Global design engineering consultancy BuroHappold is showcasing its Airport Performance Analytics toolset, which can dramatically reduce the time required to simulate and test design options for new- build and existing airports, at Passenger Terminal Expo 2019.
Shrikant Sharma, head of analytics and insight, and Pieter Coetzee, director of airport planning, both from BuroHappold, spoke exclusively to Passenger Terminal Today about the new technology and how it can revolutionise the way decisions are made on development of the world’s busiest airports.
“In conventional airport planning, the testing and simulation piece happens nearer the end of the project when there’s something solid to test and you want to validate your design,” Coetzee explained. “Our tool doesn’t replace any of that, but it comes right in front of the process and allows us to conduct 10 simulations in a day rather than take 10 days to test one option. We can quantify what people would normally do in a high-level analytical way and bring that analysis into the design process much earlier on, which saves a lot of time.”
The Airport Performance Analytics toolset is powered by its Analytics + Insight (A+I) engine and promises to bring a new level of insight to how current airport operations can be modified and made more efficient – giving airport operators invaluable data to help them better manage procedures to meet Airport Service Quality (ASQ) targets.
Airport Performance Analytics allows key stakeholders and decision makers to add to a baseline picture of current passenger operations and test specific scenarios relating to operations, equipment and scheduling in real time using the toolset’s unique design planning capability. Critically, there is also the option to compare and assess multiple scenarios, specific to each airport. This allows analysis of how variations of a new design element could, for example, affect the flow of passengers through the airport in different ways, directing designers to the optimal solution.
Sharma commented, “The tool has been designed for early-stage visibility planning and optioning, but is doesn’t stop there. Our real end goal is to use the data and insights from that data to empower the end client to make decisions no matter where they are in the planning and development stage of their construction or expansion project.
“We want the airport to be able to run the tool on their desktop so they can see how delays, journey times, retail revenues and all of those other operational activities are linked to passenger flow and movement at any one time. With a very simple slider bar interface, they should be able to see how those activities will change with projected demands if they do nothing, or if they do some strategic intervention. This is proper pre-planning.”
BuroHappold will be on stand 5165 throughout Passenger Terminal Expo, being held at London ExCeL on March 26, 27 and 28. To register for the event, click here.