Manchester Airports Group uses spatial analysis to help manage 25-year growth plan

Esri UK today announced that Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has selected to extend and develop the capability and usage of Esri GIS (Geographical Information System) technology, to improve asset management and help manage the airport group’s growth plans.

The introduction of detailed site data combined with catchment area data will enable MAG to visually manage the assets at each of its four airports, influencing both development and operational needs, as well as embedding GIS further into the details of the customer’s journey.

The system will allow each airport to map and record asset information in one central database and share it between any departments. Due to go live in 2014, implementation is already underway. Major development projects such as Manchester’s Airport City will be among those first to benefit from the new system.

“The best way of looking at what we do across such complex sites, and communicating it around the business, is on a map,” stated Vickie Withnell, Group GIS Advisor for MAG. “As the airports evolve, we need the right tools to determine how to optimise use of our assets and resources. By joining-up related parts of the business, GIS will play a crucial role in helping shape each airport’s future growth and development."

The GIS will combine multiple layers of information on the same map, enabling MAG to visualise assets in many different ways, helping each airport to manage the increasing diversity of each site and visualise the future requirements.

The system is also introducing new ways of working and increasing collaboration between airport departments with Master Planning, Asset Management, Finance, Property and Engineering, amongst others, sharing the same central source of asset data. A set of automated processes will also make data updates more efficient and accurate.

“By having a single source of asset information that informs the whole business, each airport will become better connected internally and be able to make faster business decisions,” said Vickie.

“Visualising assets in a single view gives airports the big picture needed to manage their increasing diversity,” commented Graham Wallace, Business Strategist, Esri UK. “Using GIS simplifies the entire lifecycle of asset data, making it easier to share and harnesses its true business value."

For more information visit www.esriuk.com/industries/airports


About MAG

MAG has been pioneering the use of GIS within the global airport industry for the last 20 years. From the early days of managing noise insulation schemes in the surrounding community, the benefits of GIS are now being felt right across the business.
MAG is the largest UK-owned airport operator, serving 42 million passengers and handling almost half a million tonnes of air freight every year, through its ownership and operation of Manchester, London Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports.