ARMS Projects
Context
The Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Programme is the technological pillar of the single European sky. This Programme aims to improve the performance of air traffic management by modernising and harmonising management systems through the definition, development and dissemination of innovative technological solutions and standardised operational processes.
ARMS Projects – (Airport Infrastructure Planning Software)
Aeroporti di Roma, with the funding received from CINEA as part of the Connecting Europe Facility 2017 call for tender, has joined the SESAR Programme by identifying projects that make it possible to achieve objectives of digitalisation, innovation, modernisation and development that allow Fiumicino airport to increase the management capacity of airport traffic. The planning system is fundamental for the purposes of a correct tactical and forecast management of the airport infrastructures.
Specifically, with the forecast of a resumption of flights at Fiumicino airport in the coming years after the COVID-19 pandemic and the simultaneous increase in the complexity of the airport system, it is considered necessary to use increasingly advanced systems equipped with algorithms of latest generation optimisation in order to achieve an efficient use of all infrastructures.
The project stems from the need for Aeroporti di Roma to equip itself with a new RMS (Resource Management System), capable of guaranteeing an allocation that is as automated as possible (in compliance with operational/commercial/structural constraints), whilst satisfying the needs of an increasingly optimised use of all airport infrastructures (lay-bys, gates, check-in counters and baggage reclaim belts).
Compared with traditional solutions (and those currently in use through the UFIS system), the new system, in addition to having an automatic allocation engine, guarantees the possibility of rapidly analysing scenarios from a “what-if” perspective and comparing the outputs to support the decision-making process, both in terms of operational and economic efficiency.
To date, Aeroporti di Roma, amongst the goals achieved by the ARMS project, can boast a new medium-/long-term planning system that projects Aeroporti di Roma into the newly conceived resource management processes. Achieving the new system was possible through the implementation and customisation of the system itself following a path focused on:
8 face-to-face workshops with the supplier;
10 resources employed in the business and technical department;
Multiple UAT and technical test sessions (300 test cases and 3 complete recycles);
Insights into the optimisation algorithm with dedicated workshops.
Given the complexity of the processes involved, the project was organised according to an “agile” model, providing for the involvement of business lines from the outset through active participation in the project and subsequent refinements of the system of rules.
By 2021, the same process will be used for the development of the part of the system dedicated to short-term planning.
Benefits
The ARMS project implemented by Aeroporti di Roma at Fiumicino Airport provides, although not yet completed, currently available benefits including:
less workload for the user by virtue of the automation of allocation processes, the possibility of creating and comparing different operating scenarios;
optimised use of infrastructures thanks to calculation algorithms which, based on operational rules, support the operator's choices;
improvement of safety through the automatic verification of compliance with safety constraints, reducing the risk of human error.
