Carnegie Mellon University is partnering on a bid to make Pittsburgh International Airport “the smartest airport on the planet.”
The ultimate goal is to use sensors, apps and other smart technology to help travelers navigate their way with unprecedented ease — from finding a space in the parking lot to perhaps even getting an exact time to arrive at the security checkpoint.
CMU and the Allegheny County Airport Authority signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday formalizing a relationship that started three years ago with several projects to improve service and access to the airport.
One key focus will be enhancing traveler and visitor experiences, not only now but at the new $1.1 billion terminal to be built by 2023 to replace the landside building used for ticketing, security and baggage claim.
“This is going to be a living lab for CMU,” said Christina Cassotis, CEO of the airport authority, which operates Pittsburgh International. “The new terminal will have CMU’s footprint all over it if we do this right and, of course, we will. We are going to be putting this region at the forefront through a partnership that will benefit local travelers, certainly, but also the entire industry.
“It will allow us here in Pittsburgh to regain our status as an industry leader in aviation.”
Built in 1992, the airport was a hub for the former US Airways for years, generating up to 20 million passengers a year at one point. After the airline shut down the hub in 2004, the airport suffered years of decline before rebounding under Ms. Cassotis’ leadership. The airport has doubled the number of destinations in the last several years. It has attracted new airlines and more flights, in part backed by millions of dollars in incentives.
Leading the latest effort will be the CMU’s Metro21: Smart Cities Institute.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the university will have its own dedicated space to work from in the terminal.
While the agreement formalizes the relationship, CMU already has been at work at Pittsburgh International. Its Traffic21 Institute has developed an app that allows visitors to find empty parking spaces closest to the terminal.
Using Bluetooth low energy beacons located throughout the airport, CMU’s Cognitive Assistance Lab also has been developing and testing NavCog, a smartphone-based navigation system that helps people with visual impairments to find their way.
CMU President Farnam Jahanian believes such innovations represent the tip of the iceberg. “This is going to bring innovative projects and experiences to millions of travelers,” he said at a press conference announcing the collaboration.
“This partnership will bring world-leading research and education in our smart cities technologies, policies, and implementation to enhance the quality of life and delivery of services to countless citizens and passengers.”
Funding for the effort is expected to come from the university and three foundations -— the Heinz Endowments, the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Hen ry L. Hillman Foundation.
One potential target for CMU’s Smart Cities team is the security checkpoint, which can be a source of long lines, frustration and consternation for travelers, particularly during peak times.
While neither the authority nor CMU has talked to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration about participation, one idea floated Thursday would be to leverage data and technology to streamline the process.
That could mean giving travelers a time to arrive at the checkpoint or maybe even offering them vouchers for a free beverage, for example, to show up early to help control flow.
“If the opportunity does come up and passengers say that, heck, everything works great but the security checkpoint is a bottleneck and very stressful, we’ll be happy to go find possibilities that will address those problems as well,” said Raj Rajkumar, director of the Metro21 Smart Cities Institute.
He envisions the day that sensors will be employed to talk to travelers’ smartphones to take them from home to the parking lot through the security checkpoint directly to the gate in the most efficient way possible.
On landing, the same technology could be used to help them find their way out to baggage claim, rental cars, and eventually to their destination.
The goal, Mr. Rajkumar noted, “is to make the airport the smartest airport on the planet.”
Mark Belko: 412-263-1262 or mbelko@post-gazette.com.
First Published: April 19, 2018, 6:15 p.m.
