DATA MANAGEMENT
SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH
An airport-wide database drives operational eiciency
Jodi Richards
For any commercial airport,
operating from a consistently
reliable single source of data is
paramount to ensuring efficient, safe and
secure operations and driving customer
satisfaction. An airport operational database
(AODB) is the heart and central truth of
operational data. It presents all relevant
information in one place in order to make
appropriate decisions as well as share reliable
data with all airport stakeholders. The
AODB is a “software repository in which all
flights and associated information is stored
within an airport,” explains Fabien Betend of
ADB SAFEGATE Airport Systems.
At most airports, operational decisions are
made based upon data from the AODB. “It’s
critical to have a reliable AODB because it’s
the source of information for all of the
systems at an airport,” says Betend.
Operational efficiency is highly dependent
on accurate data and that includes all the
information that impacts a passenger’s
journey through the airport, including realtime
flight and baggage information.
All operations, staff management and
organization is led by the scheduled time of
arrival and departure of flights – data fed to
the AODB by the airlines. “The more
information you have in advance about a
potential delay, the more capable you are to
meet the needs of the aircraft,” says Betend.
An AODB continually receives
information from third parties. For example,
if there is a delay, that information is relayed
to the AODB from the airline or air traffic
control tower. The AODB software monitors
for these changes, provides the “best known
value” for the updated time of arrival or
departure and then pushes that information
to all stakeholders. The more integration
with third party systems, the better the
AODB can predict an accurate time of arrival
or departure.
102 AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2020
“The idea is to give all stakeholders the
same information at the same time in the
same place with the same tool,” Betend says.
“The AODB is the center of that.”
A comprehensive resource
As a provider and integrator of all airport
systems, ADB SAFEGATE’s AODB offering
includes resource management, flight
information display, billing, baggage
management, resource optimization, system
integration and operational improvements to
ensure collaborative decision making
airport-wide. Relying on industry standards,
the AODB interfaces with other systems. Its
suite of modular solutions enables ground
time optimization, improves situational
awareness in real time and optimizes
movements of all vehicles and stakeholders
on the ground, resulting in airport-wide
gains on performance and efficiency by
avoiding delays and flight cancellations.
For the airlines, an AODB that integrates
across all aspects of the airport
operation is key to improving aircraft
turnaround times and asset utilization