FEBRUARY 23RD, 2017

Lufthansa Systems launches Lido/SurfaceData

Identifying and taking obstacles into account early on is absolutely essential to safe aircraft navigation. While the location and dimensions of natural obstacles such as mountains and rivers are known and largely stable, man-made obstacles such as skyscrapers, bridges and wind turbines are changing all the time. With Lido/SurfaceData, Lufthansa Systems is offering a comprehensive database of worldwide obstacles designed specially for avionics manufacturers and software providers.

“The Lido/Navigation obstacle data is processed in accordance with RTCA DO-200 and meets the DO-276 and DO-291 industry standards. Intensive quality controls in each phase of the process guarantee a premium product,” said Cheng-Yi Cheng, Product Manager Lido/Navigation Data Services. “Furthermore, EASA has certified the Lido/SurfaceData data in accordance with LoA Type 1 and will also regularly audit it in the future.”

Lido/SurfaceData comprises information on around one million obstacles worldwide. These include both fixed and mobile objects. They are located near airports or in a region above the ground where they could affect flight traffic or pose a threat to safety. This standardized collection of obstacle data is based on official sources such as Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP). Its goal is to improve synthetic vision systems as well as ground proximity warning systems and terrain avoidance systems. Airlines can also use the data from Lido/SurfaceData for airport analyses. The data can be used for helicopter software as well.

“Warning systems, sensors, front displays and technical support for synthetic vision improve the situational awareness of pilots and therefore increase safety. Our new Lido/SurfaceData product thus fits perfectly in our portfolio of Lido/Navigation solutions,” Cheng said.

As an aviation IT specialist, Lufthansa Systems is an expert in the field of aircraft navigation. Lido/Navigation solutions are being used successfully by more than 200 airlines and customers of all sizes, with various business models and different alliances. Each year, around 570 million passengers worldwide take flights that rely on paper-based or electronic navigation maps from Lufthansa Systems. In the context of route planning, Lufthansa Systems also has years of experience in processing obstacle data.