Analytics technology developer Mexia Interactive has been contracted by Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland to install its SMRT Sensor technology throughout the airport.
The Mexia SMRT Sensor platform provides location-based technologies that enable Belfast Airport to monitor passenger movements from curb-to-gate. It also provides analytics and mobile marketing systems to help drive revenues at airport stores and restaurants.
Glenn Tinley, president and founder at Mexia Interactive, said, “The air travel industry is evolving faster than ever before, with privatization and the need to improve non-aviation revenues driving much of this change.
“Airport management consists of two divisions: operations, which includes activity such as managing staffing to avoid long lines at security check-points; and commercial, which includes the restaurants, shopping and entertainment available to passengers. The Mexia SMRT Sensor provides an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that addresses both of these divisions by detecting when large numbers of passengers arrive, which in turn, has the potential to increase wait times in key areas.
“The adaptive video analytics (AVA) software provides a proven 98% accuracy rate in counting people and monitoring wait times in both crowded and unorganized spaces. By identifying possible traffic issues before they become a problem, airport managers can adjust resources and cut down the amount of time passengers spend getting to the gate, giving passengers more time to enjoy the airports retail and food and beverage partners while also providing personalized engagement and wi-fi connectivity.”
Graham Keddie, managing director at Belfast International Airport, said, “Using Mexia’s location-based analytics to monitor passenger traffic we can instantly identify bottlenecks in security lines, thus enabling us to correct them quickly and provide a more enjoyable experience for the four million passengers that pass through our airport annually. It is also now possible for us to know when passengers are congregating around a particular promotional zone in the airport and how many of these passengers are then driven to make a purchase, data which we can use to improve in-airport marketing going forward.”