Massport Boston Airport Digital Transformation

Overview

Aretian collaborated with the Massachusetts Port Authority (MassPort) to develop a comprehensive Airport Business Intelligence (BI) and Digital Twin platform for Boston Logan International Airport. This project aimed to streamline asset management, optimize airport operations, and enhance passenger experience through data integration and advanced analytics.

The Challenge

Massport's operations, maintenance, and management procedures were limited due to fragmented data systems and outdated processes. The airport management faced challenges from fluctuating passenger demands, technological advancements, and unforeseen events like the COVID-19 pandemic. This necessitated the adoption of new tools capable of real-time responsiveness and hierarchical presentation of critical systems.

Massport's existing systems also lacked an integrated data source for decision-making across departments, resulting in inefficiencies in achieving management and financial objectives. Information was compartmentalized across departments, complicating efforts to effectively compile and utilize data for strategic planning and operations.

Aretian’s Solution

Aretian developed a solution through extensive stakeholder interviews, data cleaning, and the creation of interactive, user-friendly dashboards to support strategic, tactical, and operational decision-making. We created three core dashboards to address the diverse needs of MassPort:

1. The Geospatial Asset Management Dashboard provides a single source of truth by organizing and presenting a hierarchy of all airport assets, tracking asset performance, and offering cost control insights. It enabled real-time tracking, monitoring, and maintenance of airport assets (e.g., downtimes, and seasonality usage patterns).

2. The Operations Optimization Dashboard enhances the efficiency of work orders and asset management through predictive maintenance and real-time analytics. It includes a Work Order Time Series to track maintenance regimes and Whole Life Cycle Asset Management (WLCAM) to analyze asset depreciation, amortization, and incident tracking.

3. The Passenger Experience Dashboard analyzes passenger flows and journey phases to improve overall satisfaction and operational efficiency. It developed KPIs for the seven outbound and inbound phases of the Passenger Journey, such as travel to and from the airport, check-in, security checkpoint, and customs.

Aretian produced a report and technical manual for the dashboards to help MassPort manage its assets and operations more efficiently.

Outcomes

• Improved Asset Management: Streamlined maintenance schedules, reduced asset downtime, and enhanced cost control through a unified asset inventory and performance dashboard.

• Operational Efficiency: Optimizing work order management and predictive maintenance protocols leads to cost savings and improved service delivery.

• Enhanced Passenger Experience: Detailed analysis of passenger flows and journey phases, resulting in improved comfort, reduced waiting times, and higher satisfaction levels.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Provision of a comprehensive data warehouse and visualization tools, enabling MassPort to make informed decisions quickly and effectively.