introduction to ict

introduction to ICT ( information and

communication  technology

 INTRODUCTION 

You have learned about the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology)
at various places. In your previous class, you have learned about communication
technology. Let us now learn the use of ICT in transportation.

ICT AND TRANSPORTATION

Transportation is a process of moving people, animals, and goods from one
place to another. Common forms of transportation include airplanes, trains,
automobiles, and other two-wheeler devices. ICT affects transportation directly
and indirectly in a number of ways. Let us learn about them.

Air Traffic Control

You are familiar with traffic police controlling the movement of vehicles
on busy roads. Have you wondered how the air traffic is controlled helping
smooth take-off landing of aircraft? All air space is divided into sectors with the
help of technology. Each sector is monitored by an air traffic controller with the help
of radars and computers. The air traffic controller controls the take-off and landing
of aircraft. From the time an aircraft takes off until the time it lands, it is guided by a
number of controllers. Each controller has a screen in front, showing the critical
data of every aircraft in the air and on the ground. The computer system has input from
a very advanced radar system that tracks the position of every aircraft in the air within its
control area. The air traffic controller receives the data, interprets and instructs each pilot
on landing, take off or stay in the stack. Let us learn how this air traffic control
system works.


Preflight:

he airport's air traffic control tower gives the aircraft a route clearance tofly and tells the pilot which taxiways to use in preparation for take off.

Take off:
The airport tower controller gives the plane clearance for take off.

Departure:

After the plane is five miles beyond the airport, the control of the plane is transferred to
TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) which handles departing and approaching
aircraft within its space. During this phase, the aircraft is routed away from the airport via,
an assigned route.

In the air:

The aircraft is handed off to ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control
Center), aradar facility overseeing flights passing through its zone. The controller monitors the

flight and gives instructions to the pilot.

Descent:

When the plane is within about 50 miles from its destination airport, it is

handed to the destination's TRACON controller.

Approach:

The TRACON controller helps to keep the track of the
descending aircraftand allocate them runway.

Landing:

The flight is handed off to the local

controller at the destination airport's control tower. This local controller issues
clearance for landing. The aircraft lands and is handed off to the ground controller,
who directs the pilot across the taxiways to the destination gate.

Do You Know

A taxiway is a path for aircraft, to an airport connecting runways
with hangars, terminals and other facilities. The traffic collision avoiding
the system warns the pilots if another aircraft is too close and gives instructions
how to avoid it.

Careers in ICT

An Aerospace Engineer is concerned with designing, testing,
maintaining and supervising the making of aircraft. How to become - Bachelor's
degree in aerospace engineering/mechanical engineering/software engineering/
product engineering. Skills – Strong problem-solving skills,
innovative and investigative skills, programming skills.

Global Positioning System

You have heard about satellites being launched and successfully placed
into orbits to move around the earth. Do you know that some of these
satellites can tell usabout our exact location with the help of advanced technology?
Let us learn about the global positioning system. A satellite-based navigation system
made up of a network

of satellites to transfer signal information or locate positions at any point on earth is called
Global Positioning System (GPS). A pocket-sized device called a GPS Receiver
with the help of signals received from these satellites can tell its user the location or
position at any moment.

A mobile phone programmed with 'GPS Phone Tracker' transforms a. Smartphone

into a GPS tool to create a system that allows seeing where you are, what your speed is

(if traveling) and the time. The GPS is used in cars, boats, ships, airplanes and cellular

phones.

For example, the base maps displayed on the GPS screen
in your car gives you guidelines to travel on the right route.
The service is available round the clock anywhere in the world

and is not dependent on the weather.

Working Of GPS Using A Smartphone

Let us learn how GPS works on a smartphone. Make sure that the smartphone is

connected through the Internet.

Step 1

icon present at the bottom of the smartphone screen. A new screen appears.

Step 2

Select and tap the Maps icon to open it. A new screen appears

Step 3

Tap icon. A new screen appears.

Step 4

Type the starting and destination points using the virtual keyboard. A new screen

appears showing the route.

Step-5.

Tap An icon to start the navigation.

Listen to the voice that prompt you to begin the trip. Notice the arrow sign A).

It will move as you move through the route.

Driverless Car

A driverless car is a self-driving car that is capable of safelymoving
from one place to another without a human driver. The only role of a
human in such cars is to provide the destination. It is the car of the future which is totally
computer controlled and can see, talk and drive by itself. Let us see how a driverless
car works. There are several systems that work

together to control a driverless car.

Radar Sensors

It detects the position of vehicles nearby.

Video Camera

It detects traffic light, read road signs and keep track of
other vehicles.It also looks for pedestrians and other obstacles on the way.

Lidar Sensors

It helps to detect the edges of roads and identify lane marking.

Ultrasonic Sensors

It is present in the wheels and detects the position of vehicles while parking

Central Computer System

It analyses all data from the various sensors and controls the steering, acceleration

and braking,

EDUCATIONAL ROBOTS

Let us learn about an interesting educational robot that helps you to
build robots and gives you a greater understanding of robotics.

Cubelets

Cubelets is a robot construction kit. It is a simple way to create a
functional robot using a combination of different blocks. The blocks resemble your
standard building blocks where each block is a robot. Distance There are between 6-20
blocks in a kit. Each block has abattery /maximums name and function. It is important
to know what they do not individually so that you can group them together into robots.

There are three types of blocks:

Think blocks

Think blocks are smart. They can do maths or logic functions. They are like
simple little brains.

Action blocks

Action blocks do things. They are like outputs. They are like your eyes or voice.

Sense blocks:

Sense blocks pay attention to things. They are like inputs. They are like your

sense of sight, hearing or touch.

Building A Robot

Cubelets can be an invention of a variety of ways to build robots.
Let us learn to build a robot using the Cubelets. Simple Critter - This is simple
reactive robot that drives ina line if it gets input. We can make a simple critter out
of only three blocks-Drive, Battery and Distance. Join one Distance block, two Drive
block, and one Battery block together as shown. Put your hand behind and the robot
will move forward.

Careers in ICT

A Robotic Engineer design builds and tests productive and safe robots. How
to become - Bachelor's degree in robotics engineering/computer
engineering/electro-mechanical engineering/electrical engineering/mechanical
engineering,

Skills - Innovative and investigative skills, numerical and logical reasoning, associative
and visual memory.

I hope you like this article.