FOD Finder in Vancouver

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is the first commercial airport in the world to install a day and night camera to its existing Tarsier Foreign Object Debris (FOD) radar detection system. The new camera will upgrade the airport’s 24-hour automated runway debris detection system in all weather conditions by providing visual confirmation of any potentially dangerous objects on the runway. Tarsier’s high-resolution radar and advanced day and night camera work in tandem to provide continuous runway monitoring and safety. The camera’s innovative illuminator helps produce FOD images in all light levels, turning night into day and giving operators greater confidence and certainty. “The camera allows us to determine quickly whether the FOD is a two inch worm that poses no threat, or a broken zipper from a suitcase that does,” said Brett Patterson, Director, Airside Operations, Vancouver Airport Authority. “QinetiQ’s innovative Tarsier system is an integral part of our safety management program that enables us to monitor the runway continuously with no disruption to runway operations.”
FOD as small and seemingly innocuous as a bolt, discarded plastic bag or clamshell dropped by a bird on the runway can cause serious damage to aircraft and poses a potential safety risk. Each year, loose objects on airport runways, taxiways and aprons cost the global aviation industry an estimated US $12-billion. When FOD is detected, an alarm is triggered in the airport’s Operations Center where the user display highlights the object’s location. The camera zooms in, sending a live image for visual confirmation and the object’s GPS coordinates are provided, enabling accurate location and retrieval of the object in a matter of minutes.