Are Airports the Next Smart Cities? - Hitachi Vantara
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Are Airports
the Next
Smart Cities?
Sponsored by
Are Airports the Next Smart Cities?
Contents
Executive Summary 2
Business Operations Challenges 2
The Airport as a Smart City 3
Technology To Achieve a Smart Airport 4
Vision for the Future 5
Innovation Leads to Solutions 7
Executive Summary
As mega airports open in the Middle East and Asia, existing airports its connections and services outside and into the surrounding cities?
continue to see record numbers of travelers. A great deal of business It allows an airport to be seen as an important destination in itself
press coverage is focused on these developments, considering and economic driver for its region.
implications to security and efficiency, or the grandeur of new In this whitepaper we will consider how video intelligence, artificial
architecture. The press is also looking at ever-evolving digital intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) can be used to create
transformation, which is disrupting airports and the technology they “smart spaces,” which help make smart airports and airport urbanism
use. It is clear from airport industry news that over the course of the possible. It is important from the beginning to note the importance of
last year airports are beginning to follow the smart city model and maintaining the privacy of the individuals within the airport at all times.
change the definition of destination airports. That should be the expectation from any technology used to support
“Airport urbanism1” is an approach that takes these concepts to these concepts. Innovations in technology are allowing for protection of
another level. How does the airport impact nearby cities and expand privacy or intelligence without surveillance.
Business Operations Challenges
Airports need to drive revenue and growth, just like any other business. airport can provide to their retail partners, the smarter they can be in
Although airports are challenged by regulation and security, they still providing and marketing their products to potential customers passing
need to think like a business and be customer centric to accomplish by their shops, increasing conversion rates and business efficiency.
these goals. According to the International Air Transport Association There’s also an opportunity within airports to establish stronger
(IATA), the number of air passengers could increase to 8.2 billion partnerships between airports and airlines. For example, airline
yearly in 20372. This is an amazing opportunity to address a captive lounges are part of the overall customer experience. By analyzing the
audience with new services to improve the travel experience and build movement of passengers, the airlines can ensure that their lounges are
new revenue streams. Additionally, a study by airline industry IT and adequately staffed and stocked with food and beverages. The amount
telecommunications provider SITA found that an extra 10 minutes of carry-on baggage being transported through the airline lounges can
in the security line will reduce airport retail spending by 30%3. This also help predict a possible overhead bin shortage on the aircraft. Data
reinforces the linkage between efficiency in the security process and that helps to understand where passengers spend their time in the
the opportunity to drive retail revenues. lounges, such as the work area, TV area, buffet and bar, shower and
The same SITA study predicts annual airport retail spending at $22 spa facilities, can help plan for future functionality that will provide a
billion, which leads us to the second consideration: How can retail better airline lounge experience.
spending be increased in airports? Just as the technology does in Attracting visitors to the landside public areas of airports is another way
shopping malls and stores, the use of video intelligence can help retail to increase retail revenue, which doesn’t need to be limited to passengers
establishments better understand how passengers are moving through who are flying. Families dropping off or picking up loved ones might take
their establishments. It can uncover information as to where retail the opportunity to shop. And, depending on the location of the airport, it
traffic is coming from or going to, how long people spend in the shops, could even be a destination location for local residents who don’t even
and which areas they spend the most time in. The more information an enter the airline terminal, but just visit to use the landside facilities.
The Airport as a Smart City Airports globally are recognized as being similar to smart cities, as they focus on delivering improvements to operations, sustainability, experience and business vitality. Let’s consider four such airports that represent major geographic regions of the world: America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East4. For any airport looking to improve operations and passenger experience, these case studies should fuel some ideas for how an airport might approach this goal. North America – San Diego International Airport Environment San Diego International Airport launched three programs to reduce How smart spaces could help: In conjunction with existing greenhouse emissions, counterbalance carbon emissions, and stop IoT sensors, video and 3D lidar could gather intelligence the food waste going into the landfills. The first initiative focused on regarding the number of passengers arriving and departing in transportation to and from the airport. To reduce carbon emissions, such mobility services to help plan further partnerships and partnerships and marketing efforts were developed to support ride- marketing. In terms of curbside management, the type of vehicle sharing mobility. This is an example of an airport impacting landside – taxi, ride share or personal – could be identified to facilitate operations to aid in the overall customer experience and reduce such planning. carbon emissions, which they successfully did by 30%. Asia – Shanghai Jewel Changi Airport Architecture and Technology Often showcased as the smartest airport globally, the combination How smart spaces could help: By tracking the movement of of sustainable architecture and technology are what stand out at passengers and analyzing the time spent in different locations Shanghai Jewel Changi Airport. IoT sensors, data analytics and AI throughout their airport journey, improved efficiencies and retail are used to ensure a positive customer experience for passengers offers could be created. traveling though this location. Middle East – Hamad International Airport Technology The smart airport program at Hamad International Airport is How smart spaces could help: Retail establishments could be focused on efficiency, related to check-in and baggage drop, to more efficient in terms of staffing and stocking inventory in their improve overall customer experience. Its technology achieved a 40% shops by analyzing passenger movements within the airport. This reduction in the time it took passengers to get into the terminal. This analysis would provide insight into where and how much time equates to 40% more time to use facilities within the airport and passengers spend in airport lounges, shopping, dining and which increase airport revenue. establishments specifically. Europe – Munich Airport Technology to Become a Smart City Munich Airport is in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute the Munich Airport. LabCampus GmbH works with MIT to provide of Technology (MIT) Senseable City Lab to design a smart city technology infrastructure support for state-of-the-art concepts concept for the airport. This approach is an example of using for energy, mobility and urban planning. While not an actual smart an airport landside location for innovation. The goal is to build a airport, Munich Airport showcases a way that airports can use their collaborative working environment for organizations to design and facilities landside and then test new concepts within their terminals develop smart city products and services and then test them at as appropriate5.
Technology To Achieve a Smart Airport
Let’s consider how airports can leverage video intelligence, AI and IoT mentioned earlier about traveler traffic flow and areas of interest within
to achieve the goal of becoming a smart airport. Video is already in airport lounges and retail establishments would be enabled via lidar.
use in most airports globally; what is new is how that video intelligence The next step is to gather all of this information and apply AI to analyze
can be gathered, interpreted and used to impact the experience of the input and create a real-time, three-dimensional view of the airport
the traveler within an airport. Of course, safety and security cannot be that doesn’t capture any personally identifiable information (PII). This
overlooked when thinking about the role video intelligence plays in the approach allows for granular tracking of movements within the airport
daily airport operations. without knowing a person’s identity.
The most commonly used source of video is CCTV. The first step is It’s impossible to mention the use of any type of video
to take this information and make it more intelligent and actionable via intelligence without considering privacy concerns. Today’s solutions
the use of computer vision and machine learning, commonly known have the ability to automatically anonymize the information that
as video analytics. Infared technology can also be used at night to is being collected through privacy masking, transparency and 3D
augment video data streams. One recent advancement that is providing lidar. All three of these safeguards ensure that personal information
a wealth of new use cases is the introduction of 3D lidar. remains private.
Lidar stands for light detection and ranging. Think of it as sonar that Figure 1 illustrates many of the video intelligence modules that
operates with lasers instead of sound. The same concept applies as are available today for use in a smart airport solution. These are just
far as detecting obstacles and movement. Within an airport, lidar can a few examples to begin to consider how an airport could use video
be used to monitor the different types of space usage. All of the topics intelligence for its evolution into a truly smart airport.
Figure 1. Available Components of a Video Analytics Solution for a Smart Airport
Vision for the Future
Key components of a video analytics solution, as shown in Figure 2, deliver immediate, measurable results to key areas of airport operations.
Figure 2. Components To Build a Smarter Airport
Smart Lounges and Smart Gate Areas
Airline lounges and public airport waiting areas in airport terminals ensure that staffing, food and beverage quantities are adequate.
are part of the overall customer experience and are important to take • Areas most frequented. Where do people spend the most time
into consideration. within the lounge? This data can be used for future lounge planning.
The use of video intelligence in airline lounges helps to ensure the • Food quantities. Is the buffet running low on certain items? The ability
customer experience is up to par for high-level frequent fliers or paid to plan stocking ensures that in-demand items are always refreshed.
entrants (see Figure 3). It can address: • Carry-on baggage. How much baggage is flowing through the
• Peak traffic times. What time of day are the highest traffic times in lounge? Tracking this information helps make initial predictions for
the lounge and on which days of the week? This information can help possible overhead bin shortages.
Figure 3. 3D lidar creates an image of passengers boarding a
plane. It counts and measures their luggage automatically to
order to improve on-time performance.
Retail
According to recent studies, U.S. travelers alone spent more than $1.7 most time in? Retailers can use this information as a competitive
billion at airports' newsstand and travel convenience stores in 2017. An advantage to develop successful marketing programs.
additional study projected this figure to reach $49 billion by 2021. This • Stock quantities. Which items drive the most interest for customers
reflects a 27% increase versus 2016 revenues6. Although numbers of within shops? This gives retailers the ability to keep in demand items
retail shoppers in malls are in decline due to online sales, the captive always refreshed.
audience in airports continues to shop. • Traffic flow. How do passengers travel though the airport? Which
To keep this growth going forward and possibly increase it, retailers shops garner the most interest? Is there a standard path that
need to provide options that will draw customers into their shops. Video customers take through the airport? Could key retail locations be
intelligence can provide analytics regarding the following areas to help promoted for a higher premium by the airport?
accomplish these goals (see Figure 4): Opportunities in retail at airports fall within two categories. First,
• Peak traffic times. When do shops have the heaviest foot traffic and airports can help stores to better prepare for marketing to their
on which days of the week? This information can help ensure staffing customers. Providing video intelligence and analytics makes airport
and product stocking quantities are adequate. locations more attractive to potential retailers. Second, airports can
• Most-visited shops and sections within them. Which shops have promote specific shop locations to retailers for a higher premium
the highest visitation rates? Which sections do people spend the based on traffic.
Figure 4. 3D lidar displays the journeys and dwell times of customers throughout a retail store. Figure 5. Video analytics counts cars in
It can understand the difference between each person, but it doesn’t capture any personally the taxi pickup area and carts in the cart
identifiable information (PII). rack to deliver insights that help improve
operations.
Curbside Management
Before even entering the building, just getting to the airport can be • Parking guidance and analytics. Managing short- and long-term
a frustrating experience. Being delayed in entering the airport not parking, enabling easier reservations and proactively diverting
only impacts the passenger experience, but it can lead to missed drivers to overflow lots can be done with sensing, signage and apps.
flights and disorganized lines as people try to skip the lines to This saves passengers time and frustration, while helping airports
catch their flights. With new options, such as ridesharing and use existing infrastructure to its fullest potential before investing in
changes in public transit usage, intelligently managing the curbside new construction.
has become a hot topic for many airports. Some examples of • Drop-off and pick-up analytics. Knowing the number of passengers
how airports are using video intelligence and IoT for curbside per vehicle, especially by vehicle type, can help airports better
management are: manage ridesharing and shift people to public transit options.
• Measuring and predicting traffic. Counting and classifying vehicles • Cart management and left-behind objects. Detecting how many
helps airports to understand when they may need extra staff or how carts and services are available versus demand can help ensure a
to adjust policies to enable faster pick-ups and drop-offs. smooth experience for passengers.
Destination Airports
Destination airports are a draw for nontravelers to experience shopping In addition to the retail-oriented services, security functionality can
and entertainment inside airport locations, but outside of the secured be added for these locations outside of the main terminals. When
terminals. Interestingly enough, this trend is already quite widespread hosting concerts, exhibitions or sporting events, the influx of a large
globally. Some examples of such locations include: crowd of people adds new challenges.
• Incheon, Seoul, Korea. Ice rink, 18-hole golf course and a culture Adding security functionality outside of the main airport terminals
center for events. requires additional sensors, camera and video intelligence tools. For
• Munich, Germany. On-site brewery, Audi showroom, indoor surfing more on this topic, please see our special report on The Smart Path to
and mountain biking exhibitions, concerts and a Christmas market. Airport Safety and Security.
• Vancouver. Art museum and an aquarium with 5,000 creatures.
Innovation Leads to Solutions
Smart spaces and video intelligence solutions are becoming widely airport safety and security. It enables airports to combine video
adopted because they produce immediate, tangible benefits to airport and lidar data with IoT sensor data and business data to gain
operators. By complementing digital data with data from the physical clear, comprehensive intelligence for operations. Armed with this
world, the resultant analytics can provide actionable insights that help knowledge, safety and security efforts become more targeted, cost
support a better understanding of what is happening and where. effective and efficient. Customer experience is improved. Retail
Hitachi’s Lumada Video Insights provides a smart path to operations are optimized. Your airport is better in every way.
About Hitachi Vantara
Hitachi Vantara, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., guides of the Fortune 100 trust Hitachi Vantara to help them develop
our customers from what’s now to what’s next by solving their new revenue streams, unlock competitive advantages, lower
digital challenges. Working alongside each customer, we apply costs, enhance customer experiences, and deliver social and
our unmatched industrial and digital capabilities to their data and environmental value.
applications to benefit both business and society. More than 80% Visit us at www.hitachivantara.com.
1
https://airporturbanism.com/content/1-home/airport-urbanism_max-hirsh.pdf
2
https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2018-10-24-02/
3
https://www.sita.aero/globalassets/docs/infographics/passengers-in-focus-infographic.pdf
4
https://www.smartcity.press/top-three-smart-airports/
5
https://www.munich-airport.com/development-of-a-smart-city-concept-at-munich-airport-5247619
6
https://www.retaildive.com/news/airport-retail-has-a-long-runway-for-the-right-brands/549298/
You can also read
