When Big Data transports us
In the eyes of the general public, Big Data can seem like an obscure topic that has little to do with everyday life. However, when it comes to the challenges facing air transport in terms of safety, fuel economy and environmental impact, data is a valuable asset—as long as it is comprehensible!
Created in 2010 by air transport and aviation safety professionals, Safety Line is helping to fuel the quiet revolution of data by making it available to airports and airlines, as well as to the public at large. Its sales director, François Chazelle, unveils these new tools.
What tools does Safety Line offer?
François Chazelle: We started with SafetyCube. It is a centralized system for real-time monitoring of risk management, which aims to limit the potential causes and consequences of risks. In other words: SafetyCube is software that helps airports meet safety regulation requirements using all available data.
In concrete terms, all safety incidents or events are classified according to a precise aeronautical taxonomy and associated with the risks they represent. Each new incident tests the effectiveness of the solution put in place for its resolution and, if necessary, updates the solution.
AirsideWatch leverages the vast amount of radar data used for air traffic control: it’s an interface that makes this data comprehensible and usable through precise time and location searches. The goal is to analyze traffic problems or delays in order to improve aircraft transit times at the airport.
For example, we can calculate wait times for aircraft when queuing on the runway before takeoff, as well as wait times for de-icing, accessing the stands or crossing the runway... We can also determine when taxiway maintenance should be carried out based on the weight of the aircraft passing over it, and even what time of day to schedule the maintenance according to traffic density per hour.
On that basis, this data opens up many different avenues for improvement, both in terms of safety and engineering.
What is Big Data anyway?
Big Data is a term that refers to all the digital data produced by the use of new technologies. This includes corporate data (e-mails, documents, databases, etc.) as well as data from sensors, content published on the web (images, videos, audio, texts, etc.), e-commerce transactions, social network exchanges, geolocation and data transmitted by connected objects (smart meters, smartphones, etc.).
These datasets are so large that traditional data processing software cannot handle them. But with the right tools, they can solve problems that could never have been solved otherwise.
In addition, it is possible to analyze actual trajectories – from takeoff to landing – in order to more accurately model and eventually reduce carbon (C02) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
What is the benefit to airport users and passengers?
On the ground, there are two main benefits. First, it saves time by optimizing ground routes for planes. That reduces delays, which means less waiting for passengers. Secondly, as we have already mentioned, it reduces pollutant emissions.
Airlines are very receptive to these arguments. For this reason, they have started to communicate more often about these tools, which enable them to become more efficient while consuming less.
That is the % of fuel savings that Safety Line promises with big data
What synergies do you have with the ADP Group?
The ADP Group has served as both a customer and an investor since 2017, but also as a research and commercial partner through ADP Ingénierie.
Together with them, we have developed a simulation tool based on AirsideWatch. With this tool, we can feed simulation models with actual radar data upstream of construction sites. Then, once the construction sites are completed, we can verify the actual results using the same tool. This provides a strong competitive advantage on the infrastructure projects on which the Group is positioned.
What’s next?
Research & Development is the heart of our business. Our teams are made up of statisticians, data scientists (experts in managing and analyzing “big data”) and doctoral students, who are constantly thinking about ways to develop and improve our products and create new ones!