144 | TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Airport mobility data control The ‘El Prat’ airport of Barcelona, one of the most visited cities in the world, is now managing its inbound and outbound vehicle flow based on intelligent traffic data technology systems Words | Juan Campos Duró and Anna Michael, Sensefields, Spain
Analysis, monitoring and regulation of the traffic flow at both terminals of Barcelona Airport – El Prat, situated 13km (8 miles) from one of the most visited cities in the world, were the main challenges of the company that runs the airport. There was a fundamental need for traffic management improvement to enhance operations, as well as the visitor experience. Efficient qualitative and quantitative analysis of the inbound and outbound vehicle traffic at the airport demanded a sophisticated data collection and distribution solution, but that was not possible while the airport’s drop-off, parking and pick-up services were managed by on-site personnel communicating via radio transmitters or cell phones.
Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2018
Based on these requirements, Sensefields wireless traffic data management technology was selected as the ideal tool for controlling the traffic at both the short stay parking area of the departures zone and the taxi passenger pick-up area at arrivals, as well as for reporting on quantitative and qualitative traffic data on the traffic as a whole. Ensuring data accuracy, easy and quick application, and very low maintenance costs, Sensefields technology provided three traffic solutions on the airport premises.
Taxi traffic flow monitoring To regulate the taxi traffic between the holding zone, where the taxis queue before passing through the airport terminal exit, and the passenger pick-up area, Sensefields designed
a customized solution that can efficiently handle the supply and demand of taxis, standardize the length of the queues, enhance security and facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. Sensefields wireless magnetic sensors are installed in both the holding zone and the pick-up area and transmit traffic data to the data processing stations. This data is passed to the collector server, which is incorporated into the airport’s centrally controlled management software, and enables real-time communication between the two airport areas. This integrated data collection and bidirectional communication system is used to facilitate, report and monitor all taxi traffic processes in the area. These processes include: • Providing the real-time number of taxis waiting in each of the loading zones, the
