SubscribeDubai, Beijing, Singapore and London's Heathrow are all constructing new International Airport Terminals.
Each is developing a unique architecture, style and design for the building and many would believe that they have little in common – However when you start to dig into the systems and services, you start to see that they have more in common than can be observed from viewing the building design!
However much more could be done to integrate specific systems, namely:
- The Building Services, Life Safety and Security Systems
- The Airport Enterprise and Billing Systems
- The Apron and other Airport Operation Systems
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH IS KEY
The use of integration to combine data to better effect is important to operating the Building as part of the Airport process, to enhancing Air Operations and Apron Operations – with linkages being made to provide data to the Enterprise Business Systems added, and security, asset tracking maintenance management and commissioning validation being safely designed in.
And key to this is taking the integration requirements into account at the Design Briefing stage, before design commences. Developing integration to satisfy the Business Case, with unconstrained flexibility to meet and deliver future benefits as technologies such as RFID move to the fore in many Airport applications.
Traditionally too much influence has been placed on lowest design and construction cost, whereas the model should be least responsible cost, design and build, with the objective to produce a footprint that has a lower running and operating cost, to deliver the design requirements.
What has occurred to enable these changes to take place is that most systems today are IT based in some form. There has been a convergence through the common use of bus technologies and protocols, and users are more comfortable with IT solutions through continued use in the home and business. People have seen radical improvements to ‘plug and play’ technology, and with their growing confidence in its reliability, expect this facility in every aspect of their endeavours.
With sufficient forethought, the power of integrated systems allows asset tracking, alarming, and security door locking, thus deterring or catching opportunist thieves. With well-developed Enterprise Integration, commissioning and testing activities can be automatically recorded and logged, dispelling the uncertainty of current operational plant/equipment status.
Clearly though to take optimum advantage of these systems you need to employ an approach to early system design, as mentioned earlier, if you are to unlock the value of a lower cost footprint.
OPERATIONAL SCENARIOS
So what could a typical operational scenario be for such a design? The tables below explores some of the interactions possible, which are achievable through early design, the passing of data between systems may need a data broker, but this is a relatively easy task to implement today.
Any Fire, Security, or other operational issue on an allocated gate would reschedule the inbound Aircraft to another gate, with all of the attendant personnel and services (cleaners, caters, refuelers, security etc.) automatically electronically notified of the change by mobile device, PDA or other mobile device would notify terminal engineers. Investigation and rectification can now be instigated and completed quickly and if necessary images of the incidence could be sent to the mobile device, together with the operator giving verification messages back to the prime systems from his field location.
So, Work Orders Permit to Work, Risk Assessment, Plant Details, and tools required, spare parts and their locations, and many more useful functions can be delivered to the point of use, the actual Engineer or Technician, attending the incident. Faster repair and faster reporting of fault clearances will greatly enhance Airport efficiency and effectiveness. Bringing the benefit of reduced disruption, and enhanced traveller satisfaction.
| Before Flight Arrival – INTELLIGENT BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS | Before Flight Arrival – AIR AND APRON MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS |
Appropriate Alarms from BMS, Door Access, CCTV, Fire & Integration sent to Apron Management System and Maintenance System If Gate allocation changes, Inform BMS, Fuel Agent, Baggage Handling, Security, Cleaning, Ground Staff, and Catering Contractor.
| Apron Management System decides if a change of allocated Gate is required. If alarm is received while Gate is in use, and it is not safety related, continue with operations. |
Put allocated Gate into Occupation at an ‘optimal’ time before aircraft docks (Environmental Controls - ON, Lights - ON, Door Access - ENABLED, CCTV – INCREASE RECORD RATES, METER Power consumption (Gate and Fixed Electrical Ground Power), METER Fresh Water Provided, METER Waste Water Discharges, and MONITOR Time ON-Stand. ENABLE allocated Baggage Handling Track.
| Normal FIDS action, from the Apron Management System, allocate Gate and Baggage Handling Track, inform Flight Number, Carrier, Handling Agent, Appropriate Billing Rates to IBMS. |
| After Flight Departs – INTELLIGENT BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS | After Flight Departs – AIR AND APRON MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS |
Appropriate Alarms from BMS, Door Access, CCTV, Fire & Integration sent to Apron Management System If Gate allocation changes, inform BMS, Fuel Agent, Baggage Handling, Security, Cleaning, Ground Staff, and Catering Contractor.
| Apron Management System decides if a change of allocated Gate for next Flight is required.
|
Put allocated Gate out of Occupation (Environmental Controls - OFF, Lights - OFF, Door Access - Standby, CCTV MINIMUM RECORD RATES, Meter Power consumption (Gate and Fixed Electrical Ground Power), METER Fresh Water, and METER Waste Water Discharges. DISABLE allocated Baggage Handling Track. Send Itemised Bill via WWW, or Publish to Web Page, or to Printer, or to Mobile Device
| Await the next Flight |
Once on stand, the Aircraft would have all of its services monitored and recorded; electricity; water; waste; time on stand etc. would all be logged into a secure database and consumption information passed to the enterprise system for Billing on departure. The billing information can be published to a web page, or sent to a printer, whatever the aircraft operator or handling agent requires suiting their operation. The list of other opportunities is only constrained by the designers and operators imagination. Planning is the answer to ensuring success and working together as cross functional teams at the design stage will ensure that any investment in ‘Enterprise Integration’ is optimised.
ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS – COMMAND CENTER DESIGN
The last area to be considered and that is that of the Command Center Design, this is a critical as the systems integration. Modern displays present a whole new opportunity to the visualising of data, images and information. The approach to designing these needs as much attention as to the systems integration and the Enterprise Integration System should facilitate this. The display type again should be smart and an integral part of the IT solution. If this is done correctly then you will have a footprint that not only works for you, but also provides a ‘safe and optimum to operate’ environment!
Derek Harrington is a Director with Honeywell Airport Solutions, who have considerable experience in providing Enterprise |Integration Solutions to World Airports
