An altimeter or an altitude meter, as it is more commonly known, is a device used to measure the altitude and direction of an object over a fixed surface. The measurement of altitude, also known as altimetry, is associated with the word bathymetric, which relates to the art of mapping water levels. Altimeters are usually calibrated to the nearest millimeter. Most altimeters measure both vertical and horizontal surfaces.
An alternative to measuring altitude is the use of a Global Positioning System, also known as GPS, which uses satellites to pinpoint a fixed site. This technology is currently being integrated into many portable devices such as radar guns and cell phones. The advantage of GPS is the ability to determine the location of a person, boat, or automobile within a few feet of accuracy. Furthermore, if a person is hiking or climbing and has stopped for a restroom, a GPS will easily determine his current location and if he needs to continue, where he should be going.
An altimeter, unlike an ATC software program, does not require an operator. It can be directly used by any user to read altitude and air pressure. While an ATC software program is programmed to call the local tower if the tower is unresponsive, an altimeter can read abnormal conditions wherever there is an unresponsive tower. Furthermore, an altimeter is an easy-to-use, portable and lightweight piece of equipment and can easily be carried from the aircraft to hand, whether in a passenger jet, small aircraft or a helicopter.
An altimeter is calibrated using a standard computer model. The reason why an air pressure gauge is referred to as a pressure gauge is because it uses the variation of the pressure measured against the elevation of the atmospheric pressure and compares it with the pressure of the ground. An accurate reading of the barometric pressure indicates the barometric air temperature and altitude. The temperature and altitude can be extremely cold temperatures in the mountains and extremely warm in the deserts. A computer model, which uses mathematical algorithms, computes the data output from this input and computes the pressure based on the parameters it learns from the past readings.
In aircraft, the aneroid altimeter is calibrated to show the pressure directly as an altitude above mean sea level. The demand for altimeters in the aviation sector is expected to decline. This can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has adversely impacted the avionics sector. The global air passenger numbers are expected to decrease significantly during 2020, along with a significant reduction in revenue. Major airlines in the U.S. are also expected to witness significant reduction in passengers from 2019. However, initiatives to boost the aviation sector during Covid-19 is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities for players in the market.
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