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Big Data: Does it add to the bottom line?
Journal of Airport Management,
10
(4),
326-333
(2016)
Abstract
In recent years technological advances have made large-scale data mining, analytics and forecasting solutions (‘Big Data’) less costly and more readily available to smaller institutions such as airports. This paper considers how Big Data can be utilised to enhance service and operations within an airport environment and whether using Big Data does in fact add to the bottom line, referencing case studies from Gatwick Airport. The paper suggests that, with the right combination of data analysis/data science capabilities in the organisation and the necessary alignment between operational, commercial and technology functions, Big Data does add to the bottom line, directly and indirectly, through automating decisions, embedding analysis in all functions for decision-making support and enabling wider information flow and collaboration in many areas, one of which is the machine learning required to derive bottom-line value from the Internet of Things.
Keywords: Big Data; Gatwick Airport; Internet of Things; collaboration
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Christopher Howell is head of business systems at Gatwick Airport Ltd. Christopher is accountable for the business relationship management between the technology function and the rest of the organisation, and the design, development, build and run for all IT applications provided by Gatwick Airport’s technology division. He joined Gatwick Airport Ltd in 2014. Before working at Gatwick Airport Ltd, Chris spent 14 years in retail technology, starting at Tesco.com on a graduate scheme as a web designer, becoming head of operations and infrastructure and subsequently head of software development, before moving onto Dixons Group (now Dixons Carphone) where he was IT director of customer systems. Chris led the programme to deliver the international multichannel platform at Marks & Spencer before heading to Gatwick Airport Ltd. He holds an economics degree from the University of Cambridge and is working closely with the Digital Catapult Centre Brighton, on behalf of Gatwick Airport Ltd, to encourage innovation and value from real-time and location-based data — known as the Internet of Place.
