Difference between revisions of "Denver Airport Baggage Handling System"

From SEBoK
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 19: Line 19:
  
 
===Works Cited===
 
===Works Cited===
None.
+
No works have been cited for version 1.0.
  
 
===Primary References===
 
===Primary References===

Revision as of 13:28, 6 August 2012

This vignette describes systems engineering (SE) issues related to the development of the automated baggage handling system for the Denver International Airport (DIA) from 1990 to 1995. The computer controlled, electrical-mechanical system was part of a larger airport system.

Application domains: transportation, logistics, and system of systems

Application areas: product, service

Vignette Description

In February 1995, the Denver International Airport (DIA) was opened 16 months later than originally anticipated with a delay cost of $500 million. A key schedule and cost problem—namely, the integrated automated baggage handling system was a unique feature of the airport. The baggage system was designed to distribute all baggage automatically between check-in and pick-up on arrival. The delivery mechanism consisted of 17 miles of track on which 4,000 individual, radio-controlled carts would circulate. The $238 million system consisted of over 100 computers networked together, 5,000 electric eyes, 400 radio receivers, and 56 bar-code scanners. The purpose of the system was to ensure the safe and timely arrival of every piece of baggage. Significant management, mechanical, and software problems plagued the automated baggage handling system. In August 2005, the automated system was abandoned and replaced with a manual one.

The automated baggage system was far more complex than previous systems. As planned, it would be ten times larger than any other automated system, be developed on an ambitious schedule, utilize novel technology, and require shorter than average baggage delivery times. As such, the system involved a very high level of SE risks. A fixed scope, schedule, and budget arrangement precluded extensive simulation or physical testing of the full design. System design began late as it did not begin until well after construction of the airport was underway. The change management system allowed acceptance of change requests that required significant redesigns to portions of work already completed. The design did not include a meaningful backup system; for a system that required very high mechanical and computer reliability, this increased failure risks. The system had an insufficient number of tugs and carts to cope with the volume of baggage expected and this, along with severely limited timing requirements, caused baggage carts to jam in the tracks and for them to misalign with the conveyor belts feeding the bags. This resulted in mutilated and lost bags.

The baggage system problems could be associated with the non-use or misuse of a number of systems engineering concepts and practices: system architecture complexity, project scheduling, risk analysis, change management, system analysis and design, system reliability, systems integration, system verification and validation/system testing, and insufficient management oversight.

Summary

The initial planning decisions, such as the decision to implement one airport wide integrated system, the contractual commitments to scope, schedule, and cost, as well as the lack of adequate project management procedures and processes, led to a failed system. Attention to system engineering principles and practices might have avoided the system’s failure.


References

Works Cited

No works have been cited for version 1.0.

Primary References

No primary references have been identified for version 1.0.

Additional References

Calleam Consulting Ltd. 2008. Case Study – Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System – An illustration of ineffectual decision making. Accessed on September 11, 2011. Available at http://calleam.com/WTPF/?page_id=2086.

Neufville, R. de. 1994. "The Baggage System at Denver: Prospects and Lessons." Journal of Air Transport Management. 1(4): 229-236.

Gibbs, W.W. 1994. "Software’s Chronic Crisis." Scientific American. September 1994: p. 72-81.


< Previous Article | Parent Article | Next Article >

Comments from SEBok 0.5 Wiki

No comments were logged for this article in the SEBoK 0.5 wiki. Because of this, it is especially important for reviewers to provide feedback on this article. Please see the discussion prompts below.

SEBoK v. 1.9.1 released 30 September 2018

SEBoK Discussion

Please provide your comments and feedback on the SEBoK below. You will need to log in to DISQUS using an existing account (e.g. Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or create a DISQUS account. Simply type your comment in the text field below and DISQUS will guide you through the login or registration steps. Feedback will be archived and used for future updates to the SEBoK. If you provided a comment that is no longer listed, that comment has been adjudicated. You can view adjudication for comments submitted prior to SEBoK v. 1.0 at SEBoK Review and Adjudication. Later comments are addressed and changes are summarized in the Letter from the Editor and Acknowledgements and Release History.

If you would like to provide edits on this article, recommend new content, or make comments on the SEBoK as a whole, please see the SEBoK Sandbox.

blog comments powered by Disqus