Wi-Fi in the sky

wi-fi-in-the-sky

Wi-Fi in the sky

4 minutes

First came the sky warriors—those frequent business travelers, who would pay up to be able to work in the clouds. They wanted things like always-on email access, uninterrupted conference calls and live streaming webinars more than they wanted creature comforts like on-board showers and champagne. Today a solid connection remains especially important for those passengers who want to work as they fly.

Meanwhile consumer demand for inflight Wi-Fi services is growing in leaps and bounds. The airline industry is meeting it with more connected flights, faster connection speeds and new technologies. “With availability of Wi-Fi connectivity continuing to have a direct impact on the overall air-travel experience, adopting the latest onboard Wi-Fi technology remains an effective way for airlines to distinguish their brand,” noted the International Air Travel Association in its 2016 Global Passenger Survey.

In a recent blog article in UP, Panasonic Avionics Sr. Director for Global Satellite Capacity Planning Todd Hill says passengers on the best-connected flights are able to access average speeds up to 12 Mbps in a speed test, with a maximum 20 Mbps burst speed. This offers business travelers better options for both work and play. “Video and audio plays quickly. Once their work is done, business travelers do the same thing we all do. You can actually access Netflix.”

New satellite systems

Much of the credit for improved service goes to a growing fleet of specialized communications satellites. Over the past two years, operators have placed into orbit nearly a dozen high-throughput satellites that use spot-beam technology to carry higher data loads than conventional satellites. For instance, last June Eutelsat launched a new high-powered satellite that connects air routes in a broad geographic area over the Asia-Pacific region.

Satellites have two distinct advantages over the air-to-ground systems that dominated the early days of inflight Wi-Fi.

First, air-to-ground systems rely upon a network of land-based cell towers, each with a limited geographic range. Aircraft flying over an ocean are too far away from towers, so these systems can only service overland flights. Satellites, hovering in geostationary orbit over the water, can bridge that gap between continents. Satellites can provide overland service, as well.

Second, the newer satellites have faster connection speeds than the aging ground networks. That’s translating into lower cost and increased capacity for things like checking Facebook and watching movies.

Airlines are gradually adding connectivity services to their fleets. Global available seat miles (a measurement that quantifies an airline’s passenger capacity) that “have at least a chance of Wi-Fi on board” increased to 39 percent in 2016, a 10% year over year, according to Routehappy. It estimates for U.S.-based airlines alone, available seat miles rose to 83 percent, up from 77 over the same period.

And as our world becomes ever more mobile those numbers are expected to continue to rise. Today just over 5,200 commercial aircraft offer Wi-Fi services. In the next few years, more than 14,000 commercial aircraft will offer Wi-Fi services, representing over half the global fleet, according to Juniper Research.

Authors
Panasonic Avionics

The eyes have it: biometrics in travel

Biometrics eye scan

The eyes have it: biometrics in travel

4 minutes

Imagine a world of air travel, where the only things you need to board a plane are your luggage and yourself. No more worries about forgotten tickets or passports. If trends continue, it’s easy to see how in airports and air travel, biometric technology, such as fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, or even microchips inserted under the skin, could be used to speed the journey.  
It may happen sooner than you think, as travelers begin to expect what they already use in other industries.

With customer experience and convenience serving as major drivers for the adoption of biometrics, market research firm Goode Intelligence predicts that biometrics will be employed by 1.9 billion banking customers over the next two and a half years. If the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show is anything to go by, we’ll soon be relying on biometrics to access our cars too. Swedish rail company SJ is already using microchips as a form of identification for their transit passengers. 

Jowan Österlund is the founder of Biohax Intl., which carries out the implants for SJ. He looks at it as a way for companies to save both time and physical resources. “This is not just about moving a little bit faster in the line. In the long run, we need to think about how we can optimize our interactions with our digital environment,” he says.

Finger being scanned

Biometrics may be really taking off, but the technology isn’t new. Alastair Partington, founder and Co-CEO of biometrics and identity-technology company Tascent, says airports were the early adopters. More recently airlines have picked up the mantle. “Airports and airlines have begun to jointly innovate with offerings such as biometric bag-drop and biometric boarding, increasingly connecting the passenger journey by offering an integrated experience across multiple touchpoints,” Partington explains.

As with any major technological innovation, biometric technology has its own barriers to adoption, certainly on a widespread scale. Luckily, passengers being hesitant to accept this technology does not seem to be one of them. According to IATA’s 2017 Global Passenger Survey, 64 percent of respondents chose biometric identification as their preferred traveling token over paper documents or their mobile phones.

Connected safety: coming to a city near you

City Security Blog header

Connected safety: coming to a city near you

6 minutes

By 2030, there will be 5 billion people living in cities around the world. This surge in urban population will require better infrastructure, mobility and an increased need for safety. 

Governments large and small are looking at technology, such as big data and artificial intelligence, for ideas to meet this coming demand, according to a report from Harvard Kennedy School’s Data-Smart City Solutions. They’re asking questions such as how can governments be most efficient with limited resources? How can they improve safety, and quality of life?

These questions are often raised when it comes to video. Use of security video differs by country, city and state. In North America, there are law enforcement agencies that have used video for years to help keep residents safe. There are also cities that are relative newcomers, now implementing pilot programs to test the use of body worn cameras by police officers. In many communities, debates are taking place regarding how and when to use of video in the business of governing.

Panasonic is deeply engaged in developing connected solutions to address community safety in the 21st century – to support the policies developed by lawmakers. We provide security and video surveillance systems designed to integrate with our mobile, communication and evidence management platforms. That’s important because when you’re leveraging disruptive technologies, such as new forms of mobile content, cloud storage and the challenges brought on by the Internet of Things (IoT), there’s a need to integrate these technologies into a unified, simple and secure technology ecosystem to help agencies meet the needs of their communities.

Here’s a look at promising technology developments in public safety and security that are solving problems today in ways that may impact communities and agencies in the future.
 

Automatic evidence in Connecticut

Body-worn cameras are becoming integral in the evidence management tool kit for law enforcement agencies across the globe. Those wondering when the technology will have widespread adoption need look no farther than Connecticut, where it is now state law.
As part of a recently passed Act Concerning Excessive Use of Force, the state received federal funding to purchase these cameras for Connecticut State Police. State troopers are receiving body cameras starting this summer, and their use is governed by the new law that stipulates recording will be activated by smart triggers, such as when an officer opens his door.

To help law enforcement agencies like those in Connecticut manage the massive volumes of data created by body and dashboard cams and city surveillance systems, Panasonic has  developed Unified Digital Evidence, a software technology to collect, manage and protect digital evidence. The new software solution offers a platform to gather and store digital evidence from the Arbitrator™ In-Car and Body-Worn camera platforms, as well as other sources, including fixed surveillance and a variety of digital media devices, increasing transparency and the flow of information, enabling a connected safety ecosystem.

Livestream citizen patrol in Newark, NJ

Demand for professional video surveillance cameras has been growing quickly and is forecast to continue, according to IHS Markit. Less than 10 million cameras were shipped globally in 2006, and more than 130 million will be shipped in 2018, according to IHS data. In Newark, NJ, law enforcement leaders are embracing video technology as a public safety tool – to connect the community to crime determent.

The “Citizen Virtual Patrol” is a digital policing program launched to allow community members to virtually patrol their neighborhoods and to assist police in deterring criminal activity. Residents with a computer or tablet and Wi-Fi can tap into the program’s live-streaming network of 62 Panasonic cameras installed across the city, and are encouraged to call 911 if they see suspicious activity so officers can be dispatched to the camera’s location. “This invaluable technology puts a real-time crime reporting tool in the hands of every concerned community member,” Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in April. “It corroborates their story, helps us make an arrest, or possibly prevents something from taking place before it actually happens.”

Facial recognition in Tokyo

Some 6,700 miles away, Japan’s Immigration Bureau has chosen a high-tech security gate to streamline departures and arrivals at one of world’s busiest airports. Introduced in 2017 Tokyo International (Haneda) Airport, the Facial Recognition gate uses deep machine learning and advanced software designed to detect fraud and to prevent unauthorized entry – and alert authorities in real time.

The Japanese agency adopted this technology to move people through immigration more efficiently. Developed by Panasonic, which has worked on facial recognition technologies for 30 years, the security solution can identify individuals even if they aren’t looking at the camera head-on, or are wearing a mask or sunglasses.


The system compares photographic data of the traveler's face from the IC chip embedded in the person's passport with a photo taken at the facial recognition gate to verify his or her identity, making it an appealing alternative to fingerprint recognition, which requires people to register biometric data in advance.

Such technology, combined with robust unified evidence management programs and sophisticated camera systems, promises to revolutionize security at stadiums, in hospitals, on college campuses, and at other high traffic venues where public safety is a priority now – and in the future.

Authors
M. Faisal Pandit - SVP and Chief Digital Officer
Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America