WVXU: CVG is using AI to predict passenger movement

UC engineering student created system to predict surges in visitors to terminal

WVXU highlighted a research project by Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and the University of Cincinnati that uses AI to predict when more or less people will arrive.

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science doctoral student Javier Viaña used airport technology that identifies the number of people entering the terminals to build a custom algorithm that can help the airport predict surges of travelers in 15-minute increments.

This information could help the Transportation Security Administration anticipate when to open new lines, Viaña said.

Airports already know how many passengers to expect from flight reservations. But Viaña said that doesn’t tell them how many people to expect in a terminal at any given time.

His algorithm more precisely predicts how many people will filter through check-in and security in 15-minute intervals, Viaña said.

"The important thing here is to work with algorithms that are called 'noise resilient,' which means we are able to work when there is noise in the data or even big uncertainty," Viaña told WVXU.

Listen to the WVXU story.

Featured image at top: An airplane on a tarmac. University of Cincinnati engineering student Javier Viaña is using AI to help airports predict surges in foot traffic. Photo/Iwan Shimko/Unsplash

Javier Viaña stands in front of Baldwin Hall on UC's campus.

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science student Javier Viaña developed an algorithm to help Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport predict increases in arriving visitors. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Creative + Brand

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