Airport PDA a Consistent Problem for Many

Airport PDA

A consistent problem for many of the thousands if not millions of airline passengers that pass through airports every day is keeping track of luggage, and making sure that their baggage remains with them. Once the bags are checked in with the airline, it truly is out of the passengers' hands, and lost or misdirected luggage is still a major problem -- though numbers are down significantly from previous years, bags are still lost at a rate of three out of every thousand handled (USDOT, 2011). Given the number of bags handled each day, this quickly adds up to a significant problem. The proposed wireless network and PDA application will provide a way for both airport/airline personnel and passengers to track their bags by establishing a network that covers all baggage handling areas as well as passenger terminals, and is connected to computer terminals at customer service desks as well. PDA devices can be attached to baggage transport vehicles, and coded tags or other transmitters can be included on/in baggage. Technology is already being implemented that will allow airport security to track the movement of people through airports using their smartphones/PDAs, and applying this same technology to baggage and allowing for communication between various parties and devices should help address the lost baggage problem (RO, 2010). Similar programs without the same portability or scope have already been implemented with a fair amount of success (SPEA, 2010).

b)

The majority of the expenses involved in creating and delivering the proposed product/service will be found in developing the software application and establishing an appropriate network; many affordable devices are currently in existence that could support the software and other necessary components (camera/barcode scanner, etc.) of the proposed project. Recouping these costs and making the project profitable can be difficult without the design and sale of a hardware component, however, as it would require either a massive upfront payment by airports/airlines or ongoing charges in the form of a software-as-a-service contract (Sehlhorst, 2010). Instead, a simple and intuitive PDA device should be developed, and these PDAs can be sold in bundles (as many PDAs will be necessary for implementation) for 600 GBP each, with at least two dozen sold to the typical international airport along with whatever other fees are established for setting up the network and ensuring operability, etc. Even at this relatively low price for such specialized technology, a few sales contracts with different major airports will be more than enough to recoup design and manufacturing expenses, as the software development will not need to be carried out independently for each sale (i.e. The per-unit profits increase dramatically as sales increase). Ongoing charges for software upgrades and updates, improvements to the wireless network, and PDA replacements/upgrades will also help sustain the company's profitability (Sehlhorst, 2010).

c)

A force-field analysis of this proposed project reveals several significant arguments against its adoption. First, it is quite possible -- almost certain -- that certain passengers and advocacy groups will see the proposed project as a means, whether willful or otherwise, of invading privacy and increasing the level of scrutiny and tracking people undergo at airports. Other passengers and groups, however, will see this as a major convenience providing better security regarding baggage and creating more efficient means of achieving travel goals. In addition, the level of scrutiny and tracking in airports is increasing regardless of whether or not this project is implemented, so specific privacy concerns here are rather weak (RO, 2010; SPEA, 2010). On the whole, passengers as stake holders are likely to approve of this proposed technological advancement.