Sustaining an airport's health

Finding another way for data collection

For the past seven years, ATL has relied on surveygrade, GPS data-collection technology to collect utility, pavement and other critical infrastructure data information with centimetre-level accuracy. This equipment, however, uses proprietary software and is difficult to manage collected data throughout airport operations, mainly because it didn’t work efficiently with CAD, GIS planning or the workflows used by the airport’s engineering and GIS staff. ATL has been looking for the right solution to map, collect and record their asset and utilities information in one centralised database and share this information between decisionmakers and field crews. Three years ago, ATL made the decision to use Esri’s Collector for ArcGIS to collect and update data in the field using smartphones and tablets. Airside and Landside Operation teams, who worked in the office on pavement management, required a common software interface to communicate with field crews efficiently and Collector for ArcGIS provided the missing link. Collector for ArcGIS sets up the collection project, manages and edits the data all in real time and exports it for use with other systems, such as CAD, with the ArcGIS Online environment.

Smartphones and tablets with Collector for ArcGIS installed were used by field crews and proved very popular. Crews easily understood how to use the already familiar smart device interface and within a short period of time, were quickly collecting, viewing and sharing data in real time across multiple platforms – online and offline. It was especially helpful for Airside and Landside Operation teams who could easily and simultaneously communicate with multiple field crews any edits made by each other.

Brian Haren, senior GIS program coordinator at Hartfield-Jackson, explains, “H-JAIA Landside and Airside Operations have a requirement to share information on airfield status and needed repairs in real time. In the past this meant identifying repair locations using imprecise methods such as verbal descriptions passed via email, text message or phone call. With Collector for ArcGIS, the crews can now share precise location, description and photo information in real time across the wide variety of platforms. This has resulted in more timely and efficient responses to critical airfield repair issues.”

Explore next chapter: Moving to a new GIS for more efficiencies

Story: Sustaining an airport's health
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Finding another way for data collection
Chapter 3: Moving to a new GIS for more efficiencies