As one of the busiest airports in the southeast China, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport has a rising global ranking in passenger throughput. It recently implemented a smart transformation. The smart airport solution provided by Ruijie Networks uses the Marketing Cloud Platform (MCP) and Ruijie Business Intelligence Analysis System (RBIS). It provides full wireless coverage for the T3 and T4 terminal buildings, so that arriving passengers can enjoy convenient, efficient and intelligent air travel services. To provide smooth Wi-Fi experience for passengers, the solution uses a smart wireless network to streamline the online and offline service chain, which is also the core of the smart airport strategy implemented by Xiamen IPORT Group.

Exterior of Terminal Buildings of Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport

Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport Achieves Smart Transformation

Xiamen IPORT Group is a cross-regional, large-scale, state-owned enterprise with a diverse development portfolio. It has more than 40 wholly-owned or holding companies, and its business scope covers intercity passenger transport, wharves, hotels, exhibitions, E-commerce, logistics service, port-neighboring commercial real estate, food, advertisement media, intelligent technologies, and floral technologies. Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport is one of its core businesses.

Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport is the 7th largest airport in inbound and outbound passengers, cargo, and mail in China. Its passenger throughput ranked 85 globally in 2013. Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport officially implemented the 72-hour visa-free policy for visitors from certain countries since April 1, 2015. It is the first port to implement a 72-hour visa-free policy in Fujian Province. In the strategic blueprint of Xiamen IPORT Group, the smart airport project was also implemented. Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport embraced a smart transformation:

First, with the highly developed Internet technology, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport builds a smart airport to transfer the most convenient and relevant online information to passengers, thereby providing great convenience for passenger travels.

Second, full wireless coverage can assist airport in driving the intelligent management of more services, for example, baggage tracking, wireless attendance system, wireless flight information display system, and wireless POS system.

Furthermore, the smart airport can provide broader applications for the wireless value-added services of the airport. For example, when a passenger connects to the Wi-Fi network, the precise wireless STA positioning function can capture passenger information. A smart airport can provide management and decision support for the operation and management department based on the flow of a large number of passengers. The department can adjust passenger flow and service personnel distribution, for example, increase or decrease service personnel at security checkpoints to ensure rapid security checks. Also, targeted ads can be pushed based on the location of passengers and the time, and settlement can be made with advertisers based on the click rate.

Experience Improvement Starts from Scenario-based Deployment

The project leader responsible for the wireless network building said that, "Smart airport can help Xiamen IPORT Group streamline the industry chain over the long term, and a consumption closed loop will form after passengers arrive at and depart from the airport. However, if the wireless network is not good enough, this is empty talk regardless of how businesses and services attract passengers. For this, we raise a range of requirements for Ruijie engineers responsible for building the wireless network, including signal strength, roaming management, authentication access, and security control.” Can Ruijie devices and solutions be applied to the airport’s wireless network, which has dense passenger flows and complex and constantly changing scenarios?

To meet the customer's requirements, Ruijie engineers conducted multiple field surveys, and produced schematics with the deployment positions of wireless APs and signal distribution for the departure floor, terminal hall, security checkpoints, check-in island, shops, baggage sorting hall, and taxi waiting area. Based on the passenger flow and the scenario and application characteristics, Ruijie utilized theRG-AP320-I in combination with the X-sense antenna matrix to improve the coverage, data processing capability, and bandwidth of the wireless network, thus eliminating signal dead zones, and providing a better Internet access service for passengers.

 Signal Distribution Diagram of Departure Hall Mezzanine of Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport

"The present implementation results show that the Ruijie wireless access solution fully consider passengers' mobile Internet access habits. The wireless networks have strong roaming capabilities. Wireless networks with different capacities are designed for areas based on area characteristics. Engineers also consider special situations such as burst user volume and dead zones in small areas, and make adjustments to ensure user experience." The project leader highly praised the Ruijie scenario-based wireless solution. How does this wireless network streamline other businesses of the smart airport and how is the network marketing management achieved?

Accurate Customization Helps Implement the Smart Airport

During the implementation of the smart airport project, the customer chose Ruijie Networks to deploy the network. The MCP achieves precision marketing for users who access the wireless network, and the RBIS, precise positioning system, and data analysis platform implement wireless user positioning and analyze user data.

The Ruijie MCP can integrate SMS authentication, QR code scanning, WeChat authentication, and other necessary authentication methods. It can collect users' mobile phone numbers and WeChat accounts for pushing ads and collecting statistics on the advertisement click rate and browse duration to provide rich data support for marketing decisions. Airport tenants and enterprises under Xiamen IPORT Group can use the micro-portal and ad templates of the MCP to rapidly customize push pages, set Wi-Fi hotspots by gateway or AP in the nearby, and define group policies covering physical locations and time requirements to conduct accurate advertising and management.

Data Analysis Implemented by RBIS and Ruijie Wireless AP Positioning Function

Smart airports cannot live without big data analysis, which requires the RBIS. The RBIS is capable of perceiving the mobile terminals of departing and arrival passengers, identifying mobile devices on which Wi-Fi is enabled, and making intelligent analysis based on collected data. It can help operation personnel monitor passenger flow, entry rate, and the duration of store visits. The RBIS can evaluate the effectiveness of window ads, making precision marketing more efficient.

The Ruijie MCP + RBIS smart airport solution has allowed Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport to simplify, transform, and upgrade public and business services to provide rich and considerate services for passengers. The smart transformation of the airport wireless network has brought a qualitative change in user experience.