AI at YOW: New tech from Nepean company could benefit passengers and position Ottawa as cutting edge
Mia Jensen, OBJ
July 11, 2024 3:50 PM ET
A new artificial intelligence program coming to the Ottawa International Airport (YOW) this summer could help airport officials more accurately predict delays and pinpoint safety concerns.
Ottawa’s airport is partnering with Nepean-based Searidge Technologies to conduct a nine-month demonstration of Smart Stand, a program that uses cameras and sensors to monitor airport gates and ground activity in real-time, then runs visual artificial intelligence algorithms to predict potential delays, according to Josha Bharadwa, head of platform and products at Searidge.
The goal of the program, Bharadwa told OBJ, is to make the turnaround process between flights more efficient and improve safety on the ground.
“I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar … when you’re at the gate every 15 minutes you get another message: delayed,” said Bharadwa. “With (Smart Stand), we can see the predicted turnaround time and departure time, so that we get real-time insights into the process. Then passengers can enjoy the airport’s services, rather than waiting around the gate for continuous updates.”
The system monitors hundreds of individual tasks during the turnaround process, according to Bharadwa, including fuelling, aircraft arriving and departing, baggage handling and passengers disembarking the aircraft. All of these steps have the potential to lead to delays and, with so many factors at play, it can be hard to keep track.
In addition to increasing efficiency, Bharadwa said the program helps to improve safety for passengers and crew, as well as ground personnel.
“We can detect, using our AI and cameras, if a human is getting too close to the engine ingestion zone,” he said. “Or, we can make sure that they are doing the required safety checks for each flight.”
The program also returns data and generates key performance indicators that allow the airport to evaluate its operations.
YOW spokesperson Krista Kealey said this is the first implementation of AI at the airport.
“The Airport Authority has been examining the potential for AI and other technologies to improve the passenger experience at YOW and is excited to take this first step in AI with Searidge,” she told OBJ in an email. “We hope the trial will provide increased situational awareness and predictability and show us and our airline partners where efficiencies can be found and implemented post-trial. Ultimately, it’s about providing improved service for our passengers in a safe, secure airside environment.”
While artificial intelligence is new for YOW, this isn’t the first time Searidge has worked with the airport. In a press release, Ottawa International Airport Authority CEO Mark Laroche said he was excited to continue the collaboration.
“We are thrilled to build on several successful collaborations with Searidge Technologies that have improved our airside situational awareness and safety posture,” he said. “Smart Stand’s data and analysis capabilities, coupled with operational efficiencies, will ultimately mean improved performance for all airside players and better service for our passengers.”
For passengers, the tech will most likely be invisible, but Bharadwa said the difference will be in the experience.
“It depends on how the airport wants to integrate it into their system,” he said. “I think from the passenger perspective, they’re really going to notice it if the airport integrates it with live updates, giving them a more accurate depiction of when a pushback is going to happen. As a passenger, you’re still going to get that delay, it’s still going to be annoying, but you’re going to be able to spend it in the lounge and not locked to the gate.”
This is not Searidge’s first experience with artificial intelligence. Bharadwa said the company started integrating AI into its products as far back as 2015.
Smart Stand and its AI algorithm have been in progress since about 2019 and, while parts of it have been tested at other airports, this is the first time the program is being demonstrated in full.
“It’s something new,” Bharadwa said. “There are competitors in the space, but it’s brand new for many, many airports. This is a brand new technique with camera technology to create actionable insights and deeper-level information. It isn’t replacing any existing technology. A lot of the procedure that currently happens (is done by) humans, setting predicted onboard and departure times. We’re just automating it.”
After the nine-month demonstration, Bharadwa said the plan is to roll out the program to a number of airports across North America and Europe, likely by late 2025.
He added that the tech won’t necessarily create an incentive for more airlines to come to Ottawa, but it could solidify YOW’s reputation as a leader in tech integration across the aviation industry.
“If we can increase the utilization of each individual stand, we can handle the flow of more passengers and more aircrafts,” he said. “For Ottawa’s partners, they’ll see that it has the latest and greatest technologies available in the APM (automated people mover) and aviation space. It’s working with partners like Searidge to develop these solutions to stay on the forefront of the technology market.”
