Sunday, December 10, 2023
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that advancements in big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are enhancing the analytical capabilities of the IATA Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) program. These improvements are instrumental in making well-informed decisions aimed at enhancing safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability within the aviation industry.
GADM draws its data from various sources, including the Incident Data Exchange (IDX) and the Flight Data eXchange (FDX) programs. The FDX program now incorporates data from 15 million flights by 7,500 aircraft, capturing hundreds of parameters per second. This makes GADM the most authoritative and comprehensive repository of global aviation operational data worldwide. Currently, 198 airlines contribute to GADM, with the database expanding daily as more data is collected.
Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President of Operations, Safety, and Security, emphasized the impact of enhancing GADM’s capabilities on data-driven insights, improving aviation safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability. He highlighted the industry-leading position of GADM as the most comprehensive aviation database. The improved analytical tools applied to GADM enable individual users to compare their performance against industry benchmarks, facilitating critical business decisions. At the industry level, these tools help pinpoint operational trends, emerging challenges, and opportunities.
Notable insights gained through GADM’s enhanced capabilities include the identification of emerging safety risks, fuel efficiency measurement, aircraft emissions calculations, and predictive analytics for aircraft performance. For instance, GADM data revealed emerging safety trends, such as GPS signal loss in specific geographies. The program will now contribute to IATA’s efforts to analyze fuel efficiency and track CO2 emissions, supporting the industry’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
IATA’s commitment to data is further emphasized by its strategic focus on strengthening its data management division, expanding the GADM team, and significantly increasing the number of data scientists. This initiative aims to enhance analytics capabilities and provide valuable solutions for airlines in their decision-making processes. Additionally, IATA Consulting is geared up to assist clients in achieving their business goals by leveraging GADM and other IATA data collections and expertise. Overall, IATA recognizes the pivotal role of data in strengthening the aviation industry and solving industry challenges.
Monday, January 1, 2024
