LAWA ACTIVATES NEW PUBLIC INTERNET FLIGHT TRACKING AND NOISE COMPLAINT SYSTEM

07/01/2009 12:00 AM

LAWA ACTIVATES NEW PUBLIC INTERNET FLIGHT TRACKING AND NOISE COMPLAINT SYSTEM

 

            (Los Angeles, California – July 1, 2009)  Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) launches its new public Internet Flight Tracking System today at Los Angeles International (LAX), LA/Ontario (ONT) and Van Nuys (VNY) airports.  The Internet-based program is located on the three airports’ Noise Management pages athttp://www.lawa.org/. (Go to “Quick Links” on the left side of the page and then click on “Noise Management” on the drop-down menu.)

            The new system, called WebTrak, replaces the flight tracking system LAWA has used since 2002, and will also serve as the online noise complaint entry system for each airport.      

            WebTrak allows the public to view movement of flights and air traffic within the greater Los Angeles region, and allows them to obtain information on the flight identification, aircraft type, altitude, and origin/destination airports of any aircraft flying over their neighborhoods.  Real time data in the live mode is delayed 30 minutes for aviation security and system processing reasons.  Historical data is viewed in the Replay mode and is available up to 90 days in the past.

WebTrak’s integrated noise complaint feature will allow residents disturbed by airport noise to view aircraft flight tracks, select an operation that may be the cause, and submit a complaint with the operation information automatically filled in.  It will also allow users to go directly to the noise complaint form if they prefer.

Features of LAWA’s new Internet Flight Tracking System include:

      • Use of FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) ARTS radar data, which improves the quality of the aircraft flight track data;
      • Compatibility with both the Mac and the PC computers, while the previous system only worked with PCs; 
      • An improved map system that allows the user to pan and zoom using the Map Control toolbar, and allows the user to pan the map by left-clicking on the map and dragging to the desired location;
      • Display of noise levels from the numerous noise monitoring terminals (NMT) located in the vicinity of LAX, ONT and VNY in both the Live and Replay modes;
      • Availability of an integrated noise complaint form that the public will use to enter online noise complaints, starting today.  LAWA’s prior online noise complaint form has been discontinued;   
      • Use of an address locator that allows for self-investigation of noise complaints. The user can type in an address and a house icon will automatically be assigned to that location. The user can also click and drag the house to a specific location.
      • A new community locator tool that allows the user to zoom in on communities located in the immediate areas around the airport; and
      • An improved online help function to assist the public in utilizing the full capabilities of the system.

            LAWA Environmental Services Division Manager Robert Freeman said,  “The new and improved features of our WebTrak system provide the public with additional user-friendly tools to understand how aircraft operate in the airspace, and the noise from those operations. It  demonstrates LAWA's continuing commitment to provide residents in neighboring communities with the means to quickly identify and report aircraft operations that cause them concern.”    

                WebTrak is just one feature of LAWA’s new Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring System (ANOMS), which is in the final stages of acceptance.  Full ANOMS implementation will occur soon and will be the culmination of years of work to design and build a comprehensive aircraft noise monitoring and management system with enhanced measurement, analysis and reporting tools.

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