SHOW ME THE WAY: The app will provide every information from indoor turn by turn navigation, context and location sensitive notifications to dynamic updates on flight status. RIGHT: Syed Sameer, the COO and Founder of Next Byte Wave Technologies says he plans to launch the app at HIA soon as well.

By Umer Nangiana

Airports can be stressful places for travellers who need to find their way smoothly in unfamiliar surroundings. As more and more terminals move to ‘silent mode’ by cutting down on public announcements, a Doha-based Indian expatriate has launched a first-of-its-kind mobile application to help travellers navigate smoothly through to the plane from the airport terminal.
Using cutting-edge technology, the app gives travellers all sorts of flight information at their fingertips. Syed Sameer, Founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Next Byte Wave Technologies, along with his Qatari partners have launched the first project of the technology at the service of passengers in one of India’s busiest airports, Mumbai.
“Our mobile app will put at people’s fingertips all that they need when they reach the terminal from indoor turn by turn navigation, context and location sensitive notifications to dynamic updates on flight status,” says Sameer, adding that one does not need to look around trying to find signage or ask for instructions.
Sameer, who was born and brought up in Doha, has been gathering media attention in India lately for his app with leading publications, both on web and print, like the Hindustan Times featuring his initiative as an Editor’s Pick in their dailies. The news is further being spread to various Indian and international magazines in their upcoming features.
Claiming that the new technology is a first in the world, Sameer tells Community the technology was first conceptualised in Qatar with funds from Qatar (personal capital not the government) involved in the research & development.
“This is a technology which uses iBeacons, indoor atlas and augmented reality all featured into one app which helps airports operate more efficiently and helps drive up their profits from the facilities in the airport,” says Sameer.
“The app using all these features is able to use the magnetic field around the earth to help map out enclosed areas like an airport. The app then interacts with iBeacons to pinpoint the exact location of the individual within the airport and finally the augmented reality adds a layer of information to the environment around the passenger,” he adds.
Speaking about multiple opportunities that the app opens up, the COO of the company says it does not just guide the passengers using all this information but also helps them interact with the airport, which has been never before achieved by any other app in the world so far.
“It actually redefines what an app can actually do. The airports also have a lot of benefits of implementing this technology from an operational efficiency point of view as well as higher prospects of generating revenue from the airport facilities,” says Sameer.
The most important benefit, however, he says is from a safety point of view as the airport can view where every passenger is in case of an emergency evacuation.
Some of the features of the app include a virtual guide inside the airport, helping passengers to locate nearby facilities like washrooms, child-care facilities, help desks and more.
The app uses an indoor map of the airport and also features augmented reality view, which uses the camera of the phone, adding a layer of information to the real-world view of the surroundings.
For the first time in India, iBeacons will be deployed, which are Bluetooth-based transmitters that facilitate location-based push notifications. For instance, a passenger sitting at a boarding gate can receive information from the airline about boarding having begun, or the flight being delayed.
The same technology can be used to promote context and location sensitive advertising messages. A shopper standing in front of the perfume shelf at the Duty Free can receive offers specific to perfumes on that shelf.
The app works using a combination of the inbuilt features in smart devices like Bluetooth and compass, along with revolutionary indoor GPS (mapping) technology and iBeacons to exactly pinpoint the location of a passenger inside the airport and communicate important announcements.