WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1982
COMPUTERISED AUTOMATIC MESSAGE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
FOR KAI TAK ****
A CONTRACT, VALUED AT ABOUT $9 MILLION, HAS BEEN PLACED ON BEHALF OF THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT BY CABLE AND WIRELESS (HONG KONG) LTD. FOR THE SUPPLY, INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING OF A COMPUTER-BASED AUTOMATIC MESSAGE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
THE EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER IS THOMSON - C.S.F. TELEPHONE OF FRANCE WITH INFA CORPORATION LTD. AS ITS LOCAL AGENT.
THE NEW SYSTEM WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING ELECTRO-MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT WHICH HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE 1963, AND HAS IN RECENT YEARS BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT AND COSTLY TO MAINTAIN, DUE TO ITS OBSOLESCENCE AND LACK OF SPARE PARTS.
THE AUTOMATIC MESSAGE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FORMS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF AN INTEGRATED WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF COMMUNICATION CIRCUITS, SET UP BY THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANISATION, TO FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE OF AVIATION RELATED TELEGRAPHIC MESSAGES BETWEEN AIRPORTS, NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE SAFE, REGULAR, EFFICIENT, AND ECONOMICAL OPERATION OF AIR SERVICES.
MESSAGES CONVEYED OVER THIS NETWORK INCLUDE FLIGHT PLANS, FLIGHT CO-ORDINATION MESSAGES, AIRCRAFT POSITION REPORTS, METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS ETC.
IN ADDITION TO ITS MAIN FUNCTION OF MESSAGE SWITCHING, THE NEW SYSTEM WILL ALSO PROVIDE MANY EXTRA AUTOMATIC FUNCTIONS AT PRESENT PERFORMED BY OPERATORS.
AMONG THEM ARE THE AUTOMATIC COMPILATION AND DISSEMINATION OF METEOROLOGICAL DATA BULLETINS. THE SYSTEM WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE USEFUL STATISTICS ON THE MESSAGE TRAFFIC HANDLED.
BESIDES GAINING THE APPARENT BENEFIT OF A REDUCTION IN THE OPERATIONAL STAFF DUE TO AUTOMATION, THE REPLACEMENT SYSTEM WILL IMPROVE ON AND STREAMLINE THE PRESENT OPERATION.
1984.
THE NEW SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL IN EARLY
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