Information is always flying in and out of our hands in this modern age – but to really take advantage of this flood of big data, it has to be grasped and analyzed so proper decision-making strategies can be used.
Relation to Aviation Industry:
The handling and understanding of big data is of growing importance for the aviation industry. With a growing traveller demographic, airports will have more and more information to deal with. It will be important to know everything from enplanements, revenue streams and maintenance activity to productivity analysis, security and growth drivers on a constant basis.
Understanding of big data will help predict future trends, behaviors, increase efficiency and be ahead of the curve. This knowledge is very important with global air passenger traffic increasing by 4% yearly, and freight traffic increasing by 5.1% per annum for the next 15 years, according to the Airports Council International—meaning there will be 7 billion passengers total and 170 million tons of freight by 2020.
Challenges of “Big Data”:
With a significant growth in airline passengers, the importance of data analysis in solving problems and predicting future events is becoming more and more apparent. Sorting through the flood of information and figuring out what is actually needed is the biggest issue of the modern age.
You need all the proper skills and capabilities, the ability to integrate multiple data sources and bring together big data technology with your existing infrastructure if you want to be able to properly understand what you’re taking in.
To draw conclusions from data you’ve collected, you also need to be very aware of your biases. If you aren’t, the interpretations of the data will be skewed and incorrect – costing precious time and money.
You also need the systems and people in place to handle and interpret the mass of data that will constantly be coming in. There needs to be thought put into what you want to figure out, how and when the information was gathered, and build tools to process the information and lay it out in an understandable manner.
Don’t let important data fly through your hands at inopportune times – learn more about data analysis and figure out how to make your airport more efficient and prepare for the near future.
