Mission Accomplished

Paul Bowers
March-April
2023

Planning an upcoming issue of this magazine is like the schedule retailers must follow when they plan merchandise for the holidays. It starts months in advance. We need to decide what to offer our customers (profiles of interesting, informative airport projects) and how much to order (how many stories will appear in the issue). Obtaining permissions from subjects, setting up interviews, writing, proofing, fact-checking, and more proofing takes time.

Planning for March/April’s issue started last fall, and many stories were assigned around Thanksgiving. We were all set with the right number of stories, including some winter operations features for the perfect pairing with bonus distribution of this issue at the NEC/AAAE International Aviation Snow Symposium in April.

And then Mother Nature had something to say. The blizzard of the century shut down Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) for five days, endangering the lives of locals as well as those traveling through the area. Before the storm subsided, more than 50 inches of snow had fallen.

When I discovered the magnitude of what happened, it was an easy audible to call BUF Airfield Superintendent Joe Guarino to see if the airport would be interested in sharing its story with other airports. It was, and he graciously accepted our accelerated schedule to include the story in this issue.

Let me be clear. This is not just another snow removal article. It’s a story about people, governmental departments and private companies working together in ways that you won’t find listed in any of their job descriptions. The pictures and text tell a remarkable, heart-warming tale. This is a real feel-good story about tireless airport workers who were resourceful, compassionate and even heroic under very difficult circumstances.

Congratulations are in order. However, I doubt anyone involved would want to ever go through a blizzard like this ever again.

Cheers!

- Paul

Integration of GIS with CMMS & EAM Systems

A growing number of Airports, Warehouses, private and public utilities today are implementing Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) systems. In 2019, the CMMS software market was worth $0.92 billion. By 2027, it is expected to reach $1.77 billion, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.58% during 2020-2027.

This developing interest in asset and maintenance management is driven by the multiple benefits that an EAM system and a CMMS offer in terms of prolonging the useful life of maturing infrastructure, and assets. On the other hand, a geographic information system (GIS) offers exceptional capabilities and flexible licensing for applying location-based analytics to infrastructures such as airports, roadways, and government facilities.
 
Both GIS and CMMS systems complement one another. For companies looking to increase the return on investment (ROI) on their maintenance efforts, integrating a GIS with a CMMS platform is an expected headway that can considerably improve the capabilities of their maintenance crew and give them the best results.
 
This whitepaper takes a closer look at the definitions and benefits of GIS, EAM, and CMMS. Moreover, it sheds light on some important considerations associated with the integration of GIS with an EAM system and CMMS. It also presents a powerful solution to streamline the integration process.
 

 




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