Fall 2006 – Spring 2007
Project: Automated Airport Information Management System
Objective: In order to better serve the passengers as well as the many industry partners, Little Rock National Airport acknowledges the need for accurate real time information about its operations and expenses. Since this data is either provided by the industry partners, or does not exist in a comprehensive format that is easily accessed, the objective of this project is to develop a management information system that integrates, currently in operation and to be acquired, airport information systems and provides real-time information to the airport decision-makers.
Methodology: The development of the new management information systems follows the systems engineering design process. Starting with the identification of customer’s needs and their translations in technical requirements of the new system, the design process goes through the conceptual design, preliminary design and detailed design stages. Optimization and simulation tools are used for the selection and validation processes of the proposed solutions.
Proposed System: The prototype solution is a management information system called Automated Airport Information Management System (AAIMS), capable to assist airport decision-makers in their daily operations. The system is designed to integrate data from the airport current infrastructure (ticket counters, gate systems, flight information displays, and runway monitoring system) and to be acquired technology such as a real-time flight information system portal and an automated docking guidance system. The prototype system is designed to provide comprehensive reports with accurate information, automatic capabilities, and real-time data, in terms of daily operations and incurred costs.
Experimental Results: The simulation model developed considers different scenarios for various traffic schedules at the airport. The results provided by the model show significant improvements in waiting times and capacity. During busy times, the average customers’ wait, from entering the airport to arriving at the assigned gates, would only be one fourth of the waiting time currently experienced. The capabilities of the prototype system may allow the Little Rock National Airport to achieve increased efficiency in operations and higher profits.
