Five ways technology is helping the transport industry to adapt post Covid-19
Covid-19 brought the world to a standstill. With the imposed lockdowns and restrictions on travel, the potential shock could range between a 60-80% decline in the international tourism economy in 2020.
The airline industry had the biggest hit with many planes grounded since March and there’s speculation that it will take the industry as long as five years to recover.
With lockdown easing and staff returning to work and beginning to travel again, the transport industry needs to ensure that safety measures are established. This is supported by an overwhelming 62% who say they wouldn’t feel comfortable using public transport unless social distancing is in place.
Technology can offer a wide range of solutions to help address these needs.
Here are five ways that technology can help the transport sector to adapt post Covid-19:
1. Outdoor kiosk displays for wayfinding and social distancing prompts
2. Airports use digital signage screens to convey public health notices
3. Control room setups for surveillance and real-time capacity monitoring
4. Public Address and Voice Alarms to convey auditory safety information
5. Cameras enable passenger temperature sensing in airports
1. Outdoor kiosk displays for wayfinding and social distancing prompts
Digital signage has never been more important for the transport sector. Not only can it help with wayfinding, but it can also be used to prompt social distancing.
Safety messages can be updated in real-time, in video or static format, encouraging compliance from staff and passengers.
Samsung OH46F IP56 rated outdoor display housed in a Peerless KOP2546-OHF kiosk mount is an ideal solution. Offering high visibility, this eye-catching display is conveniently and easily installed, designed and operated, and is built to withstand a variety of environments.
Interactive signage is popular in these spaces and for those concerned about public use of touchscreens, Brightsign’s touchless solutions include BrightLink, which moves interactive content to a viewer's mobile phone and BrightVoiceTM which allows viewers to navigate the signage with speech. Both solutions eliminate the need for the contact of communal surfaces, helping businesses to reopen safely but not compromise on functionality.
To control capacity, BlueFox’s foot traffic analytics solution can be used with a range of BrightSign media players. BlueFox Count is able to send real-time alerts to staff when a location surpasses its capacity and triggers digital signage, keeping visitors updated. To help get you up and running quickly, Brightsign has readymade templates and content available.
2. Airports use digital signage screens to convey public health notices
Attention-grabbing digital signage has been used in airports for a while to help passengers with travel or airport information. Following the pandemic, visual communication has become essential in encouraging safer behaviour and increasing passenger confidence.
Showing travel information and important safety messages, digital displays can update passengers in real-time.
A wide range of manufacturers including Sony, Samsung, LG, NEC, iiyama and Phillips are producing affordable screens, making it easier than ever to utilise this technology.
Tripleplay allows for easy management of content across multiple displays in various locations. Their Enterprise Video Platform delivers IPTV, VOD and Media to any device across any IP network, giving real-time access to content and a more engaging platform increasing audience interaction.
3. Control room setups for surveillance and real-time capacity monitoring
With social distancing expected until the end of the year, ensuring that passengers do not exceed capacity and therefore impact safety is paramount. Control rooms, using video walls and multiple displays, allow for easy management of capacity and are crucial to the smooth running of the operation.
To ensure safety and efficiency, information from a wide variety of sources is needed in real-time allowing operators to respond quickly in emergency situations. Video wall controllers cater to these situations at the touch of a button while maximising the pixel canvas and eliminating bezel borders.
Midwich offer solutions from Barco, Datapath, Dexon and TVOne to complement our vast videowall displays portfolio. We have the expertise and solutions to meet any requirement no matter how complex.
4. Public Address and Voice Alarms to convey auditory safety information
While visual communication is essential to help convey safety information, audio must not be forgotten. Using audio in tandem with visual communications ensures that important safety messages reach a wider audience.
The Bosch paging PLENA system offers flexible control of background music, live performance, and all-important social distance reminders. The system enables users to enjoy premium audio quality for any application that requires top-notch quality speech or music.
Biamp’s Vocia is a standard paging and emergency communication solution in one platform. Providing high paging quality while allowing messaging to be delivered to specific areas as needed, the Vocia family of products has built-in ambient noise technology so users can adjust volumes to accommodate background noise when necessary. Delayed or simultaneous messaging is also supported, allowing pages to be delivered on a timed or scheduled basis.
5. Cameras enable passenger temperature sensing in airports
Hikvision’s Thermographic Cameras are designed to detect elevated skin-surface temperatures. For use in a variety of settings with accuracy up to ±0.3°C, these cameras can detect temperatures quickly (one second detection) and from multiple people without the need for contact. Using AI detection and algorithms means false alarms from other heat sources are reduced.
View and download our new guide on ‘How Technology Can Help with Social Distancing Requirements’ now, or for more information on any of the solutions mentioned, please contact your account manager.
