Most of my writing about in-flight connectivity focuses on passengers. After all, I am one probably too often and I think that the way the system works for travelers is pretty incredible. But there’s an enormous market for connectivity in the airline operations side of things, too. this doesn’t get nearly the same press – it is hard to get travelers excited about streaming engine performance or weather data rather than videos – but it is arguably more important for the overall travel experience, at least in the form of smoother flights with fewer delays. It is the Internet of Things as applied to aviation and it has huge potential.
Earlier this month Gogo published a book, From the Ground Up: How the Internet of Things will Give Rise to Connected Aviation, with the intention to “to spark an industry wide conversation about how the Internet of Things will reshape aviation. It gathers insights from more than 30 of the foremost leaders in aviation and technology including leaders from Air Canada, Accenture, Cisco, GE, NetJets, Zubie, Motorola, Here, and more.”
Also from the press release:
“While the realization of the concept of the connected aircraft may seem to be in the distant future, it’s actually happening today. The adaption by the industry and the evolution from connected aircraft to true connected aviation is inevitable,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo’s chief commercial officer. “By working with the contributors of this book, we are able to evaluate the current state of the industry and the potential roadblocks along the way. We’ve concluded that in the next five to 10 years, nearly every facet of the air travel experience will be touched by the connected systems of connected aviation.”
The book explains how the Internet of Things applies to aviation, how technologies have evolved and how the value proposition is being built for airlines and other companies in the value chain. It also discusses factors like data privacy and cyber security that will inevitably have an impact on the evolution of connected aviation.
I was invited by Gogo to be one of the contributors on the book and I’m impressed (though not surprised) at just how well the product turned out in the end. It is insightful and probing while also stunningly beautiful, even in the PDF form. It is also long(ish) so not necessarily a casual read, but some thought provoking stuff in there.
Give it a look; you might be surprised at what else is going on with the connectivity pipe being installed on the planes.
www.riseofconnectedaviation.com
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