SITA AND APPEAR DEPLOY THE FIRST CONTEXT-AWARE MOBILE PLATFORM FOR THE AIR TRANSPORT INDUSTRY

Partnership to bring workforce mobility to new level as pilot projects seek to eliminate information overload, boost productivity and reduce costs dramatically

GENEVA/STOCKHOLM – 23 April 2009 – SITA, the specialist airline IT provider, and Appear, the leader in context-aware software infrastructure, today announced a partnership which will shortly implement the first-ever context-aware mobile platform for the air transport industry (ATI).

Uniquely, this new platform will provide common-use access to ATI applications “on demand” over wireless and mobile networks, tackle information overload and allow airlines, ground handlers and other airport customers to escape dependence on manual processes, voice communications and back-office reporting for a wide range of critical operational functions, on an unprecedented scale.

Pilot projects are scheduled with three airlines in Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands, which will see SITA and Appear, deploy a hosted context-aware test platform, able to support multiple mobile application scenarios (including passenger and baggage processing, aircraft and airport operations).

For example, the mobile workforce concept enabled by handheld devices allows aircraft turnaround with one duty manager for 4-5 aircraft rather than the present “norm” of one duty manager per aircraft turnaround. One airline is projecting double-digit reductions in aircraft line maintenance intervention time and critical work-process improvements.

Similarly, ground handlers will save on fuel bills and benefit from workforce efficiency gains thanks to remote management of diesel-powered aircraft heaters and other ground service equipment. They will also increase revenues thanks to more accurate usage reporting.

Greg Ouillon, SITA VP for Innovation, said: “As mobile devices, networks and applications became ubiquitous, the last and most important piece of the technology ecosystem required by SITA was to provide a common-use platform to enable on-demand mobility services at any airport. Appear’s context-aware middleware is a fundamental building block of this new offer.”

“Context-aware technology enables SITA to provide a range of wireless applications to different stakeholders over a single common-use multi-service architecture. Appear has the most robust enterprise platform on the market, with existing deployments for over 10,000 mobile workers in the transportation industry.”

Context-aware technology revolutionizes how information is delivered, received and presented on mobile devices. No longer do the users need to know what they are looking for: The Appear Context Engine analyses each user’s situation (context) and determines what information the user needs, what data, voice or video needs to be delivered in real time, on the job. The technology is tightly integrated with SITA’s back-end applications and business process modeling tools.

Xavier Aubry, CEO Appear, said: “The SITA mobile platform, powered by Appear, is the most significant technology development yet related to airport mobile workforce enablement. For the first time, an entire industry will be able to deploy on-demand mobile workforce services, anywhere in the world, in order to significantly reduce IT costs and optimize business processes. From day one, the solution will be able to reach out to over 250 airports where SITA infrastructure is already in place and to support tens of thousands of users.”

Further announcements regarding specific outcomes of the on-going pilots will be made as they progress.

About SITA
SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communication and IT solutions. SITA delivers and manages business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world’s most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry.

SITA’s portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more. With a customer service team of over 1,600 staff around the world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class customer service, providing integrated local and global support for both its communications and IT application services.

SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management.

SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In 2009, the company celebrates 60 years in business. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over US$1.42 billion (€1.06 billion) in 2007.

For further information go to www.sita.aero

About Appear
Appear is the leading provider of context-aware software infrastructure designed to power the next generation of mobile applications and services. Using situational information (context), the AppearIQ suite of products transforms ordinary wireless data networks into rich multimedia channels that deliver information, voice, video and messages to mobile computer users. By collecting and sharing context, Appear’s solutions eliminate information overload and ensure users have exactly the information they need, when and where they need it. Industry leaders in transportation, retail, telecommunications and government use AppearIQ. Appear has an extensive partner network including industry leaders Cisco, Motorola, Orange Business Services, SITA, Thales and Logica in order to deliver innovative, end-to-end wireless and mobile solutions. The company is privately held and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and with offices across Europe.

Press Contacts:
Appear
Angela J. Hepburn
Be-SR SARL Media Relations
+33 6 84 81 51 56
angieh@beseenandread.com

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This release was published on openPR.