IT Column

As the Internet continues to change the way companies do business, software companies are exploring ways to best utilize it. One such company, Aeroware, an airport management software company, will roll out its latest, the Application Service Provider (ASP) module, at the AAAE show this May. The module allows airports to have access to its Version 4 software via the Internet and full IT support for the program, without having to physically install the software.

Explains Vern Heyer of Aeroware's vice president of sales, "This if a very powerful B2B model. It allows an airport to run more like a business and be tied more tightly to other businesses," he says.

Currently, ASP offers five software components available in any combination: property/lease management, billing, graphical property interface, service/maintenance, and fuel sales. Aeroware performs daily backups and upgrades, and is available by phone during business hours. The system can be integrated with other agencies and set up on a view-only basis, if necessary. "We can tie two locations together for audit reasons or coordination of revenue streams," Heyer explains.

Information transmitted within the ASP model is fully secured, Heyer says. The data is encrypted at 120 bits, the same as any of the major stock brokers or banks, he states.

Cost for the full package: $1,500-$2,000 per month. Airports who enter a maintenance contract with Aeroware receive upgrades free of charge.

Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, MO, is serving as the test bed for the property/lease management module. Director Dick Hrabco says the airport got involved through discussions with his neighbor, Heyer, about the lack of inexpensive software on the market for airports.

Hrabco recommends that managers who are not computer savvy try the program. "Any average airport manager can learn to use this in a short period of time. All you need is an Internet connection and Aeroware maintains the database," he says.

For more information, call 636-519-4830 or visit www.aeroware.com.

Three-in-one connection
mPhase Technologies, Inc., a telecommunications company in Norwalk, CT, recently introduced the Traverser, to the airport market. It allows airports to receive digital television, high-speed Internet access, and telephone over existing copper lines.

"The Traverser allows DSL circuitry to function like a customer's standard set-top cable box," states David Climek, chief technology officer at mPhase. The DSL-based system is intended to deliver high quality live entertainment, video, and Internet access simultaneously over the telephone wire without disrupting voice, he explains.

The product, intended for smaller airports, allows the consumer to get a combined bill that includes cable service, Internet access, and telephone billing. The biggest advantage, says Climek, is that the service is provided by the airport's local telephone company, which also maintains the system.

The system is currently being tested at North Star Aviation, an FBO at Grant County Airport, Ulysses, KS.

Wendel Lambert, airport manager at North Star Aviation, chose to go with the mPhase system through his local phone company because of his location. "They didn't want to spend the money to run one line out to us for cable so they came up with the idea of using this product and we were the test bed for it," Lambert states. The airport had the system installed about four months ago so it could offer its pilots the conveniences of weather and flight planning via the Internet, as well as access to e-mail. For his location, Wendel says mPhase was much more economical compared to the DTN weather system he was using previously.

Climek suggests contacting the local telephone service provider and finding out if they are able to offer this technology. Or, contact Sue Cifelli, executive vice president of marketing and sales at mPhase, at 203-831-2225 or check their website at www.mphasetech.com.

Tracking GSE with GPS
C-map Aviation, a company that offers vehicle satellite tracking for operations and maintenance applications at larger airports, introduces its new route planning feature. The system tracks vehicles' positions using GPS. The map moves around the vehicle keeping its position in relation to the land detail, which appears on the screen, says Trudy McCarty, operations manager at C-MAP Aviation.

Information regarding roads, materials located in specific buildings, phone numbers, companies, or materials that may need to be identified in case of an emergency can be accessed through the system, she says.

A new route planning mode allows an operations manager to set up an alarm system that's triggered when vehicles have reached designated areas, McCarthy says. Users can then code the received alarm into the history of the database for future use. Also, airports can track vehicles conducting a number of tasks — such as when a lead plow reaches the intersection of two runways, she explains. An alarm will sound to notify the operations manager to give the plow its next instructions if needed.

"With GPS you have the variable of inaccuracy depending upon selected availability, the time of day, atmospheric conditions, satellite positioning... It can be off up to 100 ft. or more," McCarthy says. C-map's system has a differential correction for the base station to compensate for the variable. For information, call McCarthy at 800-363-2627.