Florida Tech Student to Use Presagis Software to Study Ways to Reduce Aviation Loss-of-Control Issues

MONTREAL, CANADA--(Marketwired - March 11, 2015) - Nicholas Kasdaglis, a Ph.D. student and research assistant in the Human-Centered Design Institute at Florida Institute of Technology, has been awarded free licenses to use glass cockpit design software from Presagis to better understand and eventually help minimize the leading cause of commercial aviation fatalities.

Kasdaglis, who has his master's degree in human factors from the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics, will use Presagis VAPS XT software as part of his Ph.D. dissertation focusing on the advancement of cockpit design to support pilots in avoiding, recognizing, and recovering from loss of control in-flight (LOCI). Presagis specializes in applications for a wide variety of commercial and military markets including glass cockpits, aircraft simulation, UAS/UAV navigation, sensor and mission training and ground and naval vehicle simulators.

Kasdaglis is focusing on this particular problem because LOCI accounts for the largest number of fatalities in commercial aviation. "This really is a wonderful opportunity that will help in the development of future life-saving tools" Kasdaglis said.

Using Presagis VAPS XT, Kasdaglis will be able to quickly prototype and test various display configurations, allowing him to better adapt the displays to take full advantage of the human strengths and weaknesses, an idea that is central to human-centered design. VAPS XT is used by major avionics and airframe manufacturers to design all types of embedded display graphics ranging from digital and analog instrumentation to next-generation menu-based displays. With its open and extensible object-oriented architecture, the software offers unparalleled control and flexibility in the design of dynamic, interactive, real-time human-machine-interfaces. Used worldwide, VAPS XT is the only embedded graphics tool that allows users to define both object appearance and display logic in one easy graphical editor.

"Security and airworthiness are crucial when designing aircraft cockpits and avionics systems. We are honored to support Mr. Kasdaglis's research work aimed at making flying safer in the future" said Stéphane Blondin, Head of Product Management and Marketing at Presagis.

About Florida Institute of Technology

Founded at the dawn of the Space Race in 1958, Florida Tech is the only independent, technological university in the Southeast. PayScale.com ranks graduates' mid-career median salaries in first place among Florida's universities, and lists Florida Tech among the top 20 universities in the South-both public and private. Featured among the top 200 universities in the world according to Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the university has been named a Barron's Guide "Best Buy" in College Education, designated a Tier One Best National University in U.S. News & World Report, and is one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the Fiske Guide to Colleges. The university offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs. Fields of study include science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, psychology, communication and education. Additional information is available online at www.fit.edu.

About Presagis

Presagis is a global leader providing commercial modeling, simulation and embedded software solutions to the aerospace, defense and security, and critical infrastructure markets. Presagis combines an open simulation development framework with expert professional services to help customers streamline development workflows, reduce project risks, and deliver game-quality immersive simulations. Presagis is also at the forefront of avionics software design for certifiable cockpit displays. The company serves hundreds of customers worldwide, including many of the world's most respected organizations such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, BAE Systems, and CAE. For more information, visit www.presagis.com