Volpe Center: Air Quality Facility Staff Biography

Volpe's Work

Volpe Center Air Quality Facility

Staff Biography

Joseph W. Ruggiero
M.S., Computer Science,
Boston University, MA, 1988
B.S., Electrical Engineering,
Villanova University, 1967

Joseph Ruggiero is a computer engineer working in the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division at the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Since the spring of 2000 he has worked on designing and implementing the FAA's System for assessing Aviation's Global Emissions (SAGE). SAGE is a state-of-the-art computer model that models worldwide fuel burn and emissions. The system uses parallel-processing techniques to process both recorded radar flight data (from the Volpe Enhanced Traffic Management System) and simulated flights from the Official Airlines Guide.

He joined the Center in 1985 as a contractor, and worked for the Center's Surveillance and Sensors Division. He was the lead developer for test and analysis software for a variety of FAA projects including acceptance testing of prototype Microwave Landing System equipment, and interference and jamming tests of Global Position Satellite equipment.

In 1997 the Center's Airport Surface Division hired him as a Federal Employee. He was lead software developer for the Volpe Center developed Surveillance Server. The Surveillance Server is a real-time system that fuses information from multiple sensors and subsystems and provides a visual representation of all aircraft in the airport terminal area. Mr. Ruggiero helped to successfully demonstrate the system in fall of 2000 as part of the NASA/FAA Dallas/Ft. Worth Synthetic Vision System demonstration. He helped to install the system in Memphis International Airport where it is currently being used as part of the FAA's Safe Flight 2000 demonstration program.