Data Transfer Solution

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the project in action!

A big part of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority's (GTAA) mandate is to manage the Toronto Pearson Airport and oversee the Central Deicing Facility (CDF), which is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. This 65 acre state-of-the-art facility is capable of deicing up to 12 aircraft at one time while the same number can be staged to await deicing. Significant demands are placed on the CDF vehicle operators during extreme weather conditions, where intense concentration is required in a high-stress and fatiguing environment.

Ahearn &Soper was awarded the contract to transform critical operations to provide a vehicle mounted automation solution at this Central Deicing Facility. Every deicing truck is equipped with a touch screen PC which enables the operator to receive his instructions and communicate with the central command centre. Ahearn's Professional Services programmers worked closely with the airport's IT personnel to develop this application and tailor it to their requirements.  Also included in this project was an RF site survey which covered approximately 2.8 million square feet of outdoor area and designed the system for complete end-to-end coverage.

The primary goal of this project was to transform a system of voice communication and manual recording of deicing information into an automated process. Ahearn & Soper's Professional Services Group successfully delivered the system on time, thereby eliminating many time-consuming manual processes and enabling the CDF Vehicle Operators and the Zone Deicing Coordinators (ZDCs) to function more efficiently during peak deicing periods that take place every winter.