Crowdsourcing to Combat a Bio-Threat at the Airport

July 6, 2020

Denver International Airport is a visionary airport that saw the potential value of crowdsourcing information from airport employees and the public.  Every day, people in an airport see things that could help the airport operate better, if they would report the issue.  But they may not want to make a phone call or spend several minutes filling out a form. 

People will help.  By providing a quick and easy way to report concerns, DEN has received a mountain of A close up of electronics

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The COVID Threat.  As the coronavirus gathered momentum, airports and public transportation were hit hard.  Concerns about the virus and government warnings have dramatically reduced travel on planes, trains and buses.   The transportation industry is taking action to fight this bio-hazard threat.  Social distancing, masks and hand sanitizer are helping.  An important part of the fight is awareness of learning where hazards are and addressing them promptly. 

The DEN Idea.  On April 23, DEN’s Senior Vice President Dave LaPorte asked ELERTS to add “COVID-19 ISSUE” as a Report Type in the See Say Airport app.  That was a great idea.  Immediately, DEN began receiving dozens of reports of COVID-19 Issues. “We were fortunate to have a partner in ELERTS that could respond to the emerging COVID threat so quickly and efficiently”, said LaPorte. "DEN is able to proactively address issues faster because of the information we receive with the See Say app.  The end result is a safer airport with improved operations."

COVID-19 Reports.  Since March 1, DEN has received over 400 reports from employees and the public about COVID-19 Issues at the airport.

Clearly, COVID-19 Issue reporting is up.  This may indicate that people still have growing concerns, but it may also indicate a realization that we are all in this together and reporting COVID-19 concerns is important.

In the “TSA Administrator’s Intent 2.0”, David Pekoske describes plans to enhance safety and improve airport operations for the traveling public and employees.  The TSA seeks a "culture of innovation that anticipates and rapidly counters the changing threats across the transportation system" and the agency wants to quickly deploy new technologies to meet those threats.

A potent intelligence resource is already present at airports, the people who work there, the passengers, and a willingness to report things that “just don’t seem right”.  Whether it is a COVID-19 issue or suspicious activity, ELERTS See Say Airport provides immediate situational awareness to the Airport Operations Center.  With a steady flow of incoming reports, an airport can respond quicker to make the environment safer and more pleasant for all.