The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a new, novel and low cost three-dimensional tracking system that can produce a Time and Space Position Information (TSPI) database for developing an FAA Collision Risk Model (CRM) for the final phase of flight. This Collision Risk Model TSPI database will then help the FAA define a better and safer Terminal En-Route Procedures (TERPS) for air-traffic control in the National Air Space (NSA). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has attempted to develop a simple and economic solution to analyze the approaching aircraft's behavior during the time immediately after leaving the instrument approach to landing, in the visual segment, during Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Normally FAA could use laser or radar tracking, but it is expensive, does not acquire sufficient data for a meaningful analysis, and is hampered by the weather itself. The reason this tracking technique is being researched is that little is known of the aircraft's behavior upon leaving the instrument segment of flight in IMC conditions and transitioning to a visual form of flight to the touch down point during a landing.

The new CRM tracking system uses a pair of stationary CCD cameras to record the landing lights of the approaching aircrafts at two sides of the runway. The concept is to apply the left and right pictures from the two cameras to create a stereoscopic image. The stereoscopic images are then used to triangulate the position of the approaching aircraft, which becomes their TSPI data. Every CRM tracking system on a runway includes two CRM tracking units and links to a central CRM data base server computer by GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) wireless network.

The CRM system is new and novel concept and is the first successful low cost attempt to visually track a high speed approaching aircraft. The system satisfies the requirement to provide a large volume of track data on an area of the approach that had not been examined for the risk for collision of each type of aircraft on final approach after leaving IMC condition. Controller and pilot error in the critical phase of flight can be determined in order to implement new FAA procedures for the final approach to landing. This CRM tracking system has proved its functional integrity and has successfully produced high accurate TSPI data for the FAA at the University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airpark (KOUN) and Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (KOKC). This dissertation discusses the details of the CRM tracking system concept, implementation, including software and hardware development. This dissertation also includes the system's function development, calibration, and system definition errors as well as a sample of the data produced by the new system.