Detection and Recognition Range Performance (DRRP) of six selected Cameras in a Remote Tower Environment

Kurzfassung

The purpose of this study was to investigate the video performance of six different COTS and selfdeveloped 4K, HD and infrared cameras (IR) in the context of a Remote Tower Optical (RTO) system, assessing the objective and subjective detection and recognition range performance. The cameras were installed at the German regional airport Braunschweig-Wolfsburg. Live recordings from operational traffic were taken during various landing operations and under different visibility conditions, including clear day light sky with and without clouds, low vis - fog, low vis -precipitation and nighttime, aiming for an experimental setting with a controlled and comparable dataset. This resulted in a total of 30 video recordings (6 cameras x 5 visibility conditions), which were systematically analyzed and compared regarding detection performance, recognition range and perceived image quality. Results show a clear pattern of an advantage of the visual spectrum cameras compared with the uncooled infrared cameras but could not reveal unrestricted decisions for one or the other visual spectrum camera, even if the Axis 4MP and Axis Pano could show slight advantages, particular in with the ATCO perceived video quality.