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ATL – ArcGIS Indoors Implementation

Arora Engineers (Arora) working as , a subconsultant to Aviation Infrastructure Solutions, completed a task to support the City of Atlanta’s Department of Aviation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) with on-call Geographic Information System (GIS) Services. These services are being provided both onsite at ATL and offsite at AEI offices and include, but are not limited to the implementation of Esri’s ArcGIS Indoors product in order to demonstrate the capability to perform Points-of-Interest (POI) navigation and wayfinding in a user-friendly manner. This is a multi-year contract with several operation use cases identified and defined to leverage the ArcGIS Indoors data to support Maintenance, Operations, Properties, Security, and other departments in a variety of scenarios. ArcGIS Indoors data is the foundation which ATL staff continue to leverage through stakeholder engagements to support an ever expanding group of GIS users within their organization.

SCOPE OF SERVICES INCLUDED:

Review and Update of CAD Floorplan Data: ATL is responsible for the creation, utilization, and storage of significant amounts of geospatial floorplan data for the Central Passenger Terminal Complex (CPTC), which includes maintenance in AutoCAD .DWG file format. Additionally, ATL staff maintains room and space data in GIS format, with a formalized workflow to migrate CAD floorplan-based changes into space polygons. The objective of this task was to review existing ATL data for readiness and changes needed for migration into the ArcGIS Indoors Information Model (AIIM) format. Arora supported and facilitated updates by ATL CAD staff, including quality control and assurance, to prepare the CAD data for Esri’s prescribed data conversion workflow.

Data Curation into ArcGIS Indoors: Arora migrated ATL’s adjusted CAD data into the ArcGIS Indoors Information Model (AIIM). The CAD-based spaces and additional GIS-based point data were converted into Points-of-Interest (POI) data such as gates, concessions, ticket counters, life/safety equipment, and baggage claim assets in the AIIM format. Arora generated a routing network of pathway geometry to provide the end users with the ability to navigate from unit to unit, or to a selected POI. Vertical transitions such as stairs, elevators, and escalators were also created to provide the means for passengers or field technicians to navigate from floor to floor within the CPTC. This data creation was completed for the entire public facing CTPC which included the domestic terminal and concourse A, B, C, D, and E, as well as the below ground PlaneTrain, and the offsite Rental Car Facility. In addition, several office areas with the CPTC that are not open to the public were mapped.

Indoors Data Configuration:  Numerous AIIM feature classes were created during this data development effort and each set of features was symbolized based on Industry Best Practices. Most of the icons used for the POI were selected from an Esri Indoors symbol library, while some others were custom designed for ATL POI which were not represented in the icon library. Reference scales were set as applicable, as well as the attributes available to users through the configuration of the Pop-ups.

Web and Mobile Application Publication: Arora published data to web and mobile applications to demonstrate the POI search and wayfinding capabilities using Esri’s configurable ArcGIS Indoors templates. The web template was configured to match the ATL branding conditions, and links to the routing services were established. These applications were used to demonstrate the basic Indoors functionality to a variety of departments throughout ATL.

Next Steps: In FY22, the ArcGIS Indoors program will continue to be expanded to include data creation for the remaining “non-public” floors of the CPTC, as well as other facilities on the airport property. Integration with 3rd party applications to support asset management, and lease management are primary targets. Previously identified use cases for the Properties and Security groups within ATL will be designed, built, and deployed. Other tasks for FY22 include the following:

  • Developing a 3D model and associated scenes
  • Implementing Space Planner and Meeting Room Booking
  • Configuration and implementation of ArcGIS Indoor Positioning System (IPS)

IN THE NEWS:

Arora and ATL collaborated with Airport Improvement Magazine to share how they achieved significant operational efficiencies while leveraging the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Indoors.  In addition to helping develop the new mapping system, Arora trained staff on how to curate and maintain the data it produces and developed a comprehensive data maintenance manual to help the airport team continue on its own. To read the full article, click here.

Owner

City of Atlanta, Department of Aviation

Location

Atlanta, GA

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