Airbox Systems showcased its versatility and interoperability at the G7 Summit, Cornwall.

Wantage, Oxfordshire 15 June 2021 – Airbox Systems was the unifying situational awareness technology between emergency responders, military and overseas operations during the G7 Summit. Creating a multi-agency operational picture allowed all teams to work across the area and keep the situation in check during the critical days of the Summit.

The technical ability of Airbox allowed for the creation of a dynamic operating picture that involved a number of responding units. ?Airbox Systems covered air, sea and land assets and had the ability to visualise all these assets in one clear operating picture when and if required. The singular operating picture offered live feeds of police, ambulance and fire?connecting with the air response units. Prior to the event, building schematics and additional mapping overlays were integrated for quick and agile usage.

?Gerry Hill MBE QGM + BAR, Director and Co- Founder of Airbox Systems said: “A large number of Airbox’s existing clients were involved in the G7 Summit providing a vital part of the security picture.?Knowing where your assets are on the ground and air gives confidence to both the individual operators and commanders at all levels.?I am confident that Airbox brought Situational Awareness to a new level through mapping, schematics, overlays and the tracking of assets over the period of the Summit. The feedback has been excellent and it’s another step forward for Airbox in providing the very best situational awareness tool on the market.”

?For some on site, the Airbox System was a new feature to their tool kit and the team were on hand to enable the end user with quick and clear set up, A/Sgt Tom Shainberg of Devon & Cornwall Police used Airbox to enhance his picture for counter-drone work. Tom said “Airbox provided technical mapping capability to us during the G7 summit, supporting our delivery of a safe and secure event. Three individuals were detained during the course of the event after they flew their drone into temporary restricted airspace where a number of manned aviation operated. The ability to mark up the map during live tracking allowed for a quick search to locate the individuals. Additionally, it allowed us to successfully integrate drones into a complex airspace, allowing a safe and reliable operating space for all air users.”

To help with the preparation of this complex operation with its many locations the support of a number of departments within Devon & Cornwall Police was required.?Rob Goldsmith of Devon & Cornwall Police said: “As a GIS practitioner I found working with the Airbox team to be simple and effective. The process of sending GIS data was easy with our data uploaded and deployed to the end user almost instantly. The utilisation of the system helped highlight the wide operational benefits of having GIS data easily accessible to key stakeholders.”

‘From a GIS perspective the G7 went smoothly. Being able to visualise the different assets provided a clear picture from the operations room, and aided decisions such as where to allocate resources. Great communication and engagement from the GIS departments of the different users, helped me build a large database of schematics and overlays. The most common question was Where? Which Airbox delivered an answer.’ Adam Nottingham, GIS Engineer, Airbox. One of the integrated live overlay was deployed earlier in the year and used during the event, Google’s Waze. This particular map was used to navigate the roads around the area as the majority were small and complex. Airbox trialled the Waze overlay “I used the Waze overlay to navigate the complicated and small roads around Carbis Bay, it saved time getting to my location, allowed me to circumnavigate accidents and decrease the time spent on the roads.” Gerry Hill.

Airbox air navigation system was used during the G7 Summit RAFRLO Wing Commander C commented “The G7 aviation security plan had ACANS built in from the start but even as a regular user I had no idea how much we would all gain from having all of the aircraft and UAVs, Police, Military and commercial, on the system.?I had incredible situational awareness sat in the Police HQ miles from the nearest radar feed; I don’t think we used anywhere near the full capability of ACANS but the enhancement in operational employment, aviation safety and ability to brief commanders using real time information was superb.?With more imagination we could have had more Airbox deployed on the water as well as in the air to create a full multi-domain picture command and control tool.?My aim is to better understand the wider capabilities of Airbox and to never deploy on UK aviation related operation without ACANS being fully embedded from the outset, both in the planning and execution of the mission.”

Airbox Systems Limited was formed in early 2008 by pilot and engineer William Moore, to realise the potential of their combined experience in aircraft navigation technology. With a focus on innovation, safety and the highest levels of customer service, Airbox is redefining the leading edge of navigation technology. Airbox works with many leading aviation organisations including the Civil Aviation Authority, National Air Traffic Services, all sectors of the airborne emergency services, the military and the law enforcement community.