Improve Airport Operations, Efficiency and Oversight with GIS Technology

As airports are experiencing a significant growth in passenger volumes, they face increasingly complex demands on infrastructure and operations. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology that collects, stores, manages, analyzes, and outputs spatial and nonspatial data, is essential for improving efficiency, ensuring safety, and maintaining customer satisfaction at airports. By integrating data from multiple sources, and by providing a comprehensive view of operations, GIS is being used to ingest and analyze real-time data feeds to support operations. GIS tools are deployed at airports to monitor and help manage facilities, maintain situational awareness, and to remotely track assets. Geographic Information Systems integrate with enterprise asset management systems, allowing facilities managers to visualize and schedule work orders and to monitor work activity, repairs, and predictive maintenance.


Manage Data With Real Time GIS

Airports maintain many staff, equipment and vehicles that move continually throughout their air and landsides. Whether it is during normal operation, in inclement weather, or when unplanned activity occurs, GIS technology improves real time situational awareness, safety, and operational efficiency. GIS enables supervisors and decision makers to track and manage mobile assets and field workers. As the information associated with these individuals, assets, and activities is collected and stored in secure, enterprise databases, the power to visualize and analyze them becomes available. These analyses include visualizing the movement of passenger baggage carts and other ground service vehicles, the locations of scissor lifts, power tools, wheelchairs, heavy equipment, accessories, and more.

Samsara Esri Airport Operations GIS Blog Embedded Image 2025

Airfield Inspectors are leveraging GIS to help them conduct daily Part 139 Inspections more quickly and efficiently. Using any Android or iOS mobile device, inspectors are capturing the locations, attributes, photographs, and other details of discrepancies in real time. The GIS field application they use for reporting leverages webhooks to generate work orders as soon as the issues are observed. This reduces maintenance response times and improves safety. Webhooks automatically push selected information about discrepancies to third EAMs, automatically initiating work orders. Webhooks are configured to immediately notify maintenance supervisors via SMS and emails of these issues, informing them of the need to take prompt action. With Indoor GIS technology, airports now have interactive, detailed interior floor plans of terminals where passenger activity can be tracked and analyzed. Understanding passenger movements and clustering throughout terminals and across time, helps facility, real estate, and lease managers make data driven decisions that ultimately boost revenue and improve customer satisfaction.


Safety and Security Through Readiness State

Safety and security are top priorities for airports. GIS is helping staff and tenants be safer and compliant with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety, security, and environment regulations. To comply with FAA regulations, airports use GIS to improve their situational awareness. Noise monitoring tools give employees and aircraft operators better awareness of the airport environment by generating and visualizing real-time and historic data on the noise associated with flight operations. CCTV footage of activity and incidents help personnel at Airport Integrated Operations Centers (AIOCs) see, manage, and mitigate risks by understanding and learning from accidents so they can promote and encourage safer workplace behavior. Airlines also maintain AIOCs where GIS technology provides decision makers with Operations Dashboards giving them live 365/24/7 monitoring. Because location is the core of situational awareness, GIS is an essential component in maintaining safe, compliant operations. GIS technology is being used to see events and activity, and sends automated alerts of normal, unplanned, or suspicious activity, as well as inclement weather to stakeholders. By making real-time, location-based data more secure, accessible, and efficient, airports and air carriers go beyond safety and security, offering optimal customer service.


GIS and Oversight Granting Operational Efficiency 

To improve customer satisfaction, airports aim to reduce latency, wait times and delays, such as the time between when a passenger deplanes and when they receive their belongings at baggage claim carousels. By using GIS network analysis, airports are leveraging sensors attached to baggage handling vehicles to track their progress. This data can help airports make better data-driven decisions about route efficiency. Keeping track of mobile assets, vehicles, and personnel reduces turn times including taxi delays, gate availability and reassignments, deboarding, cleaning and passenger boarding; thereby, improving on time performance. In the longer term, these processes positively impact efficiency and help smart airports and tenants increase productivity and reduce costs.

GIS empowers users with Web Apps that offer secure, real time and historic oversight of their assets. Through geofences, virtual boundaries that correspond to real-world geographic areas, airports can track and monitor the movement of mobile assets in and around terminals and facilities. With these apps, planners and decision makers can see when and where equipment, tools, and personnel are active or idle. This oversight can help track fuel usage, schedule the parking of planes and more; allowing airports to optimize fuel usage, cutting down on cost and emissions. GIS can help streamline and automate routine tasks, such as vehicle and equipment inspections and maintenance reporting.


Enhance Efficiency with Samsara and Esri’s ArcGIS Velocity

Optimize airport operations using real time data, GIS mapping and geofencing using the Samsara Connected Operations Cloud and Esri’s ArcGIS Velocity. With Samsara and Velocity, airports can use GIS technology to map infield areas and create geofenced zones, tracking and measuring infield equipment to improve the readiness state, safety and security of airports.


Watch our on-demand webinar to learn more about leveraging Esri’s ArcGIS Velocity, along with the Samsara Connected Operations Cloud to analyze real-time data feeds to improve airport operations.


Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, including Samsara, we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience and Engagement, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Explore the Carahsoft Blog to learn more about the latest trends in Government technology markets and solutions, as well as Carahsoft’s ecosystem of partner thought-leaders.

Unlocking New Potential at GEOINT 2023

Over the past couple decades, geospatial intelligence has evolved dramatically to encompass new realms that were previously only a dream and now – thanks to technology — have become a reality. At the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation’s (USGIF) GEOINT 2023 Symposium held in St. Louis, Missouri, Government, military, industry and academic leaders gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event as the largest annual gathering of geospatial intelligence professionals in the nation and discuss ways to further the mission. This year’s theme, “From Maps to Metaverse,” gave tribute to the advancements within the GEOINT discipline and highlighted the innovative ways technology can help solve current national security challenges.

Carahsoft GEOINT Tradeshow Blog Embedded Image 2023The Current Metaverse

One of the overarching questions from the symposium was – what is the metaverse? From interactive whiteboards to keynote sessions, numerous experts chimed in to offer their insight on the topic including Christopher Johnson, Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), who defined the metaverse as a virtual representation of the world that has evolved in complexity over time. He elaborated, “The metaverse really isn’t a thing. It is more of a concept. It is how we interact with information in a new and novel way that we’ve never done before.” Johnson believes that the metaverse will fundamentally transform the way the world operates. The key to building an effective strategy for this shift will be technologists and end-user partnerships. According to Johnson this collaboration will look different than traditional Government partnerships and will require in-depth face-to-face conversations on the personal applications of the metaverse instead of just the engineering and design specifications.

While the current capabilities are barely scratching the surface of what could be possible for the metaverse, Johnson sees tremendous potential for utilizing the technology within the GEOINT community particularly for immersive training and military operations. By leaning in, exploring additional use cases and creating standards that can grow with the technology, Johnson believes it will unlock a whole new level of possible.

Enabling the Metaverse of the Future

The customization and adaptability potential make the metaverse both harder to define and to institute governing policies. Emerging agile software development with daily feature updates will require open standards to be implemented for effective and secure delivery. Johnson says it is imperative to start the process of creating these standards now and recommends the Government lean on international nonprofits to adapt some of the current standards and enable further technology development and implementation.

Dan Opstal, Acting Director of the National Civil Applications Center at the US Geological Survey, highlighted the role of data within the metaverse and the need to evaluate both the new ways data can be viewed and how much data the metaverse ingests to be able to operate. Opstal shared that a common theme for agencies and technologists is navigating oversight and privacy especially as the metaverse continues to expand and develop. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will play a large role in sorting and standardizing the data for usage and close collaboration will be vital for instituting the legal frameworks to maximize these technologies.

Over his 40-year career at the organization Mark Chatelain, Chief Information Officer at the NGA, has witnessed the evolution from maps to the metaverse and noted the difference in requirements between the two. For maps, only a printing press and simple computer were necessary to display the information; however, with the metaverse and immersive AI, it necessitates immense computational capabilities and mobile communications to be invented and perfected for widespread implementation. Chatelain predicts that cloud data solutions and partnerships will be vital for storing the massive amounts of information that is expected to increase by over 1,500% in the next seven years. In addition to the data analysis, cloud and storage solutions, the NGA is also prioritizing the mobilization of its analysts to be able to work virtually and not be tied down to one location due to data access and computational power for high quality graphics at high speeds.

Maintaining and Improving the Workforce

To be able to modernize and adapt with the innovations in the field, the GEOINT community is looking into practical ways to invest in the current workforce and attract new talent. NGA leadership anticipates that the new generation’s fluency with technology will be an asset but also require a huge cultural change.

Ian Zearfaus, Director of the Human Capital Advanced Capabilities Office at the NGA, explained how offering visibility into all organization roles through an assignments marketplace is one new initiative that has opened up flexibility for employees. By encouraging lateral career movement, employees can advance further through exposure to new opportunities and skill growth. The NGA has seen great success with this initiative for the current workforce and it has become increasingly popular with the next generation as well. The NGA focuses on establishing cross-cutting and leadership competencies that provide employees with easily transferable skills within the organization. Zearfaus foresees data literacy, critical thinking and the ability to forge partnerships to continue to be highly sought after proficiencies. NGA coaching programs have also been a catalyst for employees to seek out micro-learning environments, find ways to maximize their strengths and ultimately climb an un-traditional career ladder to accomplish their goals. Additional innovative training methods have included role playing with virtual avatars to simulate co-worker and partner engagement and a pilot public-private talent exchange program with the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to facilitate officer collaboration with the tech industry. In total, these efforts align with the NGA Strategic Workforce Plan to prepare for the workforce of 2026-2030 by leveraging internal talent and modernizing positions to align with future mission needs.

Overall, the GEOINT 2023 Symposium provided attendees with one of the most consistently presented solution drivers – the chance for collaboration and partnerships. Equipped with both the educational knowledge of the current themes in the GEOINT discipline and the perspective offered by agencies and industry, members of the broader GEOINT community left empowered to effectively utilize technology and achieve new heights.

 

To learn more about the topics discussed at GEOINT, listen to Francis Rose’s Fed Gov Today podcasts Part 1 and Part 2 co-sponsored by Carahsoft.

*The information contained in this blog has been written based off the thought-leadership discussions presented by speakers at GEOINT 2023.*

DoDIIS Takeaways: IT Workforce, Partnerships, Interoperability and Data Management

As the defense and intelligence communities reflect on 2022 and plan for the future, several key takeaways will guide upcoming initiatives. At the Department of Defense Intelligence Information System (DoDIIS) Worldwide, a conference sponsored by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), attendees from the military, industry, government and academia gathered to collaborate and share insights on accomplishing the Department of Defense’s mission.

Agency leaders highlighted that every aspect of the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) is critically enabled by IT. Not only is IT the first-in and last-out function for every crisis, oftentimes IT is the mission, not just a supporting role. The DIA recognizes that to innovate with current technology and invest in emerging tech, the journey to maximum productivity often includes the critical evaluation of processes and programs. With IT, misuses must be corrected, software needs to be transparent to users and technology simplified to promote a seamless integration. In essence, IT should be viewed as an evolution instead of a revolution.

To accomplish these goals, the DIA laid out its five main areas of prioritization for the coming years:

  • IT workforce retention
  • JWICS modernization, resilience and autonomy
  • DoDIIS modernization
  • International connectivity and partnerships
  • Capability delivery pipeline with Zero Trust and data management

The first part of this two-part blog series covers the discussions of DoD and IC challenges in relation to IT workforce development and retention, partnerships and interoperability and data management. The second blog will cover the enabling technology being deployed including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and the cloud.

Carahsoft DoDIIS Recap Blog Embedded Image 2023IT Workforce Development and Retention

The DoD and IC have encountered challenges upskilling the workforce and uncovering new talent. To fill the gap in applicants, the DIA and IC have turned to contract hires and those from industry who want to spend only a few years in government. The DIA also offers an Education With Industry (EWI) Program where DIA employees can get joint duty credit while working with an industry partner. In addition, the DIA and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) have developed recruiting programs for high schoolers and partnerships with local universities to offer high school internships in hopes of encouraging students to develop interest in a government career.

High competition for talent has increased the need for retention incentives and additional education so agencies can maintain the current workforce. To address these concerns, the DoD and IC have begun modernizing their HR systems and seek to automate HR processes and provide self-service capabilities in hopes of expediting the talent acquisition timeline. Another endeavor includes modernizing training platforms for current employees to keep their skillsets up to date. Investing in continuing-education for these agency subject matter experts is important since they play an essential role in advising commanders and building tech options to address threats. Leadership is looking to academia and industry to source individuals with understanding of the current DoD and IC challenges and the global crises. By pulling from these outlets, the DoD and IC can expedite the process rather than having to train from the ground up with high school recruits. To successfully integrate industry workers into the government sphere, the DoD and IC must adapt to make commercial approaches work as well.

Partnerships and Interoperability

In the realm of defense and intelligence, partnerships and interoperability of technology are key to achieving results that maximize each agencies’ unique capabilities and pool combined strengths. By engaging with other agencies and countries, commanders have access to additional information and options. Investing in these resources offer some resolutions to the DoD’s current challenge of how to rapidly develop new warfighting capabilities while also simultaneously addressing current threats.

These partnerships can make a difference through data sharing, which offers new knowledge to commanders for more informed decision making. To make this information and technology sharing a reality, systems and processes must ensure cross-domain security and allow for interoperability throughout data sourcing countries and agencies. Partnering more significantly with Five Eyes countries (FVEY), will be a major source of increased intelligence as the DIA shifts towards integrating systems. In the near future, any DIA cybersecurity programs that do not align and add value to the FVEY countries will be either adapted or removed.

DoD and IC leaders also hope to collaborate with allies such as the Five Eyes to establish baseline international policies that will open doors for easier parity of information and comparability of systems and technology. Without a universal frame of reference, definitions, and laws, practical progress and innovation is impeded.

Connecting with industry has proven to be another valuable resource as DoD and IC leaders are seeking to better understand the full capabilities of current and emerging technology and gain insight into how industry can solve mission challenges. The DoD and IC desire to foster a culture that values systematic, strategic and equitable private sector engagement as well as addresses barriers to those relationships.

Involving the community through continued conversations and strong alliances provides an integrated deterrent and an advantage over the adversary. While these partnerships have taken a back seat in the past, DoD and IC leaders believe that this needs to be a crucial change and take priority.

Data Management

One of the main cruxes for the DoD and IC is harnessing the power of data. Since everything begins with data, the DoD and IC recognize the responsibility to think and act strategically from data collection to exploitation, dissemination and disposal, and seek to improve current data handling methods. Dr. Stacey A. Dixon, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, believes that developing strategies in the IC to accelerate delivery of that data to those that need it, is the greatest challenge of our time for defense and the IC. Currently the DoD has crossed the limit of data input, overwhelming existing data strategies and making data too siloed, too slow and too hard to find to successfully stay ahead of threats. As the volume of data increases, several measures must be put in place to leverage the wealth of information.

According to DoD and IC officials, the one thing industry and government agencies alike can collectively improve, is interoperability; however, unless data source countries’ systems are secure and the data can be worked together, this cannot be accomplished. Because a large, diverse set of data is needed for good ethics and proper execution, the DoD and IC look to gain increased ability to integrate data across classification levels. Maintaining Zero Trust and consistent monitoring is also critical to freeing the data from other sources.

Over the coming years, the DoD and IC seek to implement widespread data tagging as a foundation for effective data management and quality results. This will allow the combining of commercial and government data to merge with the context and experience that the DoD and IC possess to achieve well rounded, sound decisions.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its IC Data Strategy 2023-2025, which outlines its plans for improving the management and use of data. The strategy aims to leverage data to operate, collaborate and communicate at any time, in any place and in any security domain at speed, scale and securely. To achieve this transformation, the strategy focuses on four areas: performing end-to-end data management, delivering data interoperability and analytics at speed and scale, seeking advanced partnerships for continued digital and data innovation, and transforming the IC into a data-driven enterprise. Finally, it outlines a modular and agile framework that integrates business, functional, technical, security and data standards to provide a blueprint for the use of data in the IC.

Dr. Raj G. Iyer, former CIO for Information Technology Reform, Office of the Secretary of the Army, stated that data will be the new ammunition. At the end of the day, it comes down to enabling optionality for commanders, enabling mission command and enabling a common operating picture. Dr. Iyer emphasized that this is not a technology strategy, but a digital transformation to change operating models and leverage data in ways that U.S. competitors have not.

Utilizing artificial intelligence, machine learning and the cloud will empower these goals. Read part two of this series to find out more.

 

Check out our Fast Facts and Future Initiatives of the DoD and IC Resource for more information and key insights for the IT industry.

*The information contained in this blog has been written based off the thought-leadership discussions presented by speakers at DoDIIS 2022.*

Congratulations to USGIF 2020 Achievement Award Winners!

Congratulations to Mark Skoog and Dr. Loyd Hook for winning a United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) 2020 Achievement Award!

Skoog and Hook were honored in the Government category for their career-long dedication to implementing digital terrain solutions for safer aviation. The USGIF Awards recognize the exceptional work of the geospatial intelligence tradecraft’s brightest minds and organizations. Award winners, announced last month, were nominated by colleagues and chosen by a USGIF subcommittee. Continue reading