Surveillance Accuracy vs Infrastructure Cost
Adopt sensor-fusion and satellite ADS-B architectures to maximise surveillance accuracy while managing lifecycle infrastructure costs under asset management obligations.
CyberTRIZ analysis · Aviation contradiction A148 · one of 8,235 worked contradictions published by CyberTRIZ.AI
Regulations
Business Context
Modern Air Traffic Management depends upon highly accurate surveillance technologies including primary radar, secondary surveillance radar, ADS-B, multilateration, satellite-based surveillance, and integrated sensor networks. Higher surveillance accuracy improves controller awareness and aircraft separation while enabling more efficient airspace utilization. Expanding surveillance capability, however, requires significant investment in infrastructure, maintenance, communications, and cybersecurity.
The Contradiction
Improving surveillance accuracy enhances situational awareness, traffic management, and operational safety. However, expanding surveillance infrastructure increases capital investment, maintenance requirements, technological complexity, and lifecycle costs. Reducing infrastructure investment lowers costs but limits surveillance capability.
Why It Exists
As traffic density grows, surveillance systems must become increasingly sophisticated to maintain operational safety. Infrastructure modernization often requires major investment long before operational benefits become fully measurable.
Triz Perspective
Surveillance capability should improve through intelligent integration rather than simply increasing physical infrastructure. AviationTRIZ encourages scalable surveillance architectures combining multiple technologies into unified operational awareness.
Solution Directions
Expected Benefits
Enhanced situational awareness, improved traffic efficiency, stronger safety performance, optimized infrastructure investment, increased operational resilience, and greater long-term Air Traffic Management capability.