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COMMUNICATIONS TECH August/September 2014 airportbusiness 25 International Airport. And, AirIT, an IT com- pany based in Orlando, Fla., recently began developing a Business Intelligence platform, which includes beacon technology, at Miami International Airport. "Mobile is the new frontier," says Phil Easter, director of mobile apps for American Airlines. "And, iBeacons are what will really bring it all together." WHAT IS iBEACON? Apple introduced iBeacon, a protocol that relies on Bluetooth 4.0 low-energy (BLE) wireless tech- nology, with its iOS7 release. The technology marks a vast departure from the location-based information services provided to iPhones and other iOS devices in the past. Before these mobile devices relied on GPS and WiFi trian- gulation to track their locations, both of which had more than a few problems in the bustling airport space. The beacons themselves, provided by com- panies such as StickNFind, are a low-cost piece of hardware; small enough to attach to a wall or countertop. According to Jimmy Buchheim, CEO of StickNFind, the Enterprise beacons tap into a smartphone's BLE technology to trans- mit messages or prompts such as those listed above. "A beacon is essentially a small Bluetooth chip with a battery attached that wakes up and talks to BLE-enabled mobile devices," Buchheim explains, noting that beacons transmit a unique identification signal so that when a smartphone moves within range it can trigger an action on a mobile app. By placing beacons in key areas throughout an airport, passengers can receive information about directions, walk times to gates, lounge access, concessions and retail offerings, board- ing alerts and more. AirIT CEO Betros Wakim stresses beacons simply emit a signal, but it is up to the app on an individual's phone to determine what hap- pens next. "These are not complex technology devices," he says. "They sit there and announce their position and their function. The application runs on the phone and communicates with the beacon." To privacy pundits who question if this tech- nology inhibits a person's right to individual privacy, Buchheim points out WiFi systems collect far more information about passengers than beacons. "There's more tracking going on HIGH IMPACT LOW PROFILE Upgrading to our new low profle, LED centerline lights will have a big impact on your airfeld. Our new Navigate Series ® L-852 LED Style-3 inset fxtures provide the latest technology for optimal LED performance and energy savings while offering the durable mechanical design needed to handle the operational requirements of today's busiest airfelds. Contact us now to fnd out more. INNOVATIVE, EXPERIENCED AND RESPONSIVE. 954.975.2100 | DMEAirfeldSales@astronics.com www.Astronics.com www.aviationpros.com/10131734 "Mobile is the new fronter. And, iBeacons are what will really bring it all together." PHIL EASTER, DIRECTOR OF MOBILE APPS FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES