Denver International Airport has partnered with Johnson Controls in an ongoing effort to become a “smart airport.” On any given day, smart airports use technology to help terminals operate more efficiently. This includes:
- Run predictive analytics on all building systems to allow optimization of the environment and help identify issues before they become a problem
- Integrate independent systems with the building automation system, leading to better system performance and more intelligent energy use. In addition, the operations team is able to visualize and control energy utilization across all facilities through their smart devices
- Scale back building systems for late night operations, including digital signage systems, security, lighting, HVAC and food service
- Monitor and control all IP-enabled devices through a facilities/IT aggregation application
- Allow travelers to use wayfinding systems or open the airport’s smartphone-optimized website to find the fastest route to their gate, locate restaurants, order food, shop online and get importation information about flight status, gate changes and baggage claims
The first step is to become an “integrated airport” and bring as much of DIA’s equipment into the digital age as possible, said Selby Butterworth, the airport’s building automation administrator. “The old idea that `If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it’ applies here. As an organization, Denver International Airport is planting the seeds that will enable us to accurately monitor all of our equipment, our buildings as a whole, and specific energy use across our buildings (the integration),” he explained.
The next step is to start applying data analytics and new algorithms to DIA’s integrated systems, i.e., the Smart Airport, said Butterworth. “The end result gives us the ability to evaluate various new energy conservation strategies and the addition of a predictive maintenance model to the typical reactive and preventive maintenance models that organizations worldwide utilize,” he said.
Jim Nannini, vice president of building wide systems integration for Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls, said that Denver International was a natural partner for this effort because it is more progressive on these issues, being a fairly new airport.
“The airport was built more than 20 years ago, but we didn’t get involved until seven or eight years ago, when we helped them get started with smart airport initiatives,” Nannini recalled. “The choice to partner with us came down to the airport’s leadership team and finding ways to create a better passenger experience.”
Airports are always looking at their costs and the bottom line, said Nannini. “In the case of Denver, there’s a lot of technology specifically around building controls, mechanical equipment, video surveillance and fire equipment that was not done by Johnson Controls. “What makes us unique in this space is that we appreciate legacy systems that might not be Johnson Controls-branded,” he explained. “So what we do as a system integrator is integrate those legacy systems, along with putting in new ones and phasing out older ones as they need to be replaced. We work with the legacy investments already put in place at airports, which helps with costs.”
The integration and infrastructure of Johnson Controls’ Smart Airport happens at two levels — physical, and virtual — said Butterworth. “The physical integration and infrastructure means going out to every piece of mechanical equipment and connecting to it,” he said.
To get a feel for what this means, the project on Concourse B is estimated to add some 60,000 data points to the system, said Butterworth. “Prior to this project, Denver International has been running with about 40,000 data points across the entire organization,” he noted. “In some cases to bring these points online, it meant replacement hardware including valves, sensors, etc., and it others it meant added hardware that was never there at all.”
The virtual integration and infrastructure deals with the merging of old communication and server technology with new, said Butterworth. “At Denver International, we have to bridge a networking and technology span of almost 30 years and ensure that we stay protected from current and future digital threats,” he said.
Butterworth’s team partnered with the airport’s IT group to look at how to best achieve resilience, redundancy, and reliability from a server and networking perspective, and implemented this platform over the last 18 months. “Our various vendors also understand the challenge we face with legacy equipment and ensure that they are backwards compatible with older generations of equipment,” he said.
The reality is that when looking at a blank sheet of paper with a vision and an end in mind, there are certain constraints, said Nannini. “There are legacy systems and budgets that have to be addressed. The nice thing with Denver International Airport is that it has a master plan and vision that made it easier for us to leverage existing systems,” he explained.
The ability to be flexible and expand capacity is easier with newer technology, said Nannini. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get good outcomes from older technology,” he said. “Vendors say they have to have the latest and greatest technology to drive outcomes. We understand that, but people don’t have endless budgets and we must work within an airport’s constraints to deliver our outcomes.”
At the end of the day, with this type of investment Denver International wants to do several things that have both direct and indirect effects on the passenger experience, said Butterworth. They include: ensuring ongoing comfort control; managing costs and energy; decreasing operating costs; and reducing the airport’s overall carbon footprint.
“The sum of this work helps us keep our operating costs down, and in return helps to manage the airline operating costs at Denver International, having a direct impact on the final ticket price,” said Butterworth.
The foundation being built at Denver International today opens the door to future technologies and integrations such as lighting controls, occupancy detection and on-demand ventilation, said Butterworth. “All with the goal of being able to maximize our efficient energy usage across our organization,” he said. “The current projects and vendors are a piece of this overall picture.”
