The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have extended their collaboration in the Air Traffic Management Research Institute (ATMRI) for another five years.
“The two parties have committed an initial SGD43 million in joint funds, and will invest up to another SGD18 million subject to programme needs, to develop solutions to improve airspace and airport capacity, as well as to enhance the safety and efficiency of flight operations,” said NTU in a press release.
Soh Poh Theen, Deputy Director-General (Air Navigation Services), CAAS and Professor Lam Khin Yong, Vice-President (Research) of NTU Singapore signed the collaboration extension agreement.
According to the agreement, over the next five years, NTU’s ATMRI will engage in five areas of research to develop the next generation of air traffic management solutions. They are in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science, Urban Aerial Transport Traffic Management and Systems, Regional Air Traffic Management Modernisation, Exploratory Studies of Emerging Technologies and Talent Development, with a focus on innovation.
An important goal of the institute is to offer expertise to airports of other ASEAN states to analyse their air traffic and operational procedures. The aim is to optimise regional air traffic, improve turnaround time for flights within the region and reduce delays for travellers.
Researchers from the institute have worked with Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
According to the agreement, over the next five years, NTU’s ATMRI will engage in five areas of research to develop the next generation of air traffic management solutions. They are in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science; Urban Aerial Transport Traffic Management and Systems; Regional Air Traffic Management Modernisation; Exploratory Studies of Emerging Technologies, and Talent Development with a focus on innovation.
“The research coming out from ATMRI has been very promising and the expanded research focus over the next five years will build on NTU’s expertise in robotics, artificial intelligence and data science,” said Prof Subra Suresh, NTU president.
“With NTU’s strengths in these areas and Singapore having one of the world’s best airports, together we can make Singapore a world leader in air traffic management. NTU has strong capabilities in AI and data science, which can be applied to the aviation sector in new ways to bring about greater efficiency and safety,” he added.
“These intelligent technologies will be developed at the NTU Smart Campus and rigorously tested at our research facilities, which will pave the way for future solutions that will allow Singapore to remain competitive as a world-class aviation hub,” he said.
“ATMRI is well-placed to build on its good achievements. The projects they have undertaken thus far have delivered useful insights and meaningful results. In the next phase of our collaboration, we plan to explore artificial intelligence, data science, as well as other emerging technologies to elevate Singapore’s air traffic management capabilities,” said Kevin Shum, Director-General of CAAS.
“By leveraging technology, we will be able to manage even higher volumes of traffic whilst maintaining the highest levels of safety and service standards,” he added.