of locations on the flight path.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein correlating the flight event data parameter with the aircraft location data to identify the geographic location of the flight event data parameter along the flight path comprises correlating a time instance of a flight event associated with the flight event data parameter to the geographical location of an aircraft at the time instance according to the aircraft location data.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the aircraft location data associated with the plurality of time instances during the aircraft flight comprises GPS or inertial data stored within a flight data recorder (“

FDR”

).

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein providing the rendering of the geographic area that encompasses the aircraft location data comprises instructing a mapping application to render the geographic area corresponding to the aircraft location data.

15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the program module, when executed by the processor, further causes the computer system to create a flight event visualization by:

receiving a request to alter a zoom view of the flight path; and

in response to the request to alter the zoom view of the flight path, rendering a view of the flight path and corresponding geographic area according to a requested zoom level, and

altering at least one representation of a flight event data parameter.

16. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the program module, when executed by the processor, further causes the computer system to create a flight event visualization by:

receiving a request to visualize a second flight event data parameter;

in response to the request, retrieving the second flight event data parameter corresponding to at least one event occurrence during the aircraft flight;

correlating the second flight event data parameter with the aircraft location data to identify a geographic location of the second flight event data parameter along the flight path; and

transforming the second flight event data parameter into a representation of the at least one event occurrence on the representation of the flight path such that the flight event data parameter and the second flight event data parameter are visually distinguishable.

17. A computer readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

retrieve aircraft location data associated with a plurality of time instances during an aircraft flight;

provide a rendering of a geographic area that encompasses the aircraft location data;

transform the aircraft location data into a three dimensional representation of an aircraft flight path on the rendering of the geographic area;

retrieve a flight event data parameter corresponding to a system anomaly during the aircraft flight;

correlate the flight event data parameter with the aircraft location data to identify a geographic location of the flight event data parameter along the aircraft flight path; and

transform the flight event data parameter into a representation of the system anomaly on the representation of the aircraft flight path.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the aircraft location data comprises latitudinal coordinates, longitudinal coordinates, and altitude data, and wherein the representation of the aircraft flight path comprises a plurality of altitude indicators representing an altitude of an aircraft at a plurality of locations on the aircraft flight path.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request to visualize a second flight event data parameter;

in response to the request, retrieve the second flight event data parameter corresponding to at least one event occurrence during the aircraft flight;

correlate the second flight event data parameter with the aircraft location data to identify a geographic location of the second flight event data parameter along the aircraft flight path; and

transforming the second flight event data parameter into a representation of the at least one event occurrence on the representation of the aircraft flight path such that the flight event data parameter and the second flight event data parameter are visually distinguishable.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a alternative flight event data parameter;

receive a plurality of flight event data parameters;

correlate the alternative flight event data parameter with the plurality of flight event data parameters to create alternative aircraft location data associated with the plurality of time instances during the aircraft flight; and

transform the alternative aircraft location data into a representation of a alternative aircraft flight path on the rendering of the geographic area.