What Is an ADS-B?
ADS-B refers to Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast, a surveillance technology that enables aircraft to track each other by using satellite positioning systems (GNSS) to determine their positions and continuously broadcast this information.
Primarily employed in air traffic control, it is a system that notifies aircraft categories, identifications, and maneuvers such as turns, climbs, and descents.
By 2015, ADS-B had become mandatory for all aircraft flying within European airspace. Both Europe and the United States decided to mandate transponder installations in December 2009.
Additional information from this system is added to the transponder response signals emitted by aircraft. By receiving and analyzing this information, including the aircraft’s position data and unique identification address obtained through GPS (Global Positioning System), trajectory data can be acquired.
Uses of ADS-B
This technology is utilized on websites such as ‘Flightradar24.’ Even the general public can easily obtain trajectory data by purchasing a receiving set. There is no obligation for adoption in Japan. Airports in Japan with many international flights can obtain over 90% of trajectory data, while regional airports with more domestic flights may see around 50%.
ADS-B enables more cost-effective, broader, and higher-precision tracking compared to traditional radar systems. It allows aircraft to exchange position information, facilitating individual situational assessments without requiring human intervention—an “entirely automatic” system.
Furthermore, controllers can issue instructions for aircraft to reduce the separation between them compared to traditional methods, aiding in managing high traffic volumes in airspace and airports. This efficiency improvement is expected to lead to cost savings and environmental conservation by reducing waiting times for approach and landing permissions.
The shared information about the surrounding traffic situation, visible to controllers, can also be shared by aircraft, and it allows for obtaining temporary flight restriction information.
ADS-B provides accurate position information even during nighttime or rainy weather. On the ground, it can accurately determine the position of vehicles equipped with ADS-B.
It proves effective in remote areas and mountainous regions with limited radar coverage. The maximum effective range is typically less than 370 km.