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AIRPORT OPERATIONS TECH 14 airportbusiness October 2014 detailed on their iPad, and check off each step as its completed. "I mentioned a fuel spill but the same process would be followed for leaking water in a terminal, an escalator out of service, or even something they see on the runway," says Nessi. "Now all of our operations staff can see the incident in real time. The spatial data really helps. You can say there is water leaking in Terminal 1, but until you have an exact picture of where the water is, you can't do anything. Now they can not only report it, but they can take a photo of it and attach it to the work order so that people in the ARCC see exactly what they're seeing in the field." Nessi adds that this information helps the airport avoid redundant work orders for the same incident. "If they see something while they are out there, they can check the system to see if a work order already has been placed," he says. The Web application also helps field opera- tors efficiently manage day-to-day tasks, such as FAA-mandated Part 139 airfield inspections. Under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 139, U.S. commercial service airports are required to conduct various assessments of each run- way; examine pavement markings, lighting, signs and safety areas; and oversee ground vehicle operations. If an issue arises, field operators can easily create a new incident on their mobile devices, which is resolved through Situator's workflows and recorded for compliance purposes. THE POWER OF GIS "GIS in a traditional sense serves as almost an archiving function for engineering data," says Carlson. "A taxiway was built, a bunch of airfield lights were put in place, and some infrastructure was installed underground. All of that information went into a GIS and sat in a database for engineers to access." By allowing operations personnel to access GIS information, Carlson says the system gives them real-time access to all data about the facility and its infrastructure. "You can't separate operational events and incidents from the infrastructure you're trying to protect or enhance," he explains. By adding the GIS layer to the system, workers have a map that contains critical infrastructure that helps them determine their response. They can immediately pull up assets in an impact zone—for instance, a video cam- era within 100 feet of the incident—or use the application's robust search engine to search for nearby geospatial assets, such as the exits closest to an incident location. They also can create new incidents, manage ongoing ones and complete specific tasks assigned to them, reducing reliance on radio communications and enhancing compliance. The NICE system also contains standard operating procedures for a host of common incidents so that workers know what to do when they encounter them. "That's part of the analysis process that we do. We work with our operations staff to determine the critical processes to include," Nessi says, noting that the system allows authorized personnel to add processes or update procedures as necessary. SITUATION ANALYSIS Besides streamlining the work order process, the NICE system also stores data for reporting and analysis. Consider an aircraft wildlife strike, which Carlson says happens several times a week at a busy airport such as LAX. Previously a worker would have recorded information about this strike, which would have included notes about the type of wildlife, the time and the estimat- ed location. Today, workers mark the strike's precise location on a GIS map, fill in detailed data about the incident, giving the airport a complete incident record. With all incidents of this type gathered into one system, airport officials can compare incidents, see patterns, and plan a course of action. LAX Airfield and Terminal Operations can use the new NICE Situator Application to respond to incidents, such as a water leak in a terminal, by marking the event and completing the SOP checklist on their iPad. "This is like the frosting on a really good cake. It adds a layer of data we didn't have in the system before." DOM NESSI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS