Situational Awareness During Airfield Operations

Airfield operations are increasingly complex

Airfield operations are constantly moving. Vehicles cross movement areas, runway status changes in real time, weather shifts quickly, and operational priorities evolve throughout a shift. During active operations, teams are often coordinating multiple activities across a large, changing airfield environment.

That is why situational awareness has become such an important conversation across airport operations.

It is not simply about wanting more visibility. It is about maintaining shared operational understanding as complexity increases, especially when vehicles, crews, aircraft activity, temporary restrictions, and weather-related operational pressures are changing at the same time.

What ATIMS is

ATIMS, or Asset Tracking and Incursion Management, is a GPS/GIS-based airfield situational awareness system designed to help airport teams monitor vehicle activity, manage alert zones, and support runway incursion prevention.

ATIMS combines a high-resolution airfield moving map with Runway Incursion Warning System (RIWS) logic. It gives vehicle operators in-vehicle alerts when they are nearing, entering, or leaving defined safety zones, while also giving operations teams a real-time and historical view of vehicle activity from the operations centre.

For airports focused on movement-area awareness, low-visibility operations, winter operations, or fleet coordination, ATIMS helps create a more complete operational picture across the airfield.

Situational awareness is more than vehicle tracking

When people hear situational awareness, they often think about maps or vehicle locations. But operational awareness on the airfield goes deeper than that.

Airports may be managing:

• snow removal operations

• low visibility conditions

• maintenance deployments

• temporary closures

• construction or hazard zones

• runway inspections

• changing operational restrictions

• multiple vehicle teams operating at once

• aircraft and ground vehicle movement visibility

During active events, conditions can change quickly. And when teams rely entirely on radio communication, information gaps can develop fast.

This is especially true during:

• overnight operations

• winter events

• reduced visibility conditions

• large fleet deployments

• changing runway priorities

• temporary airfield hazards

• construction or maintenance activity

Crews need a shared understanding of:

• vehicle activity

• movement area status

• deployment timing

• operational restrictions

• changing alert zones

• runway proximity

• coordination between teams

• historical vehicle movement records

Without that awareness, operational pressure rises quickly.

Operational visibility supports better coordination

Airports operate in highly coordinated environments. A single winter event may involve:

• plows

• sweepers

• blowers

• inspection teams

• maintenance crews

• operations leadership

• support vehicles

All of those groups may be active in overlapping areas at the same time.

ATIMS helps operations teams see specific vehicle groups or all vehicles on the system, depending on what needs to be monitored. Vehicle speed can also be displayed, and the operations view can include a real-time dashboard of alert activity.

Maintaining this visibility supports:

• deployment coordination

• operational pacing

• movement area awareness

• communication between teams

• response timing

• continuity during active events

• post-event review and reporting

Because during demanding operations, uncertainty creates friction. The more fragmented the operational picture becomes, the harder coordination becomes.

Runway incursion prevention is raising the stakes

As airports continue focusing on runway incursion prevention and FAA Advisory Circular 150/5210-25A, operational awareness systems are becoming a larger part of coordination discussions.

ATIMS is designed to support RIWS logic and is compliant with FAA Advisory Circular 150/5210-25A. The system can provide in-vehicle audible and visual alerts based on defined zones and conditions, including approaching, entering, or leaving a safety area.

Airports can use ATIMS to support:

• movement area awareness

• runway safety area visibility

• operational communication

• alert zone visibility

• deployment coordination

• vehicle activity awareness

• incursion analysis and incident review

This matters most during:

• low visibility operations

• winter events

• changing runway conditions

• high-activity operational periods

• temporary closures or hazards

• construction activity near operational areas

Because awareness becomes harder to maintain as activity increases.

Flexible geofencing and custom alert zones

A key part of ATIMS is its ability to support geo-fenced areas across the airfield. These geofences can be used to create RIWS-related alert zones and other operational warning areas.

Geo-fenced areas may include:

• line markings

• ILS critical areas

• runway safety areas

• hotspots

• one-way travel roads

• temporary “no go” zones

• construction areas

• ponding or temporary hazards

• other airport-defined areas

Temporary zones can be drawn on the map by an administrator without requiring a GIS update. This gives airports flexibility when airfield conditions change, such as during construction, maintenance activity, or temporary operational restrictions.

Alerts can also be customized by zone. Audible and/or visual alerts can be triggered when conditions are met, including when a vehicle is approaching, entering, or leaving a zone. Alerts can also be configured based on heading or speed, which helps reduce unnecessary alerts and supports more relevant warnings for specific operating conditions.

Vehicle operators get practical in-vehicle awareness

ATIMS supports in-vehicle awareness through a moving map display with audible and visual alerts. The display can show the vehicle’s location on the airfield, nearby warning zones, and the position and heading of nearby vehicles.

The system supports fixed or mobile in-vehicle devices across Windows, iOS, and Android. Airports can use their own devices or source devices from Eagle.

For operators who need simple audible and visual warnings without a map display, ATIMS LITE provides a sound/light panel option. This is designed for vehicle operators who need immediate alerts near defined zones but may not be able to monitor a screen while performing airfield maintenance or other tasks.

Offline operation helps maintain continuity

Airfield technology needs to keep working when conditions are not ideal. ATIMS is designed so key in-vehicle functionality can continue if internet or cellular connectivity is interrupted.

Each vehicle can be equipped with an EagleLink edge computing device that provides GPS and cellular connectivity, while also supporting the local map and RIWS logic. If connectivity to the EagleView cloud platform is lost, the vehicle’s position on the map and RIWS alerts continue to work. When connection is restored, data re-syncs, including the vehicle trail.

This helps maintain continuity during active operations and supports accurate historical records after the event.

EagleView connects the operational picture

ATIMS is built on EagleView, Eagle’s cloud-based software platform. EagleView provides the central operational view, dashboard, administrative tools, reporting, and data aggregation capabilities.

Through EagleView, airport teams can support:

• airport-wide visibility of vehicles and optional aircraft position

• real-time notification of alerts

• remote management of fleet-wide RIWS alarms and geofences

• customizable dashboards

• tailored reports

• historical vehicle playback

• centralized administration

• scalable deployment across single-site or multi-airport operations

EagleView can be deployed in public cloud, private cloud, or on-premise environments depending on airport requirements.

Real-time awareness reduces uncertainty

One of the biggest challenges during active airfield operations is uncertainty.

Uncertainty around:

• vehicle positioning

• operational timing

• deployment coordination

• changing movement area conditions

• operational status

• runway proximity

• alert zone activity

• whether a vehicle has fully exited a defined safety area

The more uncertainty increases, the more operational pressure increases with it.

ATIMS helps reduce that uncertainty by providing real-time vehicle tracking, high-frequency vehicle position updates, configurable alerts, dashboard visibility, and historical records for review.

It is not designed to replace operational expertise. It is designed to support faster coordination, clearer understanding, and better-informed decisions.

Reporting and historical playback support review

Operational awareness does not end when an event is over. Airports also need reliable records for review, training, compliance checks, and incident investigations.

ATIMS and EagleView support customizable reports that can be filtered by tracked fields and configured with user-selected columns. Reports can be saved and scheduled for distribution to defined recipients.

Examples include:

• alert reports

• detailed alert event reports

• vehicle playback reports

• historical route playback

• dashboard views tailored to airport needs

This gives teams a clearer record of what happened, where vehicles moved, and when alerts occurred.

Supporting continuity across the airfield

Operational continuity matters during every active event.

Delays, communication gaps, or visibility limitations can affect:

• deployment timing

• maintenance coordination

• operational efficiency

• movement area planning

• response pacing

• team coordination

• post-event review

ATIMS supports real-time airfield visibility, vehicle tracking, RIWS logic, customizable geofencing, in-vehicle alerts, offline continuity, historical playback, and operational reporting.

For airports focused on improving situational awareness, runway incursion prevention, low-visibility coordination, winter operations, and decision confidence, maintaining visibility across the airfield matters.

Request a walkthrough to see how ATIMS supports airfield situational awareness, runway incursion prevention, real-time vehicle tracking, custom geofencing, low-visibility operations, and fleet coordination without adding operational noise.