Case study. Gatwick Airport car park information and on-vehicle systems, delivered for:

Transcription

1 Case study Gatwick Airport car park information and on-vehicle systems, delivered for:

2 Contents 21 st Century Technology plc is the specialist provider of tailored solutions to the transport community, solving complex operational requirements both on and off the vehicle. With over 20 years experience in the transport industry, 21 st Century specialises in providing innovative solutions that improve the passenger experience and provide operational benefits to fleet and network operators. Experts in multiple transport technologies A great team of people who understand transport Delivering efficiencies for our customers Introduction Background 2 Scope 3 About 21 st Century 4 About Omniserv 5 GAL requirements 6 Technology 7 Solution focus CCTV 8 APC - Automatic Passenger Counting 10 Infotainment - Next Stop Announcement 12 Passenger Wi-Fi 14 Real-time predictions - Dynamic 16 Scheduling Shelter displays - Content Management 18 System Architecture 20 Service 21 st Century Services 22 Want to learn more? Contact us on the details below to speak to a member of the team: W: 21stplc.com T: E: info@21stplc.com

3 Background Scope Gatwick Airport is the second busiest UK airport with a location south of London offering an easily accessible major travel hub to travellers serving over 220 destinations. It operates from two terminals with over 700 aircraft movements a day operated by 56 airlines with EasyJet having its major hub based at North terminal. With over 45 million people using the airport each year and 36% using a car, its transport network and parking services must operate using the most reliable, realtime and passenger friendly technology to ensure customer satisfaction is maintained. Bus operations between the North and South Long Stay car parks and the terminal are provided by Omniserv, part of the ABN Group and under contract to Gatwick Airport Ltd (GAL), together with Staff car park operations and also shuttle replacement services. Prior to the engagement of 21st Century, car park shelters and technology on the buses comprised largely analogue technology that prevented information-exchange between systems in a realtime manner and often required depot staff to visit vehicles to extract CCTV or update passenger information displays. In the bus stops, basic dotmatrix displays were installed that were limited to displaying simple text messages. 21st Century was engaged in January 2017 to replace the technology within the Long Stay car parks, at the terminal return-journey waiting areas and across the bus fleet. The brief also included the implementation of a real-time system to help Omniserv measure its service performance and provide accurate vehicle arrival information into the bus shelters and through the airport s internal applications to staff car park users. It was a requirement that all systems be on-line and connected to ensure performance could be measured, that visits to shelters and vehicles to update media were kept to a minimum and most importantly, that passengers would receive accurate and real time passenger information at the shelter and on-board. As systems integrator, 21 st Century s responsibilities were: Understand Omniserv and GAL s detailed requirements Select system vendors Create the detailed vehicle design Agree system information sharing protocols on and off the vehicle Install, test and commission all hardware Maintain all technology, on-site, as a managed service The Omniserv fleet comprises 14 buses and operate a 24hrs a day, 7 days a week to a prescribed service level during peak times and an on-demand service during quieter periods. Within the public Long Stay car parks multiple parking zones are arranged each with a sheltered bus stop and in the case of South Long Stay, these zones will be opened and closed according to demand. Page 2 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 3

4 About About 21st Century is the specialist provider of tailored solutions to the transport community, solving complex operational requirements both on and off the vehicle. With over 20 years experience in the transport industry, 21 st Century specialises in providing innovative technology solutions that improve the passenger experience and provide operational benefits to both fleet and network operators. Through our Fleet Systems and Passenger Systems teams, we aim to create connected systems, for connected journeys. The project at Gatwick Airport, on behalf of bussing operations provider Omnisev, is a great example of 21 st Century Fleet Systems and 21 st Century Passenger Systems combining their expertise to provide a truly innovative and all-encompasing solution. 21 st Century continually to gain a deep understanding of their needs and by applying their knowledge of transport technology and deploying the right teams of people to achieve the results their customers deserve. Part of the wider ABM Group of companies, Omniserv provide a comprehensive range of innovative and dependable solutions to the world s leading airlines and airports. Their commitement to passenger care, security and operational efficiency ensure they are able to deliver the highest levels of service to the aviation industry. With decades of experience in all areas of the aviation business, they provide their customers with a dynamic and uniquely spirited service culture. Enhanced by world class processes, technology partners and service delivery systems that drive team member productivity and performance, they consistently deliver above targets to deliver superior and cost effective solutions. At Gatwick Airport, Omniserv provide bussing services for the airport s two Long Stay car parks to the North and South terminals in addition to transporting airport and airline personnel from the staff car park to the two terminals. They are responsible for ensuring a high-quality service both on the vehicle and the provision of Real-Time Information (RTI) in the car parks. At 21 st Century we aim to ensure that operators are provided with systems that truly benefit their operation, drive efficiencies and provide consistent return on investment. Mark Johnson Director of Fleet Systems 21 st Century In 21 st Century we found a technology partner that truly understood our operational needs and was able to deliver to the benefit of our passengers. Paul Stephen General Manager Omniserv Page 4 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 5

5 GAL requirements Technology The key requirements as outlined by GAL (Gatwick Airport Limited) and supplied to 21 st Century were to: Provide public and staff users of the car park access to accurate real-time information: Display real-time journey progress in the bus, across multiple screens and with audio Display accurate predicted arrival information at the bus stops Provide large external displays at the Long Stay waiting areas at the terminals Ensure passenger security and safety through: Recording of high definition video (CCTV) with Cloud Video Management Deploying airport messages/announcements into the shelters and buses. Capture operational data to assist with measuring service levels Collect passenger counting data from each bus and every journey travelled Measure bus operations. On the vehicle Vehicles 7x 2004 and 7x m Mercedes Citaro articulated vehicles operate the main Omniserv services. 21 st Century undertook all installations with close technical collaboration with EvoBus; with the new vehicles entering the fleet part-way through the project. On each vehicle, 21 st Century engineering teams installed: 12-camera CCTV with fully digital HD cameras, providing 8x internal and 4x external views, with audio recording where required. Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) sensors above each of the 3 doors that measure boarding and alighting counts at each bus stop 3 high-resolution passenger infotainment displays Audible announcements connecting to existing speakers Connectivity to existing Hanover Display blinds Passenger Wi-Fi for buses operating staff routes In the car parks 28 TFT Real-time information screens, installed within 27 bus stops At the terminals Real-time information totems, with 1.5m high screens installed at Terminal car park pickup points In the office Cloud-based real time information management system to provide predicted arrivals to bus stop displays Cloud-based CCTV Video Management System to request, store and export video Cloud-based Content Management System (CMS) to manage on-vehicle display content Cloud-based CMS to intelligently manage real-time data to receive SIRI feeds and display content to the specific displays APC report delivery to provide at each stop the number of boarders, alighters and current load of the vehicle Bespoke reports providing Service Delivery metrics 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 7

6 CCTV Requirements: Omniserv needed high definition CCTV on their 7 new vehicles and the technology replicated onto their legacy fleet. It was crucial that any new installation of CCTV included the option to live-view cameras on the vehicle, allowing the operator to respond to any potential situations as soon as they occurred. Delivery: 21 st Century worked with industryspecialist suppliers to deliver the highquality, reliable and IP-based CCTV that Omniserve required and suited the vehicle design requirements. Utilising a Fältcom MIIPs platform operating the Observit software DVR, the system is capable of securely storing up to 30 days of high quality video on Solid State drives. In the office Omiserv General Manager, Paul Stephen, can now dial in and live-view the footage on any vehicle in the Omniserv fleet. He has found the new facility invaluable: With the quality of the high definition footage and the ability to dial in to any of our vehicles, I can quickly and effieciently identify any issues reported by the drivers. The speed of the download and quality of the images helps me and Gatwick respond to cases without delay. 21 st Century continue to support the installation, under a managed service contract, giving Paul the peace of mind that the system is backed-up by 21 st Century s nationwide network of expert engineers: The engineering team are great; they work through the night to ensure the system is well maintained and ready fo use. All cameras (8 internal and 4 external) are HIKvision IP mobile cameras, with weatherproof and audio-recording variants used as required. They have been individually configured with frame-rate and image recording resolutions dependent on their location. The SIM for the remote connection to live-view video or to download to Observit s secure on-line video management systems is integrated into the MIIPS platform, allowing it to act as a gateway to some of the other on-board solutions. Solution partners Page 8 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 9

7 APC (Automatic Passenger Counting) Requirements: Omniserv provide a regular service for GAL, with a bus every 12 minutes to the terminals during peak hours of operation, with the frequency lowering during times when the service is in less demand. Knowing the number of passengers by hour, day, week and month, and between which areas will allow Omniserv to optimise their operation whilst simultaneously ensuring that there is no reduction in service from a passenger s perspective. Delivery: 21 st Century have a great deal of experience delivering Automatic Passenger Counting (APC). To fit the requirement, 21 st Century selected the Hella stereoscopic transport sensors, connected to the same Ethernet backbone as the MiiPs units, enabling them to record passenger flow data and make it available for export into the 21 st Century reporting tool. In the office The key to removing data from a vehicle and presenting it to a customer is the ability to deliver meaningful data, from which an operator can make decisions. General Manager, Paul Stephen, comments: Simple loading and off-loading data may be suitable for some operators, but our operation requires us to be more dynamic, with areas of the car parks opening and closing as they reach capacity, making the dataset for passenger counting more complex to present. 21 st Century have been able to make sense of that data, by combining it with information such as service frequency and headway, providing us valuable insight that leads to real operational benefits. The sensors capture passengers boarding and alighting simultaneously at each bus stop and provides not only the historic data that Omniserv can analyse, but also a realtime vehicle occupancy number that is presented to the operations team as part of the real-time system. 21 st Century provide a range of standard and bespoke reports to suit Omniserv s needs. Solution partners Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 11

8 Infotainment Next Stop Announcement Requirements: Gatwick Airport Limited required on-board media displays to provide passengers with clear information to make their journey easier. The information needed to include: Next Stop Announcement information Reinforced safety messaging Gatwick promotions and advertising information for shops and amenities within the terminal building. Delivery: 21 st Century selected the leading signage and content delivery partner, MultiQ to supply the equipment and back-office systems for the infotainment, due to the ease with which Gatwick and Omniserv would be able to use the Content Managing System (CMS) that controls the displays. The data displayed on the screens is controlled by both master playlists and dynamic, geo-fenced areas, ensuring that passengers are delivered the right message, at the right time. The system integrates with the existing audio announcements, ensuring synchronous messaging is delivered on the open-platform architecture 21 st Century designed. Solution partners In the office Paul is able to monitor each of the vehicles, including location and the message that they are displaying to passengers in real time. Updating the playlists and content through the CMS is easy: Airport safety regulations change and so do the offers and services being provided in the terminals, so it was important that we were able to update the content as and when we need to. The CMS is intuitive and easy to use, allowing us to make updates as required. That, coupled with the ability to provide passengers dynamic next stop announcements on non-defined routes means we can give our customers a great on-board experience. Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 13

9 Passenger Wi-Fi Requirements: Gatwick Airport Limited wanted to provide public-access Wi-Fi on the Omniserv vehicles that operate the staff car park routes, allowing staff entering the terminals to access the internet and information on the running status of the airport for the day. Delivery: Adding Wi-Fi to the staff vehicles was simple due to the design of the system and its scalability. Wi-Fi was added as a service to the existing MIIPS with the addition of in-vehicle access points and robust session management and content filtering delivered by the FältCom Wi-Fi backoffice. Single sign-on means passengers can use any number of vehicles whilst still browsing the Internet under the session rules governing data usage that are set centrally. The Wi-Fi has been well received by staff and onboard playlists for the infotainment displays have been updated to encourage the service users to download the Gatwick Community App, which gives them greater insight into the running of the airport and details on the status of services they are due to provide. In the office Runaway data costs are always a concern for any bus operation offering free, public access Wi-Fi, but not for Paul Stephens, Operations Manager at Omniserv: 21 st Century provide us a managed service, ensuring that costs to us are capped and cannot exceed what we have deemed reasonable to provide. They manage all whitelists and user session limits for us, so we can be assured that the content people are viewing is suitable and will not lead to increased costs to us. Solution partners By effectively managing user session limits and simultaneous connection numbers, 21 st Century are able to provide Omniserv with a high-quality, high-availability passenger Wi-Fi solution. Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 15

10 Real-time predictions Dynamic scheduling Requirements: The service provided by Omniserv is not as simple as a standard public service route. With car park zones opening and closing as they reach capacity, pick-up journeys and those returning passengers to their cars are dynamic, flexing with the needs of the airport and the passengers. To provide accurate real time predictions, it was key that 21 st Century understood the needs of the airport and the needs of Omniserv. Delivery: Via an in-cab touch-screen, drivers are able to select which car park zones they will be going to. Through the real time information (RTI) Central System and the 21 st Century CMS, this automatically opens and closes zones on the bus shelter displays, letting waiting passengers know when their transport will arrive by generating an accurate prediction based on the dynamic movements of the vehicle. By applying business logic to the prediction algorithms, the real time information passengers see has increased accuracy, improving the overall passenger experience. In the driver s cab Drivers select the zones they are visiting which allows the Central System, provided by Cloud Amber (an Idox group company) to generate predictions on the dynamic movements of the vehicle. This is then pushed to the 21 st Century CMS to update displays throughout the car parks. In the office In addition to better predictions at stops, the back-office system allows APIs to be pushed to other systems, such as the Gatwick Community App where staff can monitor realtime vehicle movements. Paul comments: Not only are our predictions far more accurate, we can push them out to more places. As important as it is to push out accurate RTI to passengers, airport staff rely on our services just as much, if not more. The API that allows staff to track bus services on the Gatwick staff app means they have the information they need to quickly and efficiently move around the site. Solution partners Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 17

11 Shelter displays Content management Requirements: With 27 bus stops throughout the airport car parks, it was important that the displays utilised throughout the car parks displayed accurate information and were robust enough to withstand the challenging environment in which they were to be installed. Delivery: 21 st Century manufactured and supplied their most popular shelter display - the 28 stretched display. The content for the displays is managed by 21 st Century s Content Management System (CMS), EPI4. The CMS comes with pre-defined templates to allow Gatwick Airport Limited to supplement real time information with safety messaging and advertising for the services and amenities on offer in the terminal buildings. The CMS also monitors the accuracy of the data being supplied from the Central System provider (see pages 16-17), ensuring the displays are correctly showing when a car park zone is opened, closing or closed. Solution partners In the office The 21 st Century Content Management System (CMS), EPI4, allows users to intelligently manage their information estate, enabling them to set templates, layouts and add additional supporting content such as scrolling messages. Paul comments: It is imperative that people arriving at Gatwick know where they are and how to get to the terminals quickly and efficiently. The ability to provide real-time journey data, coupled with the flexibility of being able to set templates and provide additional, supporting information such as key airport security information is of real benefit to both Omniserv as an operator and to our passengers. Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 19

12 System architecture Connected systems, for connected journeys: With an increasing number of IT systems installed on to public service vehicles, fleet operators like Omniserv need to be assured that they can benefit from the quality of world-class systems at a reasonable investment level. Open-platform, scalable and connected systems provide this assurance. 21 st Century is an active member of ITxPT and wholeheartedly believes in the ethos of creating a single, rationalised system architecture that provides fleet operators the option to add or remove plug-and-play systems as their needs evolve whilst also making the design, installation and servicing of such a system simpler for the systems integrator and maintainer. A single ethernet backbone gives benefits to installation, with less equipment and SIMs required for connectivity; to management, as systems become connected to the Internet of Things (IoT); and to maintenance, as the bus is on-line and remotely monitored. What is ITxPT? Borne out of EBSF2 (European Bus System of the Future), the ITxPT (Information Technology for Public Transport) initiative aims to further cooperate on the implementation of standards for plug-and-play IT systems applied to public service vehicles. The ITxPT initiative supports the deployment of standards and practices for on-board systems and the relevant backoffice management platforms that allow operators to get the best from their equipment, and drives efficiencies within their services. Mark Johnson, Director of Fleet Systems, comments: As a longstanding member of ITxPT, 21 st Century install to ITxPT guidelines and view it as crucial that systems develop in accordance with ITxPT standards, allowing operators to take benefits from the many advantages of a single, rationalised system network architecture. Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 21

13 21 st Century services Reputations are built on great service. Delivered from our head office in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and supported from our sattelite offices in Croydon, Coventry and Stockholm, 21 st Century has the people and the expertise to support your needs. Learn more at Design Industry-leading product knowledge and experience enables 21 st Century to design the very best solutions for its customers, whether they be on-vehicle systems, off-board technologies or a combination of both. Installation 21 st Century has a proven track record of delivering the highest quality installations across multimodal disciplines. 21 st Century combines the knowledge and understanding necessary to meet the unique operational challenges faced within the transport industry. Integration, innovation and development With in-house software development capability and technically agile development teams, 21 st Century is able to provide customers with innovative new solutions that get the best from legacy equipment whilst building for the smart transport systems of tomorrow. Maintenance Using advanced remote monitoring systems, preventative maintenance schedules and with a rapid response capability to customer ermgencies, 21 st Century provides tailored solutions to each customer through our nationwide network of Field Service Engineers. Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys Page 23

14 Want to see more? 21 st Century works with global-scale partners and industry specialists to deliver the solutions our customers require. This project was delivered with the assistance of the following Solution Partners: Contact us! If you want to learn more about the works we completed for Omniserv, either individual elements or the entire solution then we d love to hear from you! Alternatively, if you d like to hear more about one of our other fantastic projects, such as Chester Bus Interchange, visit or to speak to a member of the team use the details below: T: E: info@21stplc.com T: E: info@21stplc.com W: 21stplc.com Page st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys 21 st Century Technology plc Connected systems, for connected Journeys

15 21 st Century Technology plc 12 Charter Point Way Ashby-de-la-Zouch LE65 1NF T: E: W: 21stplc.com This document has been produced by 21 st Century Technology plc (company no: ), registered at the above address. All images and content are copyright of 21 st Century Technology plc.