Software Design: Targeting the Airport Management Market
by Alison Weiss
In November 2007, Oracle Partner Network (OPN) recognized Italy-based partner Software Design as the first-place winner at the OPN Innovation Awards for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) competition. The company bested 55 other submissions from 15 different countries and was lauded for the software, a cutting-edge application integration framework for complete airport management.
Software Design is uniquely positioned to flourish in the airport management market because management understands that efficient modern airports require efficient data management, controlling information that is exchanged among operational departments, administration, handling agents, and passengers. Indeed, a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report issued in February 2008 attests to how much room there is for improvement in airport management. The report reveals that U.S. airlines experienced a lower rate of on-time flights and more reports of mishandled baggage in 2007 than in 2006, and passengers filed more complaints with the government about airline service than they did the previous year.
AOS Nice-Resource Brain utilizes Oracle Database 10g, Oracle Application Server 10g and Oracle E-Business Suite to integrate and centralize all airport processes. It is a scalable and modular application framework with modules targeted at improving airport management. According to Software Design Chairman Fabio Pacelli, the AOS Nice-Resource Brain can manage and improve resource planning, customer satisfaction, flight management, quality management, e-commerce, safety and security, baggage management, administration and finance and business analysis.
According to Pacelli, up until now, transportation industry information systems have existed that provide information about physical resources, but transportation management personnel often have not been able to actually use the information in a timely and useful manner. He says, “Our key competitive advantage is that the AOS Nice-Resource Brain can put together traffic and resource allocation information in real-time. For example, airline managers can reallocate resources using real-time information that traffic delays are being caused by weather.”
Response to AOS Nice-Resource Brain has been positive. Pacelli says, “The more extensive and up to date installation is in Rome with Alitalia Airport that is the handling company for Alitalia Fly Airlines. Some module of the system went live in October 2007 and the full installation of all modules is expected by April 2008. We’ve also installed some modules at Naples Airport and Catania Airport, and we’re in contact with many other airport authorities and airline handling companies to evaluate AOS Nice-Resource Brain.”
In bestowing the OPN Innovation Awards on Software Design, Oracle’s Paolo Cinieri, Manager of Innovation Development and Deployment in EMEA, lauded the company for putting complex airport data to use in the workforce. And the award recognizes a leader in a crowded field of innovation on the Oracle platform. “Since the beginning of the awards, we have received about 400 submissions from 39 different countries,” says Cinieri. “Each entry is scrutinized for their innovative use of Oracle technology and whether solutions can be replicated with other customers and in other countries. The solutions must be proven and actual customers must be using them.“
