Sensis Adds Integrated Chat Functionality to Aerobahn's Collaborative Decision Making Platform

EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sensis Corporation today announced the availability of an integrated chat function in its Aerobahn® Airport Surface Management System. Aerobahn's chat function supports private one-to-one communications as well as broadcast messaging to all Aerobahn users. With Aerobahn's new multi-group chat functionality, users from disparate airport organizations, including airlines, airport owner/operators, gate operators and air navigation service providers (ANSP), now have an efficient and integrated tool for immediate communications in support of Collaborative Decision Making (CDM).

"By definition, CDM requires specific and timely communication between stakeholders.  The addition of peer-to-peer and group discussion capabilities within Aerobahn allows users to more efficiently communicate and conduct operations," said Ken Kaminski, vice president and general manager of Sensis Air Traffic Systems. "The chat function builds on Aerobahn's other features, such as dynamic rules alerting and predictive capabilities, to further its position as the industry's most advanced and comprehensive CDM platform."

Sensis Aerobahn combines airside operational information, such as flight schedules, with the exact location and identification of aircraft and vehicles on the surface of the airport and surrounding airspace for a real-time, comprehensive view of airport operations. Users can observe departure queues, view actual arrival demand and contrast the demand with available gates for arriving aircraft.  Aerobahn's event alerting capability empowers users to create their own customized filters to more quickly and better identify critical operating conditions and issues such as long on-board delays. All events are recorded for future playback to identify trends, develop new procedures that mitigate delays or similar events in the future and provide justification for process improvements. Aerobahn also provides users with the ability to create their own reports based on numerous variables for detailed analysis of operations.

Chatting on the Aerobahn platform operates similarly to other commercial chat software. Authorized users are provisioned by administrators and all messages are secure and archived for auditing or review during playback. Specific chat groups focused on common issues can be created for targeted communication. Users can drag and drop specific flights and associated data directly into the chat screen to easily highlight flights of interest or those requiring special attention or handling.    

"With Aerobahn chat, airport stakeholders can eliminate the time consuming and inefficient task of placing numerous telephone calls and voicemails every day in an attempt to communicate between organizations," said Kaminski. "For example, airlines and gate operators can instantly chat on Aerobahn about flight status, off-block times, or gate changes.  Additionally, an ANSP can broadcast a message to all users about configuration changes, weather or airfield conditions."

Sensis Aerobahn is the most widely deployed airport surface management system in the industry, being used by airlines, airport operators and ANSPs around the world. Aerobahn is the surface management system for the industry's only fully realized collaborative airport surface operations environment at JFK International Airport – where the ANSP (Federal Aviation Administration), airport owner (Port Authority of New York/New Jersey) and authorized airlines all have access to the same data for coordinated operations.

ABOUT SENSIS CORPORATION

Sensis Corporation provides sensors, information technology, and simulation and modeling to the world's air navigation service providers, civil aviation authorities, airports, airlines and militaries. Sensis Corporation solutions are deployed around the world. For more information regarding Sensis Corporation, visit www.sensis.com.

SOURCE Sensis Corporation