Everyday thousands of aircrafts fly in the sky. In the mid-term, a huge number of unmanned aircraft will share the airspace with manned ones. To guarantee a safe, ordered and environmentally friendly use of such a scarce resource, specific technologies and procedures must be defined.
 
The ITACA Air Navigation Systems group (SNA) contributes to this global goal by developing research and knowledge transfer in navigation and surveillance technologies and concepts for Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Traffic Management. SNA research activities are focused on two main lines: Performance based surveillance and navigation systems.
 
SNA is currently improving state-of-the-art surveillance monitoring systems by introducing Artificial Intelligence to associate target reports to multitracks and to identify Modes of Flight.
 
SNA also develops research activities to optimise the flight operations and to guarantee safety in contingency situations, including the development of a new concept of operations for conflict management of drones and manned aviation in the U-space, always considering the optimal use of airspace.