Jim Gill's Blog

This Is How AI Could Improve Airport Security

May 9, 2019May 2, 2019 by James Gill, posted in Administration, Airports, Facilities, Information Systems, Infrastructure, Security, Technology

Airports are quickly adopting a range of new technologies, from autonomous vehicles to artificial intelligence (AI), to improve passenger experiences and drive efficiency. One of the most significant ways in which AI is being implemented in airports has to do with security.

Across the globe, airports have implemented a number of new safety measures in recent decades because of emerging threats. In some instances, these measures have created significant delays when it comes to moving through the airport. As a result, the customer experience has suffered. This means airports are feeling mounting pressure to streamline the process as much as possible without creating any lapses in security.

Many airports, as well as the governments that back them, have looked to AI as a means of accomplishing the difficult feat of relieving wait times while maintaining strict security standards.

For example, the United Kingdom government recently invested 1.8 million pounds into the development of a new AI system in airports across the country. The Transportation Security Administration in the United States has implemented computed tomography (CT) scanners that implement AI to identify threats in several major airports. In other parts of the world, facial recognition has been implemented at customs and immigration stations.

These technologies do seem to have significant promise when it comes to improving security while minimizing wait times. Here’s how:

Machine Learning and Its Potential for Improving Security

One form of AI that shows the most promise is known as machine learning. AI systems can become more “intelligent” as they receive more information. In terms of airport security, systems can become very good at identifying threats based on patterns and do so much more quickly than a human could. Machine learning has driven trust in AI-based systems a great deal in the past few years.

Industry experts believe that implementing machine learning in airports could help avoid the need to scan certain items separately, such as laptops and other large pieces of electronic equipment. Letting passengers leave these items in their carry-on luggage as they pass through security would eliminate a significant amount of the delay caused in security lines.

One system employing this technology has already been developed. Called the Evolv Edge system, it uses cameras, millimeter-wave technology, and facial recognition to detect threats while people move through a scanner. The system successfully ignores non-dangerous items, such as keys and belt buckles, while reliably identifying explosives, firearms, and other weapons and hazardous materials.

Up to 900 people can pass through the scanner in an hour, making it not only more reliable than a traditional x-ray scanner, but also much faster. Evolv Edge is already being used to screen employees at the Oakland International Airport. It is expected to be deployed at other international airports soon.

How AI Could Reinvent the Airport’s Approach to Security

AI has already made a significant impact on airport security through biometrics. In the coming years, this technology will likely become even more widespread. A recent report showed that more than three-quarters of airports had new biometrics programs in the works for the coming five years. While people mostly associated biometrics with face scans, fingerprints and retinal scans are also expected to grow in popularity because of their reliability.

Some researchers want to go even further with this technology and have broached the possibility of behavioral biometrics. For example, University of Manchester researchers have created a system that identifies individuals based on gait and walking patterns as they step across a pressure pad. Each person has a distinctive, singular walking pattern.

Another application of biometrics is already being tested. The iBrderCtrl project involves an AI program in which a virtual border guard asks standard questions to individuals in an immigration line. If the system believes that the passenger is lying because of facial expressions, the individual gets passed on to a human for further review.

Of course, there is the question of accuracy with such technology. Early implementation of iBrderCtrl had a success rate of 76 percent. The developers believe that tweaks will make it 85-percent accurate. However, this rate may still not be acceptable to some airports, at least not as a primary means of maintaining safety.

The Challenges to Implementing AI-Driven Airport Security

Scrutiny of these systems remains high, especially after some prior failures. In the United States, $160 million was spent on body scanners that were later found to let serious threats through during undercover testing. Because of this, the standard is very high for AI technologies.

However, there is another hurdle that airports need to surmount: the amount of information collected by these systems, especially when it comes to biometrics. A great deal of information security is necessary to safeguard the privacy of passengers. In other words, while there is a lot of potential for AI in airport security, there are also significant challenges to overcome.

This Is Why Airport Executives Want to Raise PFCs

May 2, 2019 by James Gill, posted in Administration, Airports, Facilities, Infrastructure, Personnel, Regulation

In March, airport executives appeared before the US House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to advocate for the ability to increase air traveler fees. Specifically, these individuals want to increase the passenger facility charge (PFC) charge to airplane passengers. Currently, the PFC is capped at $4.50 per individual per leg of a flight.

The fee has not been increased in nearly two decades. This has significantly hindered the ability of American airports to develop as quickly as some of their international counterparts. The executives pushed for nearly doubling the fee with an increase to $8.50, largely because the cap has not been raised in such a long period of time.

Issues Arising from the Current American PFC Policy

The concern with the current PFC policy is that it forces airports to finance projects over very long periods of time. This is because they do not have the capital upfront to pay for them. The effect of financing projects is the increased interest associated with making payments over time.

One executive said that his airport has paid almost as much in interest as the cost of the project itself as a result of financing issues. Even a modest increase in the PFC would empower airports to substantially reduce financing costs. This would enable them to channel these funds directly to improvements that provide a better experience for passengers, which is, after all, the reason for the per-person charge.

Many of the air terminals around the country were built in the 1980s and 1970s, if not the 1960s, and have had few or no updates. As a result, American airports remain behind the times, especially when compared to many of the top facilities around the world. Many of these airports provide passengers with incredible amenities, especially for people on long layovers.

Providing a better travel experience could actually lead more people to fly, especially if they know that there is plenty to do in the airport during their down time. However, lawmakers are reluctant to increase PFCs because they believe that increasing the cost of a ticket will discourage people from traveling by air.

The Argument for Increasing PFCs for Air Passengers

Already, people who fly pay billions of dollars annually to airports in the form of PFCs. At the same time, this amount of travel has resulted in the need for significant infrastructure improvements and investment. The executives argue that lawmakers should be more concerned with these infrastructure issues than with the additional charge put on each passenger’s ticket.

It is true that increasing the PFC will result in more expensive airfare. However, unaddressed infrastructure problems could lead to serious issues down the line. This is especially true when it comes to convenience and even safety.

Not all of the airport executives involved in the debate believe that PFCs should be raised. The CEO of a budget airline acknowledges the significant infrastructure needs that have arisen in the United States. However, this CEO believes there are solutions that do not involve increasing airfares, which have the potential to disproportionately impact the ordinary consumer.

Other executives are skeptical that raising the fees would actually reduce the number of Americans who choose to fly. After all, airlines themselves increase passenger service fees without a substantial impact on flight rates. Last year, several major airlines increased their baggage fees by $5, more than the requested jump in PFC. Notably, passenger boarding rates did not decrease significantly as a result.

Congress Remains Divided When It Comes to Raising PFCs

Lawmakers have listened to the concerns raised by these airport executives. However, they are reluctant to approve an increase in maximum PFCs. These individuals are hesitant to increase any financial burden on the public resulting from financing issues. This is particularly true when there are different avenues to consider, such as private capital.

Ultimately, the committee wants to hear more from other parties involved. Stakeholders include local communities and passengers, and it is important to know how these audiences feel about the fees and the state of American airports. At the same time, executives feel like they have explored all relevant options and they feel an increase in PFCs is the most appropriate way to address infrastructure issues.

The other perspective that is important to consider is that fact that airports generate about $1.4 trillion in the United States by creating 11.5 million jobs. Protecting this source of income and employment should become a priority for the House of Representatives. This is only possible when critical infrastructure issues get addressed.

Passengers pay billions of dollars in PFCs. However, airports need billions more to modernize airports to provide travelers with the experience and amenities they expect. According to a recent study, airports will need more than $128 billion to address critical infrastructure needs in the coming decade. If the overall experience of flying begins to decline in quality, then it is just as likely that people will start flying less frequently. This puts the whole industry at risk.

These Are 5 of the Airports Implementing Autonomous Vehicles

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019 by James Gill, posted in Airports, Amenities, Facilities, Infrastructure, Locations, Technology, Vehicles

Airports across the globe have begun paying more attention to autonomous vehicle technology, especially as organizations begin implementing pilot projects. The use of autonomous technology has the potential to reduce overall costs while also providing a variety of other benefits. In addition, autonomous vehicles could help curb emissions attributed to airports while increasing safety.

Airport professionals have just begun to scratch the surface of how this technology could improve the customer experience and drive revenues. A number of exciting projects have already begun. While these trials are all very experimental, they have largely demonstrated the impressive efficacy of autonomous technologies.

Some of the most exciting experiments with autonomous vehicle technology at airports include:

1. Heathrow Airport

Recently, Heathrow Airport in England teamed with IAG Cargo and Oxbotica to launch a trial of the CargoPod, an autonomous vehicle that operated in the airside environment. The trial was meant to collect data that the CargoPod designers could use to refine the technology and potentially identify new uses for the self-driven vehicle.

The CargoPod served Heathrow for almost a month. During this time, it traveled along an established cargo route along the perimeter of the airside space. Altogether, more than 200 kilometers of data were collected that will allow IAG Cargo to refine the product further.

Engineers were pleasantly deep surprised by how well the vision-based localization system of the CargoPod operated, even in more complicated situations like the transition from indoor to outdoor spaces.

2. Rotterdam The Hague Airport

To explore the use of autonomous vehicles in baggage handling, Rotterdam The Hague Airport teamed with Vanderlande to launch FLEET. This system will streamline the baggage handling at the airport. It will concurrently improve working conditions for staff and reduce the chance of human error in getting baggage where it needs to be for flight or pickup.

With FLEET, there is no need for conveyor belts or sorting systems. Instead, each FLEET vehicle carries a bag to its destination using an algorithm to plot the most efficient route through the airport.

One of the biggest benefits of this system is resiliency. If a vehicle fails, only one bag is affected and the rest of the luggage carriers can continue around the disabled one. When a conveyor fails, the results are generally catastrophic for an airport.

3. Charles de Gaulle Airport

At Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, Groupe ADP spearheaded a trial of two shuttles that operate using only electricity and without the need for a driver. This trial was meant to gauge how the vehicle would operate when used on high-traffic roadways, such as those surrounding a major international airport.

The two trial vehicles were also used in the real estate district Roissypôle to provide a different sort of environment for the shuttles to navigate. These shuttles use a unique road infrastructure with constant traffic signals that communicate conditions to the shuttle.

Using technology gathered from this trial, Groupe ADP hopes to bring the shuttles to other sites in the near future. Such autonomous vehicles could serve a number of different purposes, from transporting people between departure areas and car parks to taking people to their flights.

4. Gatwick Airport

Another London-based airport has become the site of experimentation with autonomous vehicles. Gatwick Airport has teamed with Oxbotica for a trial of electrically-powered autonomous vehicles designed to carry employees between different parts of the airfield.

Such technology would allow the airport to reduce the number of vehicles on the airfield considerably while simultaneously minimizing emissions and reducing costs. The technology behind these Oxbotica shuttles is quite unique and depends solely on onboard sensors without any reliance on GPS or other external tech.

Gatwick imagines that the technology will operate sort of like an autonomous Uber. Employees would have the ability to hail a shuttle whenever they need to get quickly to another part of the airfield.

Both Gatwick and Oxbotica acknowledge that much more research and development needs to be done before this technology is made commercially available. However, this trial is an important and exciting step toward the future.

5. Fagernes Airport

In Norway, Fagernes Airport became the testing ground for an autonomous snow-clearing vehicle designed by Yeti Snow Technology, Semcon, and Overaasen. During a demonstration, the autonomous vehicles were able to clear 357,000 square meters of space of snow over the course of an hour.

Yeti has actually designed a four-stage solution for moving from person-operated snow clearing devices to the autonomous devices slowly after collecting data about operations at the specific airport. The company first works with airports to optimize snow-clearing routes and then missions are tracked by GPS and logged. Next, drivers are given specific directions for clearing routes before the vehicles are transitioned to driverless ones.

Major airports often have staff on call to deal with snow. This represents a major expense during the winter months. Making this process more autonomous can eliminate much of this expense while also improving the safety profile of the operation.