Connected Places Catapult and Glasgow Airport have collaborated to create the Connected Airport Living Lab, based at the airport, which is designed to be a collaborative R&D asset used to showcase UK-developed innovations, attract investment, and act as an innovation catalyst for the aviation sector. It is also used for testing and demonstrations of a diverse range of innovations aimed at addressing challenges facing the aviation sector, notably the decarbonisation of ground and air operations, the adoption of hydrogen, automation, data analytics and to enhance passenger experience.

We are launching a new project to pilot technologies for the automated inspection and monitoring of airside pavements.

The selected solution partner is expected to deploy their equipment on one or more airside operational vehicles to collect pre-defined data; data which will be determined in collaboration Connected Places Catapult and Glasgow Airport. The process of outputting condition monitoring surveys would be piloted between the solution partner and Glasgow Airport to evidence the suitability and value of supporting their system of pavement management.

The project provides a unique opportunity to develop and demonstrate your solution in a real-world airport environment.

The Role of Airport Pavement Inspection 

Pavements and associated infrastructure are a critical asset to the safe and performant operation of commercial airports. Airports typically perform detailed visual inspections of pavement areas at monthly intervals to identify any faults or condition issues that may require remediation works. The Airside Pavement Directory document provides an informative overview of the types of areas, pavements and features found in the airside environment that a solution may need to handle.

The key perceived benefits of introducing automation technology to the pavement inspection process are: 

• Providing a more accurate, consistent and confident rating of pavement condition and remaining asset life compared to manual visual inspections alone. They offer consistent, systematic analysis supported by quantified and empirical data.  
• More pavement works programmed into planned maintenance blocks. They provide greater efficiencies compared to repairing on a more ad-hoc basis.
• Better strategic forecasting of pavement maintenance budgeting and works.

What We’re Looking For 

Automated pavement inspection solutions help to automate the inspection of pavement condition through the collection of data from equipment on vehicles which is processed (e.g. though use of AI analytics) to create condition survey reports.

Our initial market analysis indicates there are commercial solutions that are being adopted by public road authorities to support their processes. However, further innovation is required for similar solutions to handle the airport environment and satisfy the needs of airport operators.

We are seeking solutions that satisfy the following challenge areas: 

• Survey airside pavements. Solutions need to be capable of handling the variety of pavement types and features used for runways, taxiways and aprons in addition to airside roads. Please refer to the Airport Pavement Directory document providing information on the types of pavements, features and condition attributes a solution would need to handle.

• Effectively support airside pavement management. Solutions need to factor for designated pavement area categories that account for their usage and criticality characteristics. Condition surveys should track the rate of condition progression, remaining asset life, identified failures and their bounds and provide good confidence backed up by quantified and empirical data.

• Perform reliably, accurately and safely in the airport environment. Solutions need to handle the geometries of airport sites, reliably geolocate accurate location and correct area category, provide good fidelity during daylight hours in fair weather although the ability to handle wet weather or during darkness may be beneficial.

• Are effective to deploy into airport operations. Solutions need to be easy to install/remove on operational vehicles. The process of data collection, processing and reporting needs to be practicable to implement and effectively support the existing process of performing monthly area inspections with reasonably adaptations.

• Forecast future asset condition based on usage scenarios. An ideal solution would link with traffic patterns to forecast remaining asset life and calculate projections based on variable future scenarios.