Scientists of St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPC RAS) developed the first domestic digital airports’ complex, that binds numerous services, transportation and other technical means of aircrafts’ maintenance into a single information space. For cargo loading and unloading the complex uses special intelligent transportation and technological means (e.g., digital autolifts) developed with the involvement of SPC RAS researchers. The developed information and analytical system allows for prognosticating the ground infrastructure operation in order to avoid collisions and conflict situations arising between digital autolifts, as well as for optimizing the airport operation in real time and under constantly changing conditions. The St. Petersburg scientists’ development was nominated for the Government of the Russian Federation Prize in Science and Technology for 2021.
"We have developed the first domestic intelligent information and analytical system for automated management of the airport's ground infrastructure for the aircrafts’ maintenance. This equipment is primarily responsible for loading and unloading valuable cargo, loading food sets and delivering aboard low- mobility passengers. At the airports, these tasks are being solved daily by hundreds of loaders, dozens of planes. Our system is able to simultaneously control several digital autolifts in order to maximize their performance under constantly changing conditions, eliminate accidents, flights’ delays, and enhance the performance of these elevators, and, ultimately, the airport capacity," said Boris Sokolov, Chief Researcher, Head of the SPC RAS Information Technologies in System Analysis and Modeling Laboratory.
The management complex of "smart" systems for airports was developed based on the national universal intelligent information and analytical platform, appeared in a result of many years work by the SPC RAS researchers focused on the introduction of mathematical models, methods of their application, as well as appropriate algorithms for managing complex systems in various areas of the Russian economy, for example, in the nuclear and space industries. The scientific content of these developments is published in a number of monographs and articles, including the international scientific publications, the patents received that confirm the developers’ copyright.
The unified information space for any specific airport is formed based on digital autolifts and their on-board computers; a central server together with software, mathematical and information support. It includes data and knowledge bases developed by the SPC researchers, as well as universal digital interfaces. In addition, employees of various airport services (like security, air traffic control and airfield services, as well as airline divisions) have access to such a digital space to obtain reliable information about the state of the airport's ground infrastructure.
An important role at forming the data for the complex operation plays the information received from the on-board computers of digital autolifts widely used at airports in Russia and the Union State. In turn, the data arrive to the on-board computers from sensors placed on digital autolifts - these are video cameras, sensors for overload and ladder position, as well as collision prevention systems (in total, there are over 50 such sensors - modern cyber-physical systems - on each autolift). The collected information allows to track the movement of vehicles, but also as well as to quickly assess and predict their technical condition and to identify in advance both the emerging malfunctions and leading to them prerequisites. The ability to control such a system in real time has emerged due to the integrated use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and modern mobile communication technologies.
"Previously, airport employees delivered cargo, calculated and determined their locations manually. Naturally, there existed a large share of human errors that the cargo would be lost or fly to a wrong destination. Moreover, it is a long and monotonous process. RFID allows for using a radio emitter and special electronic tags on cargo and transport to get information about the current situation every second. Thus, automatic control and forecasting all objects operation in the digital space of the airport is established, and the developed software and mathematical software process and analyze the collected data and information, as well as synthesize the most effective algorithms for individual and group work of the constructed digital elevators,” Boris Sokolov explained.
Today, intelligent transport and technical equipment control systems are manufactured by the industrial partner of SPC RAS - the Moscow CJSC Universal-Aero, that keeps the only one mass production of components for such systems in Russia. The development of St. Petersburg scientists functions at 12 airports, including the largest airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Minsk. The total production volume reached 1.76 billion rubles in 2020.
"The project is of great importance for improving the efficiency and safety at the air transportation industry. For example, according to our data, at airports where such a system operates, the time required for aircraft maintenance has decreased by 15%, and the downtime of autolifts has decreased by almost a third. In general, the airport, thanks to the implementation of our development, will be able to reduce the number of autolifts by a fifth due to the optimization of their operation. In addition, the complex, in principle, permits to exclude possible collisions and conflict situations at the airport transport," said Boris Sokolov.