The nation's civil aviation sector is adopting advanced
technologies to ensure flight and airport security, according to an
announcement made on Wednesday at the Civil
Aviation?Administration of China (CAAC)'s Sixth
Informatization Forum.
"By incorporating biological sensing technology, chemical
analysis and artificial intelligence, we are developing a type of
security detector to be used in airports," said Huang Rongshun,
vice director of CAAC's Second Research Institute.
An information security management system for airports has also
been developed, Huang said.
According to CAAC's guidelines on informatization for the 10th
Five-Year Plan (2001-2005), the air traffic control system will be
expanded into a more comprehensive network oriented toward flight
safety, efficient management, decision-making support and service
to airlines.
The system will offer better flight planning, more timely flight
information and improved monitoring of meteorological
information.
The guidelines also urge civil aviation enterprises to use
information technology to modernize their operations and
management.
Airlines and airport operators must improve their information
systems to sharpen their competitive abilities in international
markets, Ren Yingli, vice director of CAAC's Department of
Personnel and Education, said at the forum.
E-business in the sector also needs to be promoted and a
platform for air logistics information should be set up, he
said.
According to a survey conducted by Beijing-based CCID
Consulting, more than 5 billion yuan (US$600 million) has been
spent on information technology in China's civil aviation industry
during 2004.
That figure reflects a jump of 21 percent from last year. Most
of the investment has gone into hardware, but Huang predicted that
in the coming years, software development and applications will be
the focus.
(China Daily December 2, 2004)