Do we all speak the same language? With ACRIS we do

By Rogal Martin, Head of Development Technologies, Munich Airport, and Chair of ACRIS Working Group

Airports across the world operate in a vastly challenging and dynamic environment. Whether designated as hub or non-hub, every airport operates at the center of an ecosystem with a multitude of partners serving travellers and supporting the local, regional, or national economies.

In the aftermath of COVID-19, the usual pressures of matching airport capacity with increased demand has been matched with the need for sustainability. Airports must substantially minimize costs, improve the usage of expensive assets, reduce carbon footprint and energy consumption, while at the same time provide an even more safe and secure environment for passengers and staff alike.

Perhaps now more than ever, the definition and implementation of standardized business processes and interoperable IT solutions is vital to the global aviation industry, especially as a means to improve efficiency and the customer experience, as well as increase revenues.

ACRIS: Aviation Community Recommended Information Services

Airport performance depends on effective collaboration with multiple parties, and the efficient exchange of meaningful information between them. Communication may be business-to-business (B2B), business-to-customer (B2C) or business-to-government (B2G).

ACI’s Aviation Community Recommended Information Services, known as ACRIS, is central to efficient airport operations and develops global airport standards such as the ACRIS Semantic Model.

ACRIS

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ACRIS sets the standard for information and data exchange in the aviation community, helping airports meet the demands of today and the future. ACRIS defines a framework for airports, airlines, partners, and suppliers to share data across different companies and providers in a standardized format.

ACRIS success stories

The following examples show the community benefits under the ACRIS framework, from the sharing and re-using of APIs to create interoperability, to greater integration and the reduction of costs.

• ACI Health Measures Portal – Standardized health data from over 330 international airports providing data to many consumers including Apple Maps.
• A-CDM – Developed by Frankfurt and Munich Airport, this standardized data exchange available for other airports focuses on turnaround improvement and pre-departure sequencing.
• Security Wait Times – Developed by a consortium of airports including Minneapolis, Phoenix, Seattle and San Francisco Airports and available to all ACI members, this API has set a new a standard in the industry for wait times to be communicated in a consistent, transparent and simple manner.
• Airport Maps – Using the ACRIS Semantic Model, airports have defined the Airport Geospatial Information Model (AGIM) – a standard model for storing geospatial map information about airports.

Building on the success of ACRIS

With the success stories already highlighted, the ACI World Airport IT Standing Committee is seeking to further champion ACRIS. To evolve the group to meet the rapidly changing business landscape in aviation, new task forces have been created to help shape the future of ACRIS and will seek to:

• ACRIS 2.0: Increase ACRIS Semantic Model adoption, and simplify governance and project execution.
• DEI: Expand membership, outreach, and participation through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
• Accreditation: Recommend a framework for accreditation and certification.
• ACRIS Portal usability: Improve accessibility, content, media, and organization.

The first ACRIS in-person meeting since 2020 was held in Munich last October 2022. The 32^nd meeting was hybrid and was attended by 50 participants from five continents. The agenda and presentations are available to registered users on the ACRIS portal: https://acris.aero/memberzone/meeting-2022-10/ .

For those looking to join the community, please contact airportit@aci.aero.com.

Rogal Martin, Head of Development Technologies, Munich Airport, and Chair of ACRIS Working Group. Martin has worked in the IT department of Munich Airport for more than 20 years, where he is currently responsible for software architecture, software development and the software development lifecycle. He has many years of experience in supporting airport processes, especially for ground handling and baggage management, with desktop and mobile applications for planning, scheduling and performance recording. For several years, he has been involved in the ACI ACRIS Working Group, which he currently chairs, and has worked on various ACRIS projects and initiatives.