Airport and Ground Handling Resource Management Systems

Company INFORM GmbH
Date 03.02.2010

An interactive map of the airport for GS RealTime and GS GroundFleet.

Over the last few years INFORM has developed various custom-made graphic representations, which give users of the GS RealTime system a better view of their operation on the ramp. These were basically graphic displays showing the position of flights and the status of handling at any given moment. In line with its policy of standardisation, INFORM recently decided to create a new tool based on actual maps that would not only address the existing needs covered by these graphic displays, but would also provide an additional range of functionality, while at the same time serving the purposes of GS GroundFleet.

The result of this development effort is the recently unveiled GS AirportMap, which is an integral part of GS GroundFleet. It is also offered as an option to users of GS RealTime and GS HubControl. Based on geographical data of each airport, GS AirportMap is able to show the precise location of aircraft gates, stands and other elements of infrastructure. It also displays aircraft position or, where applicable, an indication of the flight being handled at each of those locations. The real time status of tasks underway is colour coded and also uses graphic and text indicators, whilst symbols are used to represent the position and status of GPS-equipped vehicles, PDAs and mobile phones. Internal GroundStar information (or, alternatively, an interface to external systems) makes it possible to indicate gates or stands that are assigned to imminent flights arrivals and to indicate flights that are waiting for a position still occupied by a previous flight.

The new GS AirportMap offers a user oriented and intuitive display, as it is based on state-of-the-art user interface technology (Microsoft WPF); it has fast graphic display, is fully scalable (vector based maps), and uses a layer based map with zoom and filter functions for increased transparency. It is possible to navigate around the airport using either the mouse or the keyboard, or with the help of the integrated navigator. Certain hot spots can be configured on the map to provide a live view of designated areas of the airport. Different areas and objects can be observed easily by opening various maps at the same time. In combination with GS RealTime bi-directional communication makes it possible to click on stands or flights in GS RealTime, which then automatically opens the position in the GS AirportMap. A click on a particular flight shown in the GS AirportMap automatically opens the GS RealTime Flight Inspector that contains all the relevant flight information.

The interactiveness of the AirportMap allows for the manual allocation or re-allocation of resources to flights without the need to change to another display, while providing direct access to a wealth of details on the clicked-on object, be it a flight or a resource.

INFORM is a team of raised-in-industry ICT professionals who research, develop and deliver cutting-edge software solutions to improve airport and ground handling logistics operations and provide consulting services.  INFORM's flagship suite of products, GroundStar, used by over 50 organizations in more than 200 airports worldwide, is recognised for its unsurpassed optimisation capabilities, comprehensiveness and flexibility at the strategic, tactical and operational levels.

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