Our latest blog by our CTO, Ian Ford Smith, shines a light on why data is key and four ways in which it can be effectively used to improve the customer experience...

When COVID restrictions ended last year, air travel was finally able to start getting back on track. And, for the first time since 2020, the UN Aviation Agency recently reported that air passenger demand would recover to pre-pandemic levels later this year. 

Although positive, the industry continues to face issues – from staff shortages to operating under tighter budgets. So, the pressure will be on airports to cope with this influx and protect the customer experience while navigating these existing challenges. 

A major area airports will need to get right is ensuring that passenger flow through the airport is frictionless – from check-in and bag drop to passing through security and departure halls and boarding. Essentially, the full journey from kerb to gate. And if one falls, then it’s quite literally a domino effect that can lead to long queues, delayed flights and disgruntled passengers. 

So, what can airports do to set themselves up for success as air travel demand increases? 

**Data, data and more data** 

The answer to seamless operations and a frictionless passenger journey is data. And lots of it. 

Small to mid-sized airports often use manual processes to monitor vital information, such as passenger queue data, flow patterns, and the time it takes for an individual to move from zone to zone. 

This is resource heavy, slow to conduct, and can deliver inaccurate information to the airport operation and management systems. For instance, it can skew predictions and planning decisions on resourcing needs. Manual processes also don’t give a centralised, real-time view of what’s happening across the airport, which means decision-making is made in a silo and doesn’t necessarily deliver the optimum outcome. 

However, airports can now use technologies to automate this process, tapping into computer vision to intelligently and anonymously accurately track passengers as they journey through the airport while being compliant with local privacy legislation, such as GDPR. When this data is combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), airports can spot trends, draw learnings, and predict future scenarios to inform more accurate decision-making. 

**How data can improve airport operations and experience**

So, we know that having data is good, but what does this mean in practice? Here are four ways that airports can use data effectively: 

Firstly, improved operational decisions: With real-time data, staff can be alerted to the unexpected and fix operational bottlenecks quicker and more effectively. For example, they’ll be notified when travellers have been standing, waiting at a check-in desk for over 20 minutes, which may mean they need to decide to open additional desks to fix the backlog immediately. 

Secondly, better resource planning: By combining data insights with AI and ML, airports can maximise resourcing by redistributing employees based on operational needs. So, suppose they know that every Friday afternoon, departure halls are extremely busy between 2 pm to 4 pm. In that case, they may consider adding extra maintenance checks on the bathroom facilities or regularly emptying the bins.

Thirdly, frictionless passenger experience: Having the correct number of staff on duty according to passenger demand helps to deliver a better experience for travellers, such as limiting the likelihood of queues and ensuring facilities are up to standard. For passengers with access to a few different local airports, a good experience will also help nurture loyalty and encourage them to return to fly from your airport when their travel plans allow.

And fourthly, maximise concession revenues: For UK and European airports in particular, getting passengers through security and into departure halls to spend is a key source of revenue. Data on passenger movements will provide more commercial value to concessions partners like Duty-Free, retailers and hospitality providers as they can use insights to maximise spending. For example, if there is an influx of passengers at a certain time of day, they could consider running promotions or setting up a pop-up to entice sales. From an airport perspective, it also helps when considering layout changes, such as moving a seating area if it stops travellers from walking past shops.

**It’s crunch time for airports’ innovation**

It’s an exciting time for the industry as travel finally has started looking like it’s ‘getting back to normal’. However, the game is different to what it was before March 2020, with tightened budgets and staff shortages just two of the many challenges airports have to navigate. Those who weren’t previously investigating new technologies like computer vision, AI and ML – and the data and insights they deliver – will undoubtedly say they can’t survive without them this year.

My advice? Get on the front foot now and use technology to drive better operations, frictionless passenger experiences and, ultimately, healthier bottom lines.

Four ways that data bolsters airport operations and traveller experiences

We are proud to announce that we have, once again, partnered with <a href="https://carbonneutralbritain.org">Carbon Neutral Britain™</a> to measure and offset our carbon footprint, to become Certified as a Carbon Neutral Business.

Carbon Neutral Britain™ is helping British businesses and individuals to make an impact to climate change, providing voluntary carbon offsetting to all - from individual subscriptions, charities and organisations to businesses of all sizes.

The belief that carbon offsetting is the quickest, cheapest and most effective way to make a difference to climate change underpins their work. Their aim in 2023 is to become the largest organisation for voluntary carbon offsetting of individuals and businesses across the UK. Increased carbon dioxide (CO₂e) emissions in our atmosphere are the most significant cause of global warming. Planting trees and funding carbon offsetting projects is helping to remove and reduce further CO₂e emissions worldwide in a cost-effective and impactful way.

The UK Government’s UK Zero Target aims to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, which is more than twenty-five years away. Voluntary offsetting initiatives, such as the work undertaken by Carbon Neutral Britain™, are allowing businesses and individuals to step in and make a difference in stopping global climate change.

To date, Carbon Neutral Britain’s projects have offset over 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ and planted over 3 million trees, helping to stop climate change and providing essential forest habitats for endangered wildlife. By supporting their work and taking responsibility for our carbon footprint, AeroCloud is helping to make a difference.

We are Certified as a Carbon Neutral Business

Paul Secker, founder and CEO of Flight Solutions, reflects on his company's recent fusion with AeroCloud.

The decision for Flight Solutions to join forces with <a href=“https://aerocloudsystems.com” target=“_blank”>AeroCloud</a> has been a bold move. I’ve worked in this industry for twenty-seven years, and this is one of the most exciting ventures I’ve participated in.

AeroCloud delivers comprehensive and innovative operational solutions to airports, a sector increasingly under pressure to minimise disruption and improve the experience for stakeholders and passengers. Combining cloud-enabled passenger processing expertise with AeroCloud’s scalable, intelligent airport management software gives the world’s leading airports the leading-edge operational technology needed to tackle such future challenges.

Energised by a passion for learning and evolving our solutions in partnership with airport operational teams, I have followed a similar journey to AeroCloud, working with a few key customers to showcase our products. We share a common vision of building and developing innovative solutions. 

Bringing our two businesses together provides a fantastic framework to take our combined product set to the broader market. Our powerful management platform and cohesive team approach enhance our products’ capabilities, driving a ripple effect of much-needed change in the industry. As a result, airports can use AeroCloud’s modular product portfolio to streamline operations, and we can scale up to meet demand while continuing to innovate. 

Looking ahead, AeroCloud is constantly assessing and keeping abreast of trends. Coming out of Covid-19, we understand that airports are looking to use technology to help to address staff shortages and improve the passenger experience.

Self-service continues to be at the forefront of airport operations improvement, and our product set already enables airports of all sizes to implement solutions affordably. Our self-service portfolio will continue to deliver innovations that make the technology accessible to more and more airports.

We will continue to provide airports, ground handlers and airlines with the tools to gain real-time insight into their operations and enhanced predictive intelligence and automation. We have already simplified passenger and baggage processing through our passenger self-service solutions and will carry on delivering further enhancements to these processes.

AeroCloud plans to launch additional products shortly, bringing further innovation to the industry. So keep an eye out for future announcements! 

This merger will boost AeroCloud’s presence in the industry, offering a viable alternative to legacy providers. In addition, the robust product set and fresh innovation delivered by our combined capabilities now provide an excellent framework to build the next chapter of our business. We firmly believe that Airports Deserve Better and that we have a platform that will deliver.

Paul Secker joins as a Co-Founder and Director of Common Use at <a href=“https://aerocloudsystems.com” target=“_blank”>AeroCloud</a>.

To find out more about AeroCloud, contact one of our team by emailing hello@aerocloudsystems.com.

Joining Forces - The Ripple Effect

# Airports of the Future
 

We live in a constantly changing and evolving world, largely thanks to significant technological advancements. I've worked in the aviation industry for over 30 years, and in this time, I've witnessed other industries evolve and change exponentially. And yet, the airport environment has remained relatively static. As a result, legacy providers of airport operation systems have been slow to take on board the advantages of technologies such as the Cloud, let alone other transformative innovations driven by emerging technology. 

As a self-confessed technology geek from a young age, seeing this industry, which I'm so passionate about, in such a stagnant state led me to think of ways to improve it; this ultimately led to co-founding AeroCloud.

 

#### Current airport operations



People have this vision of arriving at the airport, dropping their bags, boarding their plane and swiftly taking off; however, air travel is not as easy to manage as other modes of transport. Various checks and processes are in place to guard the safety of the airports, passengers and flights, all of which take time.

AeroCloud aims to implement software that speeds up this process efficiently and sustainably and ensures that passengers' privacy is respected and maintained. 

Now, to understand how technology can change the future of airports, we must first understand how airports currently operate. Three key entities are involved in the flight journey: the airports, security units, and airlines. The big issue here is how they interact and a lack of shared information. For example, airlines in the US don't share the volume of passengers they expect on each flight, and security units do not share estimated peak and drop times for passenger arrivals. This lack of communication leaves airports in the dark and makes it harder to prepare their operational requirements in line with demand. 

 

#### Looking into the future



Imagine an airport operation system that can track passenger volumes and real-time delays, predict changes in passenger traffic, ease check-in and security procedures and provide feedback with recommendations on how to operate more effectively and sustainably.

AeroCloud's mission is to do just that – make airport operations smoother and the passengers' experience better. We aim to achieve this vision through cloud-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning Technology. For example, our Common Use Passenger Processing (CUPPS) integration already uses historical data to predict passenger traffic levels in the US. This information helps airport stakeholders, such as cafes and concessions, prepare their staff and resources accordingly. Our products can also predict passenger traffic by incorporating real-time data based on changes in weather and delays.

However, additional technological enhancements could be employed to improve airport operations. For example, if we could link an individual to a flight and know where it was landing, we could start mapping the traffic between airports. This linkage would enable airports to manage passenger traffic in real time more efficiently. 

To take this vision a step further, AeroCloud is currently developing Computer Vision AI to assist in the development of frictionless border controls. This technology will recognise individuals and eliminate some of the security processes passengers must undergo. It could also be used to identify each individual's journey through different airport operation points and to recognise behavioural trends that the airport could use to enhance its efficiency further. 

Equally crucial to AeroCloud's mission is reducing our carbon footprint and helping airports to do the same. We chose Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our cloud solution service provider as they invest heavily in renewable energy, with some of their data centres entirely driven off the grid. As our Cloud-based products provide a holistic operation management system, AeroCloud enables airports to cut their energy usage too, by eliminating the use of energy-hungry servers. Available data also allows our Machine Learning Technology to minimise an airport's carbon footprint. It can, for example, help its operational teams make better gate management decisions, such as prioritising shorter ground-to-gate journeys for larger, more polluting aircraft.

 

#### Limitations to emerging technology



There are nuances to the technological innovations mentioned above. Most notably, the amount of data needed to power the technology. Current GDPR laws limit data collection for specific purposes such as security and passenger well-being. Therefore, though the technology is already available to enhance the passenger journey, the current laws stop airports from interrogating it.

Our golden rule at AeroCloud is only to collect necessary data, and we focus on creating software that brings about positive change. In technology, there's a delicate balance between creating something purely because it's intellectually stimulating versus something that is solving a crucial problem. The latter is at the forefront of our innovations, and we continually evaluate the sector for potential future improvement.

Airports of the Future

Flight ops and passenger prediction screenshots

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When I first started at AeroCloud, I knew they were bold. From my first meeting with George, his enthusiasm and ideas for the future of AeroCloud were, and continue to be, infectious. Ian’s role is clear - a senior counsel with bucket loads of experience. As a COO, I like to think that I also bring a few qualities to the boardroom. Most notably, my experience in ensuring teams and processes can effectively scale and in delivering operational excellence. You can read more about my thoughts on the role of a COO [here](https://medium.com/playfair-capital-blog/thinking-of-hiring-or-applying-for-a-startup-coo-role-heres-why-you-should-a1237bad54dc).

I joined the AeroCloud team in March 2022, and during that time, the company has matured whilst not losing that innovative spark. 

One case study that has really flourished is our work with Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ). Using AeroCloud’s platform, SRQ grew passenger traffic from 3% to 183%. They were able to save on cost, carbon and time—an outstanding result but certainly not one that is unheard of here at AeroCloud. 

This is fantastic growth for the company, but airports need to have the right solutions in place in order to deal with the increased footfall. In 2018, prior to having AeroCloud’s solution in place, SRQ saw traffic jump by 15% to 680,000 passengers, but the old solution provider could not manage the increased passenger volume. The legacy provider required a lot of manual input, and the alternative big enterprise solutions did not address SRQ’s needs either.

Here’s where AeroCloud stepped in to provide the needed solution.

In 2018 SRQ chose our platform to automate their operations and manage their increased passenger traffic.

AeroCloud quickly understood the airport’s processes and offered an easy-to-use platform even for those that do not often use it, such as airport tenants. 

Our Gate Management System (GMS) automates gate allocation and synchronises gate updates with those on the flight displays. Additionally, it provides passenger prediction analytics that helped SRQ to plan its terminal capacity well in advance. 

This proved to be extremely useful in adverse weather conditions. During the last storm in April 2022, the AeroCloud platform allocated 26 aircraft to 13 gates and saved 30 minutes of ground time, allowing airlines to avoid breaching tarmac delay rules.

One of the joys of AeroCloud is that we can implement our solutions within a matter of days, and we were able to efficiently address the issues which SRQ was experiencing with the old provider. 

Once implemented, SRQ could plan its capacity 90 days in advance, allowing the airport’s staff, carriers and tenants to better prepare to accommodate spikes in passenger traffic. 

Being able to prepare their operations, such as queue planning and team allocation, meant they could keep airlines, customers and staff, happy; happy stakeholders are just one outcome of using AeroCloud products. 

An excellent result thanks to our dynamic product that uses data to support airports’ operations. 

Overall, SRQ has seen…

<ul>
<li> 183% increase in passenger traffic (2020/2021) </li>
<li> Three times minimum saving in costs </li>
<li> 1005 gates allocated dynamically </li>
<li> 96% predicted passengers matching actual passengers boarded </li>
<li> 30 minutes minimum saving in aircraft ground time </li>
</ul>

I stand by my initial thoughts of AeroCloud…

We are bold.

We are the future of airport operations.

The differentiator of the disruptor

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Over the last few decades, air travel has seen significant progress across the globe. Initially a mode of transport for the rich and privileged, it is now an accessible and convenient mode of transport for many. The demand for air travel, especially after COVID-19, is steadily recovering and airports are busier than ever.

Airports are experiencing major challenges as infrastructure, once state of the art, struggles to cope with the dual pressures of demand and post-Covid staffing challenges. Moving to using cloud based digital airport operational management tools, such as a Gate Management System, will help airports to effectively plan and manage their ever-increasing flight operations whilst delivering a first-rate customer experience. 


**What is a Gate Management System (GMS)?**

A Gate Management System (GMS) helps the airport allocate gates for arriving aircraft, plan ramp and gate operations and utilize the available resources of the airport in the most efficient manner. With a GMS, airports can even let airlines with quick turnarounds take decisions on gate allocations to enhance ground operations. These systems can also link to airport displays to provide up-to-date information on waiting for passengers on gate boarding, travel delays or changes.


**What makes a GMS a "good" GMS?**

In order to make a GMS an effective airport management tool, it is important to understand the functionalities it can provide that promote the efficient running of an airport's operations. An effective GMS module should consider: 

- Flight schedule visibility
- Smooth flow of operations on the ground
- Safe and secure operations
- Passenger experience at the airport
- Seasonal planning and prediction capabilities
- Operational communication challenges
- Airline preferences and requests
- System user interface and availability


**How useful is a GMS for an airport?**

For an airport, having the ability to plan its operations in advance and account for any kind of unplanned scenarios is key to its daily running. Automation, predictive insights and what-if scenarios can all be streamlined using an accurate GMS. This system helps airports in the following key areas:

![Screenshot 2022-06-30 at 14.34.53.png](https://d3v2vhn7giv77j.cloudfront.net/Screenshot_2022_06_30_at_14_34_53_39491142ea.png)

**How does AeroCloud’s GMS improve an airport's operations?**

AeroCloud’s GMS was designed to digitally transform the way airport operations work, making it more efficient and accurate than paper-based planning. Being completely cloud-native, there are no associated hardware costs, and it can be accessed by registered users from anywhere on any browser-based device, helping airports to remove costs on fixed assets. 

**1. Making Gate Allocation Easier:**

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) processes, AeroCloud’s GMS enables real-time strategic operational planning and decision-making with minimal human interaction. This enables operational teams to dedicate their time and resources to other critical areas of the organization. Over time, the AI and ML processes will learn from human interactions, making it even more efficient with the allocation and planning of resources.


**2. Access and Ownership:**

With no restriction on user numbers, the airport can give relevant access to all stakeholders, from janitorial up to airport directors. User permissions allow the operational team to control what elements of the GMS can be viewed, modified or requested, helping to improve and streamline communications. It is also possible for airports to set the ownership of the gates to an airline or groups of airlines, making it easy for collaborative operational decisions to be made.


**3. Set Restrictions:**

As the module is based on AI and ML, if the airport has gates that are our of use due to maintenance or faults, the system will automatically apply restrictions and indicate conflicts or move the allocation to a suitable alternative position allowing the airport to keep on moving.


To know more about how AeroCloud's digital technology is transforming the way airport operations work, speak to one of our Airport Engagement Officers. They will guide you through the platform, and support you in making key decisions for your airport. You can simply reach out to us by dropping us an email at <a href="mailto:hello@aerocloudsystems.com">hello@aerocloudsystems.com</a> or fill out this form [here](https://aerocloudsystems.com/get-in-touch/).

The Importance of Gate Management Systems in Airports

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From 23rd – 25th, May 2022, our CTO and Founder Ian Forde-Smith, Product Manager Danny Lee, Airport Engagement Officer Reece Darbyshire and Senior Airport Engagement Partner Harry Carson took to the first Smart Airports, Cities & Regions Conference & Exhibition in Vienna. 

![Team AeroCloud.jpg](https://d3v2vhn7giv77j.cloudfront.net/Team_Aero_Cloud_21988e791c.jpg)


The launch of this conference was an exciting opportunity for our team to chat with professionals from the industry and to show the world why **AIRPORTS DESERVE BETTER**.

![Solar Panel.jpg](https://d3v2vhn7giv77j.cloudfront.net/Solar_Panel_273b060b59.jpg)

Whilst in Vienna, the team took away three key themes that are important for airports right now:

**Sustainability**: A theme that’s recurring not just in aviation, but in every sector, and will only become more important in the future as we continue to tackle the effects of global warming. 

Airports are, rightly, in a growth period as they re-establish themselves and the level of traffic that they were managing pre-pandemic. The trick is balancing the need for growth with the equally important need to make an airport future focused. For example, Vienna has a solar farm on its grounds that supplies power to the terminal. Our team was lucky enough to visit it, and even snapped a pic in front of the panels!

**Communications**: With so many people involved in making an airport run smoothly, it can be difficult to communicate effectively with all the parties involved. Often, the teams are dealing with both airport staff and third-party contractors who need access to important data. Bad communication can slow down airport operations, which means airports are looking for more accessible cloud-based services. 

**Automation**: We are seeing across the world the issue of talent shortage in many airports and the delays this is causing passengers. Airports desperately need to automate the process of updating information. Staff currently do this manually which is time-consuming and prone to errors. 

**What was most exciting for our team was the knowledge that AeroCloud can help to resolve these issues.**

Our cloud-native Gate Management System reduces taxi time to and from the terminal saving fuel costs, which can help airlines and airports reach their sustainability goals. 

Being cloud-native, our systems are available anywhere, on any device at any time, and with unlimited licences, all parties involved in the airport that need access to data can do so at any moment, which improves communications and efficiency. 

We’ve developed AeroCloud with AI machine learning, which automates processes, enabling staff to focus on other front-of-house roles to keep the airport running smoothly. 

Want to hear more? Get in touch with our team today to find out why your **AIRPORTS DESERVE BETTER**.

[Speak to our Team](https://aerocloudsystems.com/get-in-touch/)

What are Airports looking for in 2022?

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With automatic, real time inbound and outbound flight tracking, AeroCloud’s Flight Management System gives your Airport Operations team the ability to track and manage flights efficiently, including updating, adding and removing flight data and being kept up to date with diverted flights.
 
The grid layout view can be customised so you can see the information that’s important to you, allowing you to easily see if flight information has been updated, and with the option to receive notifications for individual flights, you can keep up to date.
 
With the ability to export data directly from the Flight Management System, you can create custom reporting to suit your needs, keeping stakeholders informed with accurate data. Coupled with our Flight Query database, you can search historical flight data on over 15 attributes, including tail numbers, origin/destination, airline and gates to better understand performance and usage.
 
 
**Why choose AeroCloud’s Flight Management System?**
-  Stay up to date. With reliable, real-time updates you can easily keep track of arrivals, departures and diverted flights.
-   Be informed. Easily see flight schedule changes such as delays, cancellations or diversions; you can even choose to be notified of updates to specific flights.
-  Empower your Airport Operations team. With control of user privileges, anyone in your airport can access the system and you control who can do what.
- Be unique. Easily export and manipulate monthly or real-time data to create the reports you need.
- Support hybrid working. Built cloud-native from the ground up, AeroCloud’s system is scalable and available on any device - you can even run your operations from home.
- Keep your airport moving. With 24 hour access to our support team directly from the platform, we are always here for you.

Want to know more? We’d love to hear from you and show you how AeroCloud’s state of the art technology can empower your Operations team. Get in touch with us [here](https://aerocloudsystems.com/get-in-touch/).


Find Efficiency with AeroCloud's Flight Management System Module

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Within the aviation industry, it’s commonly understood that pilots and air traffic controllers need good situational awareness: in essence, a clear understanding of what’s going on around them. However, the importance of situational awareness to airport teams is less well-known, yet it’s crucial to the smooth running of an airport — from managing ground traffic to allocating gates, and tracking which services aircraft are using.  
 
Thankfully, new technology is making it easier and more affordable for airport teams to gain greater situational awareness, even at the smaller, general aviation airports. The growth of ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), a more accurate way of tracking aircraft, is fuelling this change. ADS-B enables aircraft and ground vehicles to broadcast real-time information (such as their key identifier, position, altitude, and velocity) to others with the equipment to receive it: usually other aircraft and Air Traffic Control (ATC) but increasingly, airport operations teams.
 
In this blog, we’re going to cover a brief overview of ADS-B and its advantages over traditional radar-based surveillance, and then move on to explain how it can help airports, particularly general aviation airports.
 
## The benefits of ADS-B
 
ADS-B is one of the technologies being implemented to help upgrade the air traffic control system so that it can deal with a greater number of flights more efficiently. It is part of [the United States’ NextGen program](https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/) and [Europe’s Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research Programme (SESAR)](https://www.sesarju.eu/discover-sesar).
 
It’s been developed as a low-cost replacement for radar and uses GPS to provide greater precision and greater coverage of the earth’s surface. For instance, large parts of Australian airspace weren’t covered by radar-based surveillance but are now visible via ADS-B. This is because low-cost ADS-B-receiving stations could be sited at strategic points on the ground. Unlike conventional radar, ADS-B also works at low altitudes and on the ground so that it can be used to monitor traffic on the taxiways and runways of an airport.
 
ADS-B works using a combination of satellites, transmitters, and receivers. Aircraft or ground vehicles broadcast a signal (ADS-B Out) which reveals information such as their flight identifier, altitude, horizontal position, speed, direction, and more (based on GPS), and this signal can then be picked up by ground receivers or by other aircraft (ADS-B In) in real-time. Aircraft equipped with ADS-B In can also use this technology to get real-time weather and traffic updates in the cockpit.
 
ADS-B is, therefore, an incredibly important tool for safety, spatial awareness, and the management of sky and ground traffic.
 
The US now requires aircraft flying in most controlled airspace to be equipped with ADS-B Out, but other parts of the world are further behind in making it mandatory. [This article](https://txtav.com/en/journey/articles/articles/adsb-out-explained) has a useful summary of the ADS-B requirements in different continents and countries.
 
## Using ADS-B to improve airport operations
 
Although the benefits of ADS-B are well-known amongst pilots and ATCs in commercial and general aviation, the benefits to airport operations are less well understood. However, they do clearly exist.
 
The key advantage is that you get real-time information about the status of flights and the position of all aircraft within your airport and up to 350 nautical miles around it. This means that airport operations teams can be fully aware of what’s happening at any given moment. While many airports subscribe to flight information schedules, they don’t always provide real-time flight information that includes on-block or off-block times.  ADS-B however, can assist with providing this information. 
 
For smaller airports that don’t have a tower, this means that ADS-B can act as a kind of ‘virtual tower’, enabling teams to track inbound and outbound flights automatically. It gives airport managers access to ATC-style data for incoming flights and ground traffic, which can greatly improve situational awareness, safety, and operational planning. It’s particularly valuable to airports that experience extreme fluctuations in traffic, which can challenge their operations. For instance, Augusta Regional Airport in the US sees a huge upsurge in traffic during The Master's golf tournament, and this requires extra awareness and planning on the ground outside of traditional gate management systems.
 
Another key benefit is that because ADS-B can even track aircraft once they have landed (provided it remains enabled and broadcasting), airport teams can automatically track when aircraft are landing, departing, taxiing, and moving on and off-ramps. This can ensure more accurate billing for services, such as ‘touch and go’ fees or landing fees. It can also help teams monitor noise abatement issues.
 
For smaller airports that traditionally rely on manual tracking using paper-based systems or spreadsheets, harnessing the potential of an automated solution such as ADS-B can be revolutionary. It can significantly reduce manual administration, the risk of human error, and the negative consequences of this, such as under-billing.
 
As our airspace becomes more crowded, particularly with the increased popularity of drones and UAVs, it’s clear we need better awareness of where craft are, both in the air and on the ground. ADS-B is a vital tool that can help with this and in most airspace, it’s now being either mandated or heavily encouraged and subsidized. It is expected to eventually replace radar as the primary surveillance method for ATC monitoring and separation of aircraft worldwide. As a result, more and more airports will inevitably use ADS-B, and the benefits it offers them will increase as the technology develops and software providers further maximize its potential.

## Situational Awareness software, powered by ADS-B
 
The AeroCloud airport management platform has a Situational Awareness module,  which enables your team to become better informed and more aware. Based on ADS-B technology, this module can receive any ADS-B signal broadcast by an aircraft within 350 nautical miles. It can track the position of each aircraft in real-time and provide information about its flight number, tail number, aircraft type, altitude, speed, direction, and more.
 
It enables you to:
- Improve daily operations and safety by gaining complete visibility of everything that’s happening now in and around your airport (with map views)
- Ditch manual record-keeping and significantly improve your efficiency, by automatically tracking how an aircraft uses your airport, including the time it lands, arrives at a stand, and departs from a stand
- Build a permanent digital record, which you can interrogate later. This will improve invoice accuracy and can help you resolve issues or discrepancies related to billing or noise abatement.
 
Situational Awareness is just one module in our intelligent airport management platform, which makes operations teams' lives easier by automating tasks and ensuring everyone across the airport gets the information they need.
 
[The AeroCloud platform](https://aerocloudsystems.com/platform/) is built for the cloud, so it’s fast, lightweight, and flexible. It can also be used on any internet-connected device so you can take it with you wherever you go.
 
Do you need to improve situational awareness at your airport? [Contact us today](/get-in-touch/) to find out more about this module and see if it can help.

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