美國海岸巡防隊利用先進的搜救技術協助法航447的搜索

美國羅德島南金斯頓（South Kingstown, RI, USA）——來自駐弗吉尼亞州，樸資茅斯市(Portmouth, VA)的救援協調中心的海岸巡防隊搜救專家利用其先進的技術獲取資訊協助法國格裡斯—奈茲(Gris Nez)救援協調中心的官員進行法航447的搜救工作，幫助其搜尋遇難飛機的機身和在墜機中失蹤的乘客和機組人員。

海岸巡防隊使用其最新的先進的搜救軟體系統：搜救優化計畫系統（SAROPS）説明法國當局，該系統可預測海上失蹤物的最佳搜尋區域。美國前交通部總檢察長瑪麗.夏沃(Mary Schiavo)曾說：遺體和飛機殘骸的打撈不僅對遇難者的家人非常重要，而且對事故的調查意義重大。

搜救優化計畫系統（SAROPS），其中也包括反向追蹤能力，可根據漂浮殘骸發現的位置預測搜尋區域。該功能使得搜救計畫制定者制定出最佳的搜尋方式，最大化目標搜尋的成功率。通過殘骸發現的時間，地點等追蹤資訊，搜救優化計畫系統依據指定時段的氣象，風和海洋資料進行反演計算，從而推測飛機的可能墜毀地點。以此位置為基礎，集中搜索飛機的黑匣子。

由於搜救優化計畫系統（SAROPS）可融合最新的即時，預測性的環境資料，如：風和水流，所以可以提供快速的，最佳的搜救預測。該系統是美國應用科學諮詢公司（ASA），諾斯洛普•格魯門公司（Northrop Grumman）和Metron公司共同為美國海岸巡防隊開發的一套軟體。

美國應用科學諮詢公司（ASA）為搜救優化計畫系統（SAROPS）提供關鍵的元件：環境資料伺服器（EDS），該伺服器可為搜救最優計畫系統快速整合，提供氣象和水體動力資料。在海洋搜救過程中，模型內資料更新越快，搜尋區域的預測就會越準確，搜尋到水中遇難者和漂浮殘骸的機會就越大。

美國應用科學諮詢公司(ASA)的總裁艾歐茵.霍萊特（Eoin Howlett）介紹說：“我們的軟體設計時把資料錄入率降到最低，這樣就降低了錯誤發生概率，從而使得搜尋結果比以往更加的精准，有了從衛星，實地觀察，雷達，和模型獲取的各種資料，搜救負責人就可快速地預測可能的事態”。艾歐茵.霍萊特（Eoin Howlett）將繼續帶領其員工進一步開發搜救優化計畫系統。

墜機的具體地點還沒有確定，可能已沉落海底的飛機的黑匣子仍然沒有找到。殘骸和遺體發現的海域範圍深達19,685到26,247英尺(6,000到8,000米）。相當於內布拉斯加州（Nebraska）大小的搜尋範圍，覆蓋77,220平方英里（200,000平方千米），但就在這樣的境遇下，到目前為止仍找到了29具遺體，以及一些飛機碎片和行李。

美國應用科學諮詢公司（Applied Science Associates, Inc.）簡介：
ASA是一家全球性的為各地客戶提供服務的科學技術諮詢公司。通過與客戶的溝通，瞭解客戶所關心的問題，然後進行環境建模和應用開發，為來自政府，工業界，和學術界等不同領域的廣大的客戶提供可行的解決方案。

ASA所提供的方案是基於應用科學和先進的研究和開發。ASA的產品和服務，加之具有廣泛專業知識背景的員工，著重于海洋，淡水，大氣和陸地資源分析，物理，化學和生物過程的建模，地理資訊系統，運籌學研究和資料展示。

總部位於美國羅德島州的南金斯頓，在澳大利亞和巴西還設有分公司。ASA的官方網站www.asascience.com內有其員工撰寫的大量科學文章和報告，以及豐富的公司產品和服務資訊。

Air France Flight 447 Recovery Assisted by U.S. Coast Guard and Advanced Search & Rescue Technology

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI — U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) experts based in the Portsmouth Virginia Rescue Coordination Center assisted officials at the Rescue Coordination Center in Gris Nez, France, with the search for Air France Flight 447 by providing information and advanced technology to help locate the plane’s fuselage as well as recover passengers and crew who were lost in the crash.

Air france flight 447The Coast Guard assisted the French authorities by applying their new, advanced SAR software system called the Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS) that generates optimized search area predictions for objects missing at sea. Recovery of bodies and debris is significant not only for families, but for crash investigators, said Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

SAROPS includes a “reverse drift” capability, which predicts a search area based on the location where floating wreckage is found. This enables search planners to develop optimal search patterns, maximizing the probability of successfully locating search objects. By tracking information on when and where debris is found, the SAROPS system works backward using the weather, wind and sea conditions over a specified period of time to estimate a probable location of the plane. Based on this position, search efforts can be focused to find the plane’s flight data recorders.

SAROPS provides rapid and optimized search and rescue predictions by incorporating the latest real-time and forecast environmental data such as wind and currents. The SAROPS system was developed for the U.S. Coast Guard (deployed in 2007), collaboratively by Applied Science Associates (ASA), Northrop Grumman, and Metron, Inc.

SAROPS interfaceASA delivers the crucial EDS: Environmental Data Server™ component of SAROPS, which quickly aggregates and feeds meteorological and hydrodynamic conditions to the SAROPS system. In search and rescue and recovery operations at sea, the faster responders can get accurate model predictions of search areas, the greater the likelihood is of locating persons in the water and floating wreckage.

“The software is designed to minimize data entry and the potential for error, resulting in more efficient recovery than ever before,” explains Eoin Howlett, ASA’s CEO and lead for the continuing development of the SAROPS system. “The ability to access a variety of data from satellite, in-situ observations, radar, and models allows the search and rescue controller to quickly evaluate possible scenarios.”

The exact location of the crash has not yet been determined. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders also remain missing, and may lay on the ocean floor. The area of ocean where the debris and bodies have been found ranges between 19,685 and 26,247 feet (6,000 and 8,000 meters) deep. The search area covers 77,220 square miles (200,000 square km), an area nearly as big as the state of Nebraska, but so far 29 bodies as well as pieces of the jet and luggage have been recovered.