What is the Vertical Alert Service?
The VALS performs live analyses of known obstacles and surface models to inform about the “clearance” from obstacles within one minute of the flight (length of the BAR express velocity of an aircraft).
In other words, VALS informs about a potential collision within a minute of flying at a given speed and direction.
VALS is supported by a highly responsive DSM (Digital Surface Model) and the real-time altitude conversion (CARS) also developed by ICARUS which means that the source of altitude can be either a barometric sensor (typical for manned aviation) or GNSS (common in UAS).
The VALS features three levels of alert:
- GREEN – No risk of collision
- YELLOW – The clearance from terrain is less than 5m
- RED – Collision imminent, within 1 minute from the alert (this threshold can be customized)
The colour and the length of the bar change in real-time according to the speed and the direction of the UAS.
Enjoy the video!