Northrop Grumman received an award for innovation based on their Airport Realtime Collaboration (ARC) technology which is designed to provide accurate and timely information to airports for enhanced decision making and coordination. The Inter Airport Europe, the largest trade exhibition for the airport industry, was held in Munich from October 11th through October 14th.

Charles Houseago, managing director of Northrop Grumman’s airports systems group, expressed "we are delighted to win such a prestigious award in recognition of the innovation of ARC.” The timing of the award, he explained, coincided with further upgrades to the product like the ARC Passenger Flow Module that forecasts data sources with high predictability.

What is unique about the ARC is its use of existing process infrastructure to present data in a web-based geographical view of airfield operations. The tabular views show a combination of the best practices and the local airport needs fluidly fused into a seamless whole. For example, in calculating taxi time, ARC measures and analyzes aircraft type, general airfield layout, operating conditions, and several other pieces of information. The complexity of its tasks are bolstered by an intelligent system that discerns and parses relevant information via a deceptively simple process.

The technology provides true innovation in its fusion of proven software and an expert ARC services team who can manage the system with intimate familiarity. While several suppliers offer IT systems for these processes, the simplified yet advanced software and the expert support of the Northrop Grumman team members establishes it as an advanced incarnation of airport data system.