This is quite a big issue in the US civil aviation industry at the moment - lots of different trials and programmes to improve safety are currently doing the rounds.
Presumably this software will become industry-standard in time...
Story here - http://www.airport-int.com/news/2008/09 ... technology
Alaska Airlines has become the world's first commercial airline to equip its entire fleet with runway incursion prevention technology.
The airline has installed Honeywell's RAAS (Runway Awareness and Advisory System) on its 112 Boeing 737s.
Honeywell, specialists in avionics collision avoidance systems, have developed RAAS to meet market demand for a sophisticated product to improve pilots' situational awareness on the ground.
Ground Proximity Warning
The system is basically a ground proximity warning system, using using satellite technology to accurately determine the aircraft's precise location on the apron and taxiways and alert the crew to a potential collision with another aircraft or ground vehicle.
It also confirms identification tags to help pilots ensure they are correct runway with enough distance to take off and gives an audible warning if a pilot inadvertently accelerates for takeoff while still on a taxiway.
The provides pilots with a moving map cockpit display showing local terrain.
Runway Collisions
Runway incursions and collisions are a significant problem at US airports.
Honeywell's Bob Smith, vice-president of advanced technology division, estimates that at least one incursion occurs every day in the US.
Certainly, authorities have put a big effort into improving safety on aprons and taxiways at US airports throughout this year.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched programmes installing runway warning safety lights (RWSL), runway marking improvements and incident reporting systems.
Honeywell's RAAS is also used by other airlines including Air France, Lufthansa and Emirates - but Alaska is the first airline to fit its entire fleet with the system.