Telematics is widely used in vehicles these days and hence is a significant element of the aviation industry. With increased globalization, the aviation industry is also rapidly growing, therefore, there is a need to control and operate several aircraft and flight-related operations. Multiple start-ups and companies are working towards real-time telematics to handle aviation services. Read on to gain insight and closely understand real-time telematics and their employment in the aviation industry.

Real-time Telematics and the Aviation Industry

Real-time telematics is an essential aspect of the aviation industry. This is because it gives the aviation managers the ability to keep complete track of the vehicle and its whereabouts. Telematics enables the management of operations, maintenance, transportation, safety, and all related data in the aviation department. It is critical to adopt practices that help save time in a fast-moving world. Thus, real-time telematics offers a faster way to get live updates and take appropriate actions if needed to ensure the safety of an aircraft, for instance.

Multiple airlines operate in many different parts of the world. Airline companies must know the operational activities of all their vehicles. They need to be able to know the location of an aircraft at all times, whether on the ground or in the air. This is where telematics is used to give a global view of the operations. Moreover, safety and efficient navigation are essential components of the aviation industry. These reasons and challenges have opened up new ventures and start-ups that are contributing to telematics so as to support the aviation industry’s needs and counter the challenges that it faces.

How is Real-time Telematics employed in the Aviation Industry?

Daedalian is a company established in Switzerland in 2016. It consists of the technology to obtain real-time data about air vehicles. The company makes use of real-time embedded systems that improve the overall performance of the aircraft. Adding on, camera and radar-based positioning provides complete situational awareness. The company’s products allow for detecting the vehicle’s position and also offer landing guidance. The products also consist of multisensor fusion and large-scale deep neural networks. All of these facilitate the aviation industry.

Another start-up launched in India is called LocoNav. This contributes to giving complete visibility over the vehicle. It is a tech company that makes use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). IoT solutions are also used to make operations cost-effective and also ensure the safety of pilots and the aircraft itself.

Pzartech Ltd. is also a start-up that was initiated in 2015. Their aim is to improvise maintenance. They do so by building computer vision-based components to support individuals involved in the maintenance of the aircraft’s technical issues. They can do so via smartphones by receiving data live on them.

Furthermore, GlobalBeacon is also one of the recent examples of a project that was launched to provide better fleet management. It is a product of FlighAware. Qatar Airways launched it. This facilitates the airline by providing global flight tracking. It provides live updates about the location of all aircraft under Qatar Airways by integrating with the airline’s existing system.

There are also some very recent start-ups that involve telematics for safety and better aviation management. Airio is a company that was founded in 2020. The basic objective of this venture is to collect aerial data to provide navigation and air traffic management solutions specifically for aerial vehicles that are unpiloted.

Aerovect is also a company that provides cargo-handling solutions for the aviation industry along with ground operation management. It came into existence in 2020. It makes use of sensors, radars, cameras, and GPS-RTK for accurate navigation and reporting the safety of the aircraft. These tools also aid in efficient fleet management.

Another example is a company called Beacon AI established in 2021 in SanFransisco. The basic aim of this start-up is to use AI for operational purposes and flight safety. This is to increase overall efficiency and reduce human error. It does so by obtaining live details for flight support, fleet monitoring, optimizing routes, and ensuring the safety of the pilot.

Benefits of Real-time Telematics

There are various benefits that telematics offers to aviation management.

• Cost reduction is a notable advantage. Real-time telematics leads to improvement in route planning, and this can lead to a reduction in fuel consumption, hence resulting in a decreased cost. It can also trigger early warnings regarding engine light or fuel consumption. This allows any problems with the vehicle to be solved immediately.
• Monitoring of the aircraft becomes convenient. Data is continuously sent to a central software. GPS connectivity is a major component, so the real-time location can be collected from anywhere at any time. This makes it feasible to collect any data related to the location of the aircraft or the information regarding the route that is being followed. It enhances the overall efficiency in the management and operations. In case of any unusual happenings, warnings can be sent to the concerned departments accordingly.
• Real-time telematics gives better control over the performance of the vehicle. Certain metrics can be set for fuel consumption, speed, etc., and then warnings can be generated in accordance with the requirements or limits set for a particular aircraft. Fleet operators can also define certain boundaries within which the aircraft must remain. The vehicle can be alerted if it crosses the defined boundaries.
• Most flying accidents happen during landing or taking-off. Analyses of speed and angle along with weather conditions via telematics can also boost the performance of the aviation industry, in general.

Future Potential

The telematics sector seems to be growing with time. It holds an important position when it comes to fleet management. Obtaining real-time data continues to bring improvements to the overall system and its organization. The future of the aviation industry with respect to telematics holds further development in this area as IoT is becoming more and more integrated into the automobile industry. The idea of real-time telematics in aviation is expected to grow as technology prospers in terms of engineering and vehicle technology and artificial intelligence.