SPECIAL REPORT: IT
Image courtesy of Swissport.
people’s behaviour, such as how long passengers spend landside, the time security takes and how much time is spent in retail areas, for instance. Airports will vastly improve their forecasting and early warning of delays to
improve staff productivity. Distributing that information to various workforce devices will enable airports to become more predictive and agile. Location-based applications will also considerably enhance the effi ciency
and cohesion of the mobile workforce, from ground handling to improving passenger processing to crisis management.
A loyalty programme enabler According to Gartner, smartphones will be the major driving force in the adoption of context-aware applications through 2013; and by 2015, 90% of Global 2000 enterprises with consumer relationships will provide context- enriched applications through mobile platforms. This will be a key driver paving the way for intelligent networks that will
enable context-aware computing. In the next few years, we expect to see more airports implement
geo-location software, allowing their existing networks to be more intelligent and to pinpoint the exact location of thousands of WiFi enabled devices such as mobile phones and laptops or wireless tagged assets including trolleys and baggage. Context-aware computing will provide airports with proximity marketing
opportunities better targeting passengers, increasing customer relationships and enhancing productivity, potentially providing new sources of non- aeronautical revenue for airports. Passengers will expect a vast array of location-based services as a
trade-off for letting the airport constantly track their whereabouts. They will expect to be able to use their device every step of the way providing various points of interest (POI). Once this information is captured and stored, it will lead to other service
offerings such as airport loyalty programmes – the airports’ utopia. Airports will market personalised services such as retail, parking and other commercial assets directly to passengers, based on their fl ight times.
44 AIRPORT WORLD/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010 Airports will know when we arrive in the terminal and immediately provide
navigational information and POIs to our mobile devices. Examples of how context aware computing will improve the passenger journey include: • Geo-location to notify passengers of shortest security checkpoint lines and navigation options
• Push notifi cations to passengers about fl ight gate closings, or delays • Navigation to guide passengers to gate, retail, baggage carousel, transfer services, ATMs, or any relevant POIs
• Navigation back to your tagged vehicle • Offer coupons for retail, based on gate departure location • Notifi cation to airlines of when passengers have arrived at the airport • Parking availability and option to pre-book parking It is exciting to think about all the possibilities that are just around
the corner. As the mobile device explosion intersects with maturing technologies such as context aware computing, location-based services, App stores and mobile platforms, passengers will have a better travel experience and airports will have the opportunity to interact directly with their customers. In addition, airports and their stakeholders will be able to make
better predictions and collaborate in real-time to improve the airport’s operational performance. Through the use of business intelligence tools and information, the
Intelligent Airport will become more effi cient (knowing what happened), effective (knowing what is happening now) and agile (knowing what is going to happen). What was once considered utopia will become reality in the next few years as intelligent solutions unleash the potential of airports.
About the author Ron Reed is SITA’s director of portfolio marketing. He can be contacted at
ron.reed@
sita.aero
AW
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