CVG Airport Tests Bluetooth Badging System to Track Construction Crews | Airport Improvement Magazine
Airport Improvement Magazine interviewed Brian Cobb, the chief innovation officer at CVG Airport, and Michael Bettua, CEO of Volan Technology, to delve into their collaborative project utilizing Volan’s Bluetooth-based tracking system for airport operations. The Volan Positioning System (VPS), which employs Bluetooth badges and a solar-powered wireless mesh network, enabled real-time tracking of construction workers and equipment. This system not only minimized the need for costly safety escorts but also provided valuable data for post-incident analysis. Additionally, VPS enhanced security by sending alerts when personnel entered restricted areas, significantly improving both operational efficiency and safety at the airport.
Good ideas, it is often said, don’t just fall out of the sky. But sometimes they’re hiding in plain sight.
During the pandemic, Brian Cobb, chief innovation officer at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), was introduced to Michael Bettua, an enterprise software entrepreneur with a new startup called Volan Technology. The company was pitching a system that used low-energy Bluetooth badges for contact tracing in schools and other organizations. Cobb was interested in Volan’s network-based technology, but not its particular application. Specifically, he wondered if the technology might have other uses more germane to CVG’s operational needs. So he and Bettua began exploring alternate uses of the system developed for school settings.
“That’s really the premise of our innovation programming,” Cobb explains. “The solution will not always be in our industry.”
Eventually, they landed on the idea of using the Volan Positioning System (VPS), which provides “eye in the sky” monitoring of people—or things—in a given location, whether outside, inside or underground. Together, they identified two promising applications. One was to use VPS for tracking the movement of airport assets, like lawn mowers, snowplows or tugs. “If you have a tag on an asset,” says Cobb, “you not only know where that lawn mower is, you can also quickly figure out how long it took to mow an area. You can really start figuring out your labor implications.”
The second potential use was to help ensure construction workers and other project personnel are not interfering with operations or entering restricted areas. “Airports are really challenged with maintaining cost control and improving operational efficiency, but also improving safety at the same time,” notes Bettua.
He was convinced VPS could help on all three fronts.
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 facts&figures
Project: Monitoring System Trial Location: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Int’l Airport, in KY Test Area: Construction site for 500,000 sq. ft. airline hangar System Provider: Volan Technology Format: Solar-powered, wireless mesh network tracks location of low-energy Bluetooth badges worn by construction workers & other project personnel Network Installation: Less than 4 hours Pilot Duration: 9 months Scale: 25 badges deployed Key Benefits: Fewer safety escorts needed; ability to monitor location of workers; haptic alerts when personnel enter restricted areas; stored data for after-incident analysis & reporting |
Read Our CVG Case Study
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to enhance airport safety and efficiency. By implementing the Volan Positioning System (VPS), a cutting-edge, solar-powered, AI-driven location monitoring network, CVG is aligning with the latest FAA safety regulations improving its span of control and saving money. This case study explores the challenges CVG has faced, the innovative solution provided by VPS, the results of its implementation, and the broader implications for airport operations and safety. Visit our CVG Airport Case Study page.
Airport Solutions
Our construction barrier technology provides geofenced barriers for airport construction sites to keep workers out of restricted areas and reduces the costs for worker escorts. Airport construction projects are never-ending, have many workers, and regulations require full-time monitoring of worker location. Volan’s technology can provide alerts within 2-3 seconds if a worker moves into a restricted space, along with the precise location of the worker and a live map view. Visit our Solutions for Airports page.
