TraVis is an online system for the clear visualization of noise measurements and aircraft movements in the vicinity of an airport. Both current data (possibly with a slight delay) and historical data from recent months can be called up via the Internet using a browser. In this way, TraVis expands the public relations work of the airports and offers the possibility of improving the dialog between residents or complainants and the environmental departments of the airports.
The user interface of the TraVis application is divided into two areas:
1. the upper area with the module selection and various information data as well as the address area
Here, to the right of the airport logo, you will find the selection of TraVis modules with which standard and additional functionalities can be activated. This selection always includes at least the Live and Replay modules, with which you can switch between the live view (possibly with a slight delay) and the replay mode. When the TraVis page is called up, Live mode is started by default showing the current data (possibly with a slight delay). In replay mode, on the other hand, you can view historical data from the last few weeks and months. The functionality of the individual modules is explained in more detail in the OPERATION section.
The current system time is displayed further to the right - in live mode this is the current time minus the set delay. To the left of the time, there is a button with which you can pause or freeze the current display and then resume it.
The weather data valid at the system time is displayed to the right of the system time display. To the right of this are two buttons for starting this help system and for setting the desired display language.
Below the header bar is the address area, which you can use to mark your own position on the map and display additional information about this position. Among other things, the aircraft noise level calculated for this position and its originator is displayed here if there is an aircraft in the vicinity that generates significant aircraft noise.
2. the much larger map area in the lower part of the browser window
Here you will mainly find the Google Maps background map, on which the noise measuring stations with their current measured values and the current flight movements are displayed. At the top right, you can expand and collapse the flight plan with a tabular overview of the current flights. At the top left you will find two buttons for editing the display settings and for selecting additional map layers. Finally, at the bottom right you will find further buttons for adjusting the map, with which you can center on the airport or on your own position (if set) or zoom the map. Click on one of the measuring stations or an aircraft symbol to select the respective object, which opens an additional display with detailed data of the selected object on the right-hand side. A detailed description of the functions and displays can be found in the OPERATION section.
This section explains the modules and functionalities of the TraVis application in more detail.
LIVE MODULE
The live data display (possibly with a slight delay) is shown when the TraVis page is opened. It displays current flight and noise measurement data on the map and shows current weather data in the header. The live display is exited by starting another module with one of the buttons in the left half of the header and can be restarted at any time by pressing the live button in this area.
REPLAY MODULE
The display of historical data can be started by pressing the Replay button in the left half of the header. This opens a tool window at the bottom of the screen, in which the date and time of the desired archive data must first be selected on the left. Pressing the “Select date” button opens a calendar in which the date and time can be selected - if this entry is confirmed with OK, TraVis starts the replay display for the selected time. The other buttons in the replay tool window can be used to move the current system time back or forward by 10 minutes, pause and resume the replay and set the replay speed. In contrast to the live display, the sequences in replay mode can be displayed not only at a single speed, but up to 60 times faster. The replay display is exited by starting another module with one of the buttons in the left-hand side of the header and can be restarted at any time by pressing the replay button in this area. The replay display can also be ended by closing the tool window - this automatically starts the live mode.
STATISTICS
The display of long-term statistics data can be started by pressing the statistics button in the left half of the header. This opens a tool window at the bottom of the screen in which the measuring point for which the measuring point statistics are to be displayed, the desired statistics time interval (day, month or year) and the corresponding time (as the start of the statistics time interval) must be selected. If the entry is confirmed with OK, TraVis starts displaying the statistics for the selected time interval. Statistical data on the noise measurements at the selected measuring point and on the airport's flight data are displayed - an explanation of the data can be found in the “Explanation” section of the Statistics module.
The statistics display is exited by starting another module with one of the buttons in the left-hand side of the header and can be restarted at any time by pressing the statistics button in this area. The statistics display can also be ended by closing the tool window - this automatically starts the live mode.
COLORS FOR MEASURING STATIONS
The following colors are used for the noise measuring stations:
Green: station is running and the current value is below the threshold defined individually for every station.
Yellow: station is running and the current value is above the threshold defined individually for every station.
Orange: station is running and has a recognized aircraft noise event for the current system time.
Red: station is running and the current value exceeds 90 dB(A) - this occurs for example when the calibration is checked.
Gray: a downtime is indicated - this can be caused by weather conditions (thunderstorms, strong gusts of wind, etc.). The downtime of the measuring station will not be taken into account for the continuous noise level calculation or any other report.
Blue: station is temporarily out of service or no measurements are delivered for technical reasons.
DETAILS FOR MEASURING STATIONS
When a measuring station is marked on the map (mouse click), a data panel is opened above the right-hand part of the map, in which various data on the current status of the measuring point is displayed. These are the height of the station above sea level, the current status (normally “In operation”), the current level measurement value and a diagram showing the level progression over the last five minutes.
DETAILS FOR FLIGHT MOVEMENTS
When a flight movement is marked on the map (click on the aircraft symbol or the flight information displayed next to it), a data panel is opened above the right-hand part of the map, in which various data on the current status of the marked flight is displayed. This includes the aircraft type, the operating airline, the runway on which the flight has taken off or will land, the time of take-off or landing, the callsign (if applicable), the current altitude above sea level, the current speed, the current flight direction, the current distance to the airport, the altitude profile of the flight over the last five minutes and a distance graph in relation to the marked position on the map. You can switch between the altitude profile and the distance graph using the two arrow buttons at the bottom of the data panel.
CALCULATED NOISE LEVEL
Using the functions of the address area above the map, the user can mark their own position on the map. This is done either by dragging the house symbol (far left) with the mouse to the desired position on the map or by entering an address to the right of it and then confirming with the Enter key. The button to the right of the house symbol can be used to remove the marking from the map. The i button behind the address field can be used to display further information on the marked position.
By setting your own position, a calculated noise level can be displayed at any location. The calculation of the level is based on the measured values of the aircraft noise monitoring system using the sound propagation equation from the calculation rule “Instructions for calculating aircraft noise”. The calculation is carried out for all flight movements in the immediate vicinity of the marked position and the flight with the highest calculated noise level is assumed to be the originator. The data for this flight, including the calculated noise level, is displayed in the right-hand half of the address area. The calculated level is calculated from a value of 50 dB(A), depending on the distance and on the basis of type-specific average values and can therefore deviate from the actual measured values. If the calculation of the noise level for all flights in the vicinity results in a value of less than 50 dB(A), the noise level display remains blank. Other influencing factors that can lead to deviations from current measured values are meteorological influences, mainly wind direction, wind speed and temperature, the current settings of the aircraft such as flaps, engine speed, load factor and special acoustic influences due to extraneous noise, directional characteristics, attenuation and reflection.
In the majority of cases, the accuracy should lie within a level range of +/- 3 dB(A). The level display should not and cannot claim to calculate the exact measured value for every flight movement, but should provide information on the noise level within the specified accuracy for locations where the airport does not operate a fixed measuring point.
OPTIONS
The display button in the top left corner of the map opens the display dialog in which you can make various settings for the map view. Here you will find the following settings:
- Map type (with a selection box of all available map types)
- Measuring stations (to show and hide the measuring station symbols on the map)
- Flight tracks (with the selection box, the length of the flight tracks behind the aircraft symbols can be set from invisible to complete)
- Flight info (the selection box can be used to set the amount of information displayed on the aircraft symbols)
- Mouse over data display (activate or deactivate additional information when flying over the map objects with the mouse pointer)
The settings made here are saved in cookies and are therefore retained (unless you have deactivated the saving of browser cookies) even if you open the TraVis page later.
MAP LAYER
Airport-specific layers can be added to the map view. For example, flight routes, noise contours, noise protection areas or other layers provided by the airport can be shown or hidden. This can be done via the layer dialog, which can be opened with the layer button in the top left corner of the map. In this dialog you will find all available layers and can activate or deactivate them using the selection buttons. Some of the layers are grouped together so that you can activate or deactivate several layers with one click using the group selection buttons.
The map view can also be operated using the keyboard. If the input focus is on this area, you can zoom out of the map using the - key and zoom into the map using the + key. The current image section can also be moved using the arrow keys and the up/down keys.
Almost all modern Internet browsers offer a full-screen view in which the content of the browser window is enlarged to cover the entire screen without a menu bar or other bars. This mode is usually started with the F11 key and ended with ESC.
You can measure distances on the map by clicking two (or more) positions on the map with the right mouse button. The result of the measurement is displayed in an additional info area in the bottom left-hand corner of your browser window. You can end the measurement by left-clicking on the map.