text:
Proceedings from the Great Lakes Bioinformatics Conference 2011
Amino acid function and docking site prediction through combining disease variants, structure alignments, sequence alignments, and molecular dynamics: a study of the HMG domain
Jeremy W Prokop1,
Thomas C Leeper2,
Zhong-Hui Duan3 &
Amy Milsted1
BMC Bioinformatics volume 13, Article number: S3 (2012) Cite this article
The DNA binding domain of HMG proteins is known to be important in many diseases, with the Sox sub-family of HMG proteins of particular significance. Numerous natural variants in HMG proteins are associated with disease phenotypes. Integrating these natural variants, molecular dynamic simulations of DNA interaction and sequence and structure alignments give detailed molecular knowledge of potential amino acid function such as DNA or protein interaction.
A total of 33 amino acids in HMG proteins are known to have natural variants in diseases. Eight of these amino acids are normally conserved in human HMG proteins and 27 are conserved in the human Sox sub-family. Among the six non-Sox conserved amino acids, amino acids 16 and 45 are likely targets for interaction with other proteins. Docking studies between the androgen receptor and Sry/Sox9 reveals a stable amino acid specific interaction involving several Sox conserved residues.
The HMG box has structural conservation between the first two of the three helixes in the domain as well as some DNA contact points. Individual sub-groups of the HMG family have specificity in the location of the third helix, DNA specific contact points (such as amino acids 4 and 29), and conserved amino acids interacting with other proteins such as androgen receptor. Studies such as this help to distinguish individual members of a much larger family of proteins and can be applied to any protein family of interest.
Predicting function from protein sequence is a complex and challenging task. Multiple sequence alignments can give insights into functional conservation over evolutionary time but are limited to what can be observed at the level of primary structure. Combining these sequences with known protein tertiary structures provides a three dimensional explanation of potential evolutionary pressures, but correlating the conservation to specific functions is still a challenge. This study compares natural variants (NV) associated with disease phenotypes to molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of DNA binding, predicting the functionality of specific amino acids within a medically important protein domain.
The high mobility group (HMG) box is composed of three helices that make an "L" shape able to bind the minor groove of DNA (reviewed in [1]). Many of the members of this protein family bind to DNA with low sequence specificity, such as the HMGB1 protein important in inflammation response [2]. Some members, such as the Sox sub-family, bind to DNA with a higher degree of sequence specificity [3]. The Sox family consists of 20 known human proteins, with the most thoroughly studied being the mammalian testis-determining factor, Sry [4]. Recent work has shown Sry to have additional functions outside testis determination. These functions may include brain development [5, 6], activation of the sympathetic nervous system [7], and blood pressure regulation [8]. Identifying and understanding the roles of conserved amino acids in Sry and other Sox proteins may lead to insights into particular amino acid functions. These might be HMG specific, such as DNA binding and structure, or specific to individual protein members. Combined analysis of amino acids known to have natural variants in disease phenotypes via multiple sequence alignment, structure alignment and MD simulation reveals several amino acids in the Sox family that may contribute to Sox specific functions such as interactions with the androgen receptor (AR).
Natural variants
Natural variations of amino acids in HMG proteins associated with various diseases were collected from Uniprot [9] and can be seen in the Additional file 1 along with all sequence accession codes. These amino acids were highlighted on the sequence of Sry, which could be used to identify conserved regions on multiple sequence alignments.
Sequence and structure alignments
All sequence alignments were performed with ClustalW [10] using the BLOSUM62 matrix [11]. Human HMG proteins were retrieved from Uniprot, and proteins containing multiple HMG domains were parsed into individual domain sequences. Human sequences were used to study conservation of the HMG family, while sequences from multiple species (from invertebrates to vertebrates) were used in studying conservation of an individual member of the family across evolutionary time. HMG protein structures were identified by blasting the sequence of the HMG box of Sry against the Protein Data Bank (PDB) [12] using blastp from NCBI with default settings [13]. All structures were cleaned by removing all molecules (water, salts, DNA, additional protein sequence) that were not part of the HMG domain. For NMR structures containing multiple models, only regions of high agreement from the first reported ensemble member were used. The multiple structures of HMG proteins were superposed using MUSTANG [14] to the structure of SRY remaining bound to DNA. Sox proteins were also superposed to identify Sox-specific features.
Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations
All MD simulations were run using YASARA Structure [15] with Amber03 force field [16] for 1000 picoseconds (ps). The md_run macro [17] was used with a water density of 0.997g/mL. Simulations were analyzed using both the md_analyse and md_analyzeres macros [17]. Structure 1j46 was used for MD of SRY. As no known structure exists for Sox9, models were created using I-TASSER [18], superposed onto DNA using structure 1j46, and the energy was minimized with YASARA. Although HMGB1 contains two HMG domains, only the second (which contains the NV) was used to run the MD simulation of HMGB1. Amino acid substitutions were performed by swapping amino acids in YASARA.
Sry-AR predicted interactions
A short peptide of the AR was docked into the model by placing the fragment in close proximity to the proposed contact amino acids of SRY and the energy of the system was minimized in vacuo. The starting model for docking was derived from 1j46 coordinates. The model was placed in simulation space of 57, 72, and 57 Å, water was added to the system at 0.997g/mL, and the system was energy minimized. Three different simulations were run on both SRY and Sox9 for 1500 ps each: docked AR (Docked), AR in which all the amino acids were swapped with alanine (Docked A's) to show sequence specificity, and the AR pulled away from interaction (free). Movement of the AR peptide in each system was recorded over the simulation every 25 ps. Sox9-AR interactions were investigated by replacing amino acids in the structure of Sry with those present in Sox9.
Forty four natural variants (NVs) were found in 33 amino acids in a total of 5 HMG proteins. All NVs were found in Sox members except for two in the HMGB1 protein. When aligning the 18 known structures of HMG proteins, it appears that the first and second helixes have a high degree of structural conservation, while the third helix varies considerably (Figure 1A). The divergence in the geometry of this third helix is likely due to changes in kinetics and thermodynamics of protein folding and DNA binding between individual members. Forty nine non-Sox human HMG domain sequences were identified and 20 human SOX, totaling 69 human HMG protein sequences. Eight NV amino acids are conserved with 90% or greater frequency in these sequences. Four hydrophobic, aromatic amino acids (9, 12, 40, 51) were conserved between the first, second, and beginning of the third helix that likely contribute to proper packing of the three helices. Additionally a hydrophobic amino acid is conserved at amino acids 6, 32, and 43 contributing to structural organization and non-sequence specific DNA interaction, while a conserved polar basic amino acid is found at 48 associated with non-sequence specific DNA interaction.
A) Structure alignments of 18 HMG box domains from various proteins bound to DNA (cyan). Amino acids in red were NVs conserved 90% or greater in the 69 HMG sequences. B) Alignments of 7 SOX specific HMG box structures with NV amino acids in purple conserved 90% or greater in the 20 human SOX sequences.
Most NVs were conserved in Sox family members rather than in non-Sox HMG sequences. Because of the paucity of NVs in non-Sox HMG proteins, and with only 8 of the 33 NV amino acids conserved in the HMG family sequences, we decided to determine if any amino acids were conserved only in the Sox family. Nineteen additional amino acids with NVs were conserved 90% or greater in the Sox family with the previous 8 HMG NVs also conserved in SOX. Structure alignments of the Sox family members show a highly conserved first, second and third helix (Figure 1B) with several clumped regions of conserved NVs. A hydrophobic core is conserved between the N-terminus and the C-terminus of the Sox proteins. All of the NVs involved in Sry based disease associations were conserved in multiple sequence alignments of Sry.
During MD simulations the movement of each amino acid can be tracked relative to the starting structure. Figure 2 shows the averaged root mean square distance (RMSD) of the alpha carbon for each amino acid from the initial structure to the structure every 25ps of MD simulation. It can be seen that the amino acids that are highly conserved in the HMG sequences (red Figure 2) have a lower RMSD (around 1 or below). Thus these amino acids deviated less during the simulation, suggesting that these amino acids are in low energy conformations with strong energetic costs associated with their structural perturbation. We ascribe this to their contribution to structural packing and/or DNA interaction. For example, some of the amino acids that are conserved in the Sox family and appear to contribute to DNA specificity in binding, such as amino acid 4 and 29, have lower dynamics during the simulation (purple Figure 2).
MD simulations of SRY [PDB: 1j46] showing the carbon alpha RMSD for each amino acid. Colors of the bars represent NV and where they were conserved on sequence alignments: red = HMG, purple = SOX, green = not conserved, grey = no NV.
Six amino acids with disease associated NVs were not conserved in either the HMG or Sox family, two of which are of particular medical interest. Amino acid 16 is found as a valine in place of alanine in a Campomelic dysplasia patient, but this substitution showed little effect on DNA binding [19]. Models of Sox9 structure show the amino acid to be on the opposite side of the HMG box DNA binding (Figure 3A). Of the 69 HMG sequences only SOX8, SOX9, and SOX10 had an alanine. Sixty of the 61 SOX9 sequences from multiple species, 16 out of 16 Sox8, and 12 out of 13 Sox10 had a conserved alanine at this amino acid suggesting a possible functional conservation found only in these proteins. MD simulations of the NV show an increase movement of the amino acid (Figure 3A), which we propose changes the kinetics or thermodynamics of interaction with another protein most likely involved in nuclear localization. Amino acid 45 is found to have a substitution of a glutamic acid from an alanine in a gastric carcinoma cell line HMGB1 protein [20]. In simulations this amino acid is highly dynamic and does not appear to contribute to DNA interaction (Figure 3B), but may contribute to interaction with another protein.
A) NV at amino acid 16 (green) located on the back side of DNA binding on helix 1. MD simulations show increased movement of the NV (red) compared to the normal Sox9 (blue) at amino acid 16. B) NV at amino acid 45 (green) at the beginning of the third helix. An acidic amino acid leads to an increase in movement (red) over the normal alanine (blue).
As an example to illustrate the usefulness of these kinds of studies to SRY protein function, we investigated the possible interactions of SRY with the androgen receptor (AR). For many years we have known that a functional AR is needed for the blood pressure increase due to the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) Y chromosome [21], and we believe this may be through a direct interaction of AR and Sry. The HMG box of Sry [22] or Sox9 [23] is known to directly interact with the AR C-terminal extension (CTE). Examining 75 mammalian Sry sequences we identified amino acids that do not appear to contribute to either DNA interaction or proper folding of the HMG box and yet are highly conserved (Figure 4A yellow). These amino acids were highly conserved across the human Sox members (Figure 4B) and indicate a functional importance that is not related to folding or DNA binding. When docking the CTE sequence to these amino acids, a stable interaction with SRY and Sox9 can be predicted (Figure 4C-D). The binding energy of this is higher than other docking experiments and can possibly take on the fold orientation as shown with modeling approached. Sox9 has high conservation of these amino acids when looking at multiple sequence alignments. The methionine conserved in SRY contributed to the mutated CTE stability (docked As in green of Figure 4D) by enhancing hydrophobic packing missing from Sox9. Interactions between HMGB1/2 and steroid receptors are known to increase recruitment of the steroid receptors to DNA and are dependent on the CTE [24, 25]. We propose that this interaction between the CTE of AR and Sry facilitates recruitment to DNA as shown in Figure 5.
A) Amino acids (yellow) located on the backside of the third helix conserved in multiple sequences of Sry not identified in NVs of HMG diseases. B) The amino acids in A are shown on sequence alignments of the human SOX members. C) Proposed docking between the conserved amino acids on Sry (yellow) and the CTE of AR (red). D) MD simulations of the CTE interacting with DNA and SRY (left) or Sox9 (right) either docked (blue), AR mutated to all alanines (green) or pulled away from the interaction and free in movement (red).
Recruitment to DNA (cyan) through the interaction of the AR's (blue) C-terminal extension sequence (red) with the identified residues (yellow) of SRY (gray).
Molecular dynamic simulations support functional conservation for DNA binding and structure of the 8 HMG conserved NVs. Most NVs identified were conserved in the Sox subfamily of HMG proteins. Of these amino acids conserved, amino acids 4 and 29 were identified to have contacts with base pairs of the minor groove contributing to DNA specificity. Several NV amino acids, such as 16 and 45, were not as highly conserved in HMG proteins and likely contribute to individual member specificity. Some Sox conserved amino acids that do not appear to contribute to proper packing or DNA interaction were identified as a potential docking site for interacting with AR. The use of sequences, structures, natural variants in disease phenotypes and molecular dynamics simulations of protein-DNA interaction offers new insights at understanding the HMG domain at an amino acid level. This approach serves as a hypothesis generator for molecular mutagenesis, and protein-protein/protein-DNA interactions.
NV:
natural variant
NVs:
MD:
HMG:
high mobility group
AR:
PDB:
RMSD:
root mean square deviation
CTE:
C-terminal extension.
Grosschedl R, Giese K, Page J: HMG domain proteins: architectural elements in the assembly of nucleoprotein structures. Trends Genet. 1994, 10: 94-100. 10.1016/0168-9525(94)90232-1.
Wang H, Bloom O, Zhang M, Vishnubhakat JM, Ombrellino M, Che J, Frazier A, Yang H, Ivanova S, Borovikova L, Manogue KR, Faist E, Abraham E, Andersson J, Andersson U, Molina PE, Abumrad NN, Sama A, Tracey KJ: HMG-1 as a late mediator of endotoxin lethality in mice. Science. 1999, 285: 248-251. 10.1126/science.285.5425.248.
Mertin S, McDowall SG, Harley VR: The DNA-binding specificity of SOX9 and other SOX proteins. Nucleic Acids Res. 1999, 27: 1359-1364. 10.1093/nar/27.5.1359.
Gubbay J, Collignon J, Koopman P, Capel B, Economou A, Munsterberg A, Vivian N, Goodfellow P, Lovell-Badge R: A gene mapping to the sex-determining region of the mouse Y chromosome is a member of a novel family of embryonically expressed genes. Nature. 1990, 346: 245-250. 10.1038/346245a0.
Wu JB, Chen K, Li YM, Lau YFC, Shih JC: Regulation of monoamine oxidase A by the SRY gene on the Y chromosome. FASEB J. 2009, 23: 4029-4038. 10.1096/fj.09-139097.
Milsted A, Serova L, Sabban EL, Dunphy G, Turner ME, Ely DL: Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene transcription by Sry. Neurosci Lett. 2004, 369: 203-207. 10.1016/j.neulet.2004.07.052.
Ely D, Milsted A, Dunphy G, Boehme S, Dunmire J, Hart M, Toot J, Turner M: Delivery of sry1, but not sry2, to the kidney increases blood pressure and sns indices in normotensive wky rats. BMC Physiol. 2009, 9: 10-10.1186/1472-6793-9-10.
Ely D, Underwood A, Dunphy G, Boehme S, Turner M, Milsted A: Review of the Y chromosome, Sry and hypertension. Steroids. 2010, 75: 747-753. 10.1016/j.steroids.2009.10.015.
Uniprot. [http://www.uniprot.org/]
Chenna R, Sugawara H, Koike T, Lopez R, Gibson TJ, Higgins DG, Thompson JD: Multiple sequence alignment with the Clustal series of programs. Nucleic Acids Res. 2003, 31: 3497-3500. 10.1093/nar/gkg500.
Henikoff S, Henikoff JG: Amino acid substitution matrices from protein blocks. PNAS. 1992, 89: 10915-10919. 10.1073/pnas.89.22.10915.
Protein Data Bank (PDB). [http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/home/home.do]
NCBI blastp. [http://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi?PROGRAM=blastp&BLAST_PROGRAMS=blastp&PAGE_TYPE=BlastSearch&SHOW_DEFAULTS=on&LINK_LOC=blasthome]
Konagurthu AS, Whisstock JC, Stuckey PJ, Lesk AM: MUSTANG: a multiple structural alignment algorithm. Proteins. 2006, 64: 559-574. 10.1002/prot.20921.
YASARA. [http://www.yasara.org/products.htm]
Duan Y, Wu C, Chowdhury S, Lee MC, Xiong G, Zhang W, Yang R, Cieplak P, Luo R, Lee T, Caldwell J, Wang J, Kollman P: A point-charge force field for molecular mechanics simulations of proteins based on condensed-phase quantum mechanical calculations. J Comput Chem. 2003, 24: 1999-2012. 10.1002/jcc.10349.
Elmar Krieger: YASARA macros. [http://www.yasara.org/macros.htm#HeadTarget]
Roy A, Kucukural A, Zhang Y: I-TASSER: a unified platform for automated protein structure and function prediction. Nat Protoc. 2010, 5: 725-738. 10.1038/nprot.2010.5.
McDowall S, Argentaro A, Ranganathan S, Weller P, Mertin S, Mansour S, Tolmie J, Harley V: Functional and structural studies on wild type SOX9 and mutations causing Campomelic Dysplasia. J Biol Chem. 1999, 274: 24023-24030. 10.1074/jbc.274.34.24023.
Xiang YY, Wang DY, Tanaka M, Suzuki M, Kiyokawa E, Igarashi H, Naito Y, Shen Q, Sugimura H: Expression of high-mobility group-1 mRNA in human gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma and corresponding non-cancerous mucosa. Int J Cancer. 1997, 74: 1-6. 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19970220)74:1<1::AID-IJC1>3.0.CO;2-6.
Ely DL, Salisbury R, Hadi D, Turner M, Johnson ML: Androgen receptor and the testes influence hypertension in a hybrid rat model. Hypertension. 1991, 17: 1104-1110.
Yuan X, Lu ML, Li T, Balk SP: SRY interacts with and negatively regulated androgen receptor transcriptional activity. J Biol Chem. 2001, 276: 46647-46654. 10.1074/jbc.M108404200.
Wang HY, McKnight NC, Zhang T, Lu ML, Balk SP, Yuan X: SOX9 is expressed in normal prostate basal cells and regulated androgen receptor expression in prostate cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2007, 67: 528-536. 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-1672.
Boonyaratanakornkit V, Melvin V, Prendergast P, Altmann M, Ronfani L, Bianchi ME, Taraseviciene L, Nordeen SK, Allegretto EA, Edwards DP: High-mobility group chromatin proteins 1 and 2 functionally interact with steroid hormone receptors to enhance their DNA binding in vitro and transcriptional activity in mammalian cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1998, 18: 4471-87.
Melvin VS, Harrell C, Adelman JS, Kraus WL, Churchill M, Edwards DP: The role of the C-terminal extension (CTE) of the estrogen receptor α and β DNA binding domain in DNA binding and interaction with HMGB. J Biol Chem. 2004, 279: 14763-71. 10.1074/jbc.M313335200.
Funding was through the Choose Ohio First Bioinformatics scholarship
This article has been published as part of BMC Bioinformatics Volume 13 Supplement 2, 2012: Proceedings from the Great Lakes Bioinformatics Conference 2011. The full contents of the supplement are available online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcbioinformatics/supplements/13/S2
Department of Biology, Program in Integrated Bioscience, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
Jeremy W Prokop & Amy Milsted
Department of Chemistry, Program in Integrated Bioscience, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
Thomas C Leeper
Department of Computer Science, Program in Integrated Bioscience, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
Zhong-Hui Duan
Jeremy W Prokop
Amy Milsted
Correspondence to Jeremy W Prokop.
JWP performed all alignments, MD simulations, presented data, and compiled the manuscript. TL advised on the biochemistry, structural modeling and structure alignments. ZHD aided in MD simulation setup. AM advised on HMG basics and Sry biology. All authors contributed extensive revisions to both the presentation at the conference and the manuscript; approving both.
Additional file 1: Pages 1-2: Accession codes for all protein sequences used. Page 3: Table 1 Natural Variants in HMG box proteins. Page 4-5: Figure S1 Sequence alignments from 38 Mammalian Sry sequences, Page 6-7: Figure S2 Sequence alignments from multiple species of Sox9. Page 8: Figure S3 Autodock experiment showing the favored confirmation of the AR CTE with the conserved amino acids of Sry. Page 9: Figure S4 Mustang alignment of the CTE confirmation in docking experiments shown on a model of the AR done with I-TASSER. Page 10-12: Additional references in Table 1. (PDF 2 MB)
Prokop, J.W., Leeper, T.C., Duan, ZH. et al. Amino acid function and docking site prediction through combining disease variants, structure alignments, sequence alignments, and molecular dynamics: a study of the HMG domain. BMC Bioinformatics 13, S3 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-13-S2-S3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-13-S2-S3
Structure Alignment
High Mobility Group Protein
HMGB1 Protein


text:
Mike Pompeo Brought His Backward View of Human Rights to the UN. Europe Wasn't Buying It.
France, Germany, and Great Britain declined to support the State Department's new vision.
Andrew Harnik/AFP/Getty
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged foreign leaders to "secure unalienable rights" in a United Nations speech on Wednesday, which laid the "crisis" in international human rights at the feet of longtime American adversaries and multilateral bodies like the UN. "Authoritarian governments, from China to Iran to Venezuela, are depriving our fellow human beings of their basic rights," he said. "Meanwhile, many multinational organizations have lost their way, focusing on partisan policy preferences while failing to defend fundamental rights."
Pompeo's speech, which was part of an event hosted by the United States during the UN General Assembly, was marketed as a celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the foundational document for decades of human rights policy. Instead, Pompeo promoted his own narrowly-defined idea of human rights, which was formalized last month in a report from a controversial State Department advisory body. Known as the Commission on Unalienable Rights, the group was stocked with critics of contraception, same-sex marriage, and abortion, including Pompeo's former boss. In its final report, which was released last month, the commission elevated some rights like religious freedom as "unalienable," while dismissing abortion and same-sex marriages as "divisive social and political controversies."
Since the publication of the report, Pompeo has wasted no time promoting it on the world stage. Last week, the US delegation to the UN office in Geneva staged a virtual event with two commission leaders to "explain" the report. Ahead of Pompeo's speech on Wednesday, State Department officials solicited support from the European Union for its human rights commission, but once that met with a tepid response, "rebranded their outreach efforts" around the Universal Declaration for Human Rights," the New York Times reported. That recruitment method still failed to get any major European allies to sign a joint statement, released by the State Department, promoting the view that individual countries should "recognize the many differences in our cultural, political, legal, religious, and other traditions, yet reaffirm fundamental freedoms and rights for all." Traditional US allies such as Great Britain, France, Germany, and Canada did not sign the document, but countries with notoriously poor human rights records like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did.
"You can tell a US priority initiative on human rights is wildly off-track when it attracts support from Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but not Sweden, Norway, France, or the UK," Rob Berschinski, senior vice president for policy at Human Rights First, told me.
For as much as Pompeo wants to batter US adversaries like China and Venezuela, it's his own flexible definition of human rights that is most attractive to authoritarian leaders. In his speech, Pompeo said the commission's report should "serve as an inspiration to other nations and people all across the world," adding, "they should turn to their traditions and rededicate themselves to their moral, philosophical, and religious resources to reaffirm the rights that are inherent in all persons." This idea—that countries can use their own cultural norms as a bulwark against the global human rights consensus—is "exactly what the governments in Beijing and Tehran want to hear," Berschinski said. "They will no doubt use this message to ignore calls to stop abusing their citizens."
Mike Pompeo Has Turbocharged the State Department's War on LGBTQ Rights
Mike Pompeo Plans to Push His Anti-LGBTQ Commission at the UN
A New State Department Report Cements Mike Pompeo's Twisted View of Human Rights

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
A Message From Your Interim Executive Director – Ron Denman
Tristan Evans
Board Members, Museology, News, Press Releases, Staff
In late July, I received a phone call from past president Fred Feistmann informing me that Executive Director Matthew Francis had resigned for personal reasons. An interim director was needed. I agreed to fill the role until a permanent Executive Director was found. I had thought I was firmly ensconced in retirement though. This past spring, I sold my Cultus Lake home and moved to Hope. Fred's call came before I even had a chance to unpack everything.
Well now more than six months have passed and I have found many changes. Most notably, there's an entirely new staff. And I couldn't be more impressed. Yvonne Contreras fully embraces her role as the administrative and volunteer coordinator. She has an easy rapport with our volunteers, great decision-making skills and the ability to see what needs to be done or changed to improve procedures. Anna Irwin, who was only appointed as Curator in May, jumped into a partially-completed project and grasped all the tentacles to make it a success. The project, funded by the Canadian Museum of History, was to produce a web site centred on the history of Chilliwack's Chinese community. As of January 15, the site was live, complete with French translations.
Ron Denman is ready for retirement
Tristan, our Archivist, is now the senior member of the staff. Recently, Don Luxton who prepared a detailed conservation plan for the second floor former council chambers in the fall, asked us to do a deep search of our archives in search of pre-1950 and preferably pre-1920 photos of the interior of the room. Tristan found additional photos that add to the documented evidence already found. He has an amazing grasp of the extent and richness of our archives collection, which is a huge positive for researchers. You can also see interpretation signs at the Elk Creek Trail and on the Rotary Vedder Trail, the result of Tristan's work.
Sarah Belley was hired in early September to become the Education and Community Engagement Coordinator. This meant immersing herself in the content of our school offerings while editing and printing school programs, and attending events. In December alone she saw 24 classes participate in our school programs.
And of course, there's our dedicated care of volunteers and part-timers that keep the place running. What a refreshing group of talented minds.
But all good things come to an end. My retirement looms again. Shawna Maurice, formerly the Manager of the Lloydminster Saskatchewan Cultural and Science Centre, is the new Executive Director. Please see below for a profile on Shawna Maurice.
A new energetic young staff, an active and enthused Board of Directors and a champion at Chilliwack's City Hall, Ryan Mulligan, Director of Recreation and Culture are all the ingredients needed to see the Museum and Archives into the next decades. I feel good retiring again. Thank you everyone for making this latest work stint so enriching.
Welcome to our new Executive Director
In early January, Shawna Maurice, her husband Eric and their two children left Lloydminster Saskatchewan in bitterly cold -42 degree weather, arriving a couple of days later to the usually balmy (it's all relative) Fraser Valley. Shawna was interviewed in October and was offered the position of Executive Director of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives.
New Executive Director Shawna Maurice
Shawna, who grew up in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, traveled a long road to get here. Since 2010, she worked at the Lloydminster Cultural and Science Centre where she rose to become Manager of the facility. She holds a BA in Anthropology and History as well as a graduate diploma in Heritage Management, degrees from the University of Alberta and Athabasca University respectively.
For Shawna, history is about change and tying the past into the present and future. Making museums relevant for today's audiences is a focus for her approach to museum work. And it's an approach that the Board of Director endorses. The next generation is here and along with Shawna and the rest of the staff you can expect great things.


text:
Q: Crear objetos en bloque asignando valores a campo many2many odoo8 Estoy creando una funcionalidad para crear instancias de forma masiva desde un wizard, asignando valores a algunos campos many2many, pero a la hora probarlo recibo un error:

"Expected singleton: modelo3(167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174,
175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188,
189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202,
203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216,
217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230,
231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244,
245, 246)"

Creo que el error en la línea al intentar acceder al modelo3,"""registros_many2many = i.mod2_modelo3_ids.ids""", porque lo he probado con otro tipo de campos del mismo modelo2 (formato fecha o texto) y funciona.
Os dejo el código por si podéis ayudarme.
class Modelo1Model(models.Model):
    _name = 'modelo1'

    mod1_modelo3_ids = fields.Many2many('modelo3')

class Modelo2Model(models.Model):
    _name = 'modelo2'

    mod2_modelo3_ids = fields.Many2many('modelo3')

class Modelo3Model(models.Model):act
    _name = 'modelo3'

#...

class Modelo1Wizard(models.TransientModel):
    _name = 'modelo1.wizard'

    def _default_instancias(self):
        return self.env['modelo1'].browse(self._context.get('active_ids'))

    modelo1_ids = fields.Many2many(
        'modelo1',
        default=_default_instancias)

    @api.multi
    def create_modelo2(self):
        for i in self.modelo1_ids:
            registros_many2many = i.mod2_modelo3_ids.ids
            i.ensure_one()
            modelo2_obj = self.env['modelo2']
            modelo2_vals = {
                'mod2_modelo3_ids': registros_many2many
                }
            modelo2_create_id = modelo2_obj.create(modelo2_vals)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Director Hany Khalifa's film Sukkar Mor will be part of the 4th Calgary Arab Arts and Culture Society festival (28 April -1 May) taking place in the Province of Alberta, Canada.
The four-day event will screen eight, as per two films a day, with only English subtitles. Sukkar Mor will be screened on Saturday, April 30th at 09:00 pm (GMT 6-).
Commenting on this, writer Mohamed Abd El Moaty expressed his extreme happiness with the film's participation at Calgary. The festival marks Sukkar Mor's seventh participation in international festivals worldwide including; Sweden, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
"It was expected that the film gains wide acclaim among critics and audiences alike, as Sukkar Mor combines several success. I hope all the Arab audiences out there in Canada attend the screening of the film. "
Sukkar Mor revolves around several characters witnessing unexpected dramatic changes due to certain incidents in their lives during five years of political and social turmoil reflected on the romantic attachments that were supposed to have a happily ever after ending. Despite all odds, everyone still clings on hope for this New Year, because no one can really predict the future.
Fahmy, Omar El Saeed, and Sarah Shahin.
The Calgary Arab Arts and Culture Society is a non-denominational organization whose purpose is to contribute to Calgary's thriving arts and cultural scene by actively promoting events that involve cinema, visual art and comedy. This comes by presenting a positive view of Arab life and society as an alternative to what is portrayed in the media, introducing audiences to the humanity, love and humour in daily Arab life and showcasing the rich history and diversity of Arab culture.


So - I talked to Dr. Sizemore, who has been my OB/GYN for the past year and a half or so. He also delivered Becca when he was a resident at Vanderbilt. So you could say that he knows my case inside and out. Literally. Because of my history (namely, severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome before 28 weeks), I've got significant risks. (Duh.) The most significant change we've made in my care is to, oh not be in the job I was in when I was pregnant with Becca. No overnight on-calls, no rushing to the bedside of dying pregnant women, no skipping meals because I'm the only chaplain in the hospital. The most stressful thing I have to deal with is my 5th and 6th graders...and working with the likes of Paul Bonner and Mark Price. While the effect of stress on a pregnancy can't be measured, I think it's obvious that my work situation definitely did not play in our favor with Becca's pregnancy. So I think that might go a long way towards a healthier pregnancy.
- Zoloft - which I've been on for over a decade now for anxiety/depression - we're dropping my dose, leaving it for a few weeks, and then POSSIBLY dropping it again to see how low I can go and still feel okay. Since my last pregnancy (when they were handing Zoloft out like candy), they have determined that there is some risk to taking Zoloft in the 1st and 3rd trimesters, so they want me as low as possible - but there's also a great deal of risk with a depressed and/or anxious mother, so we're looking for the balance.
- Prilosec - thankfully, I get to keep it! That is very exciting because, even though I am only, oh a couple of hours pregnant, the pregnancy heartburn has already begun. Yuck.
- Zytec - I get to keep it! Breathing is a good thing.
- Symbicort and albuterol - Speaking of breathing, my inhalers are good to go. Very few inhalers are considered risky, I think because they don't act systemically.
- Trazadone - my beloved sleep medicine - it's gotta go. It's also an antidepressant and in the same category as the Zoloft, so it's out. So far, I've tried to replace it with Ambien, which makes me totally panicked and worthless the next day, and Tylenol PM, which was like taking a sugar pill. Or a caffeine pill. Next up is Unisom...so we'll see how that goes tonight. I really, really love to sleep, and my body really, really needs it right now, but I really, really can't sleep without help...so cross your fingers that the Unisom or something else does the trick.
- Baby aspirin (81mg) - I've been taking this for over a year so that I would be on it when/if I ever did get pregnant. Some studies have shown that this can help prevent pre-eclampsia in subsequent pregnancies. The science isn't clear on it, but there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that it works, and it's certainly not going to hurt.
- Metformin - I had actually just started taking 500 mg of this, prescribed by my PCP for a number of reasons. This is the drug that helped me get pregnant with Becca (but I JUST started it, so it's not to blame for this adorable blastocyst in my belly). Women with PCOS have a higher risk of miscarriage (even apart from my crazy history), and there is some evidence that Metformin can help sustain a pregnancy through the first trimester. So what the heck. I'll take it.
- Lovenox shots - yep, I get to give myself a shot everyday now. Becca and I can do them together, I guess. Last time, I tested borderline positive for a clotting disorder in pregnancy, so I eventually started the shots then. We're going to be proactive and go ahead and start them now. Anything we can do to help the placenta (again, our best friend/worst enemy in Becca's pregnancy) is a good thing, and while we're not sure it will help, again, it won't hurt, so I'll certainly do it!
Dr. Sizemore will see me soon after I get back in town, right around 6 weeks, and they'll do an ultrasound (hopefully visualize a heartbeat) and run a BUNCH of baseline tests. There are lots of levels that we will have to keep checking throughout the pregnancy (liver enzymes, protein in my pree, blood counts, platelets, etc), so they will want some baseline readings to compare then to. I've still got my blood pressure meter, so I'll be checking that regularly at home. We'll formally decide which specialists I want to see at my appointment - I know Dr. Sizemore likes the guy just above his office at Williamson Med, but they only deliver at Centennial for Level III NICU care, and, while I've got friends who have had positive experiences there, it's not Vandy. And I know enough about the NICU's around here to know that the absolute best care a preemie can get in Nashville is from being IN-BORN at Vandy - not getting transferred there later. So I think we'll co-manage with Dr. Sizemore and the Maternal-Fetal group at Vandy (the only high-risk folks who can deliver there). Like John said yesterday, I'm just not going to be comfortable going anywhere else. And my being comfortable is half the battle here.
Emotionally, I am doing okay. Of course, I am OVER THE MOON excited, but I'm also anxious. It would be impossible not to be, given our experiences. I had a moment today when I was at the pharmacy to pick up my Lovenox shots when they told me that I'd have to come back tomorrow because they had to order them. I started to freak out about waiting a day to start them and was trying to think of a way to demand that they get them to me (crazy preemie mama coming out)...but then I realized that one day is probably not going to make a difference, and besides, the doctor wasn't 100% sure we needed to do them anyway. But of course I'm going to freak out a little bit. Not only am I facing trigger after trigger for the former trauma, I have very real risks that I have to take seriously. So I'm trying to give myself some grace and let myself freak out when I need to...but then come back around to the really good plan we have in place. It sounds cliche, but I am finding it easy to really and truly experience every day that I am pregnant as a blessing. It was damn hard to get here and there's not telling how long it will last, but at the moment, today, I am pregnant, and I am loving it - the pregnancy and the little bitty poppy seed itself.
Physically, I am (predictably) exhausted. And really hot. And somewhat heartburn-y. And really hungry. And when I get too hungry, I start to feel faint and just a touch nauseous, so I'm afraid that the nausea may be on its way. Cross your fingers on that one, too. (I was very sick the entire pregnancy with Becca. I could give you a tour of most of Louisville, just showing you all the restaurants and roads I throw up in and on. It was a rough 7 months.) There's a chance that the extended nausea I had with Becca was linked to the placental issues, so maybe if we avoid the big stuff, we will also avoid the puking. Of course, I will take puking for 9 months if that's what it takes, but it would be nice not to feel awful the entire time.
So that's what I know. I'll keep you posted. (Yes, Mom, I will. See? I am.) I'm hoping there won't be much to talk about. And like I said, I'll probably switch to the blog format soon to keep our adoring public happy. :) But for now (and then), we'd appreciate all the kind and healthy thoughts and prayers you can conjure up!
Thank you for sharing this Nancy. I am thinking of you often, and sending good thoughts for a long and healthy (and non-pukey) pregnancy. Take care of yourself my friend!
Nancy, would it be okay to share some of this so people can add you and Little Poppy Seed to their prayer lists? We've got you covered here but more is better.
Wow--that's a lot of meds. All worth it for your sweet babe. We're thinking of and praying for you a lot. Hope to see you tomorrow for Claire's baptism reception. Love you!
Sending you lots of congratulations on the pregnancy and lots of good thoughts for a healthy and safe and HAPPY 9 months ahead. I echo Marie...take care of yourself!! We'll be in Nashville in June and hope to see you then!
PS Entertainment News Briefs is me...Lisa Maniker Hewitt. For some reason, that's how my Google account has me signed in, I guess, even though I am signed into my Lisamanikerhewitt gmail account. At any rate, glad I stuck around to see my comment post or else it would really be an anonymous post.
I always tell people it is far better to be PROactive than to be REactive and you are definitely being proactive. Glad that you have a doctor that you can trust.
So glad I read this today. We didn't know you were pregnant. Such good news. I will jot your name down on my prayer list--John and Becca too. After all, this is a family affair. Pleasd--no moving! I can't be there to pack you up.
I am so excited for you, Nancy! You're in my thoughts and prayers.


text:
Mnatsakanyan Holds Meetings in DC; Will Meet Bolton
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen In Washington on June 18
Armenia's Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who is in Washington this week, held meetings with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen and the acting assistant Secretary of State of European and Eurasian Affairs, ahead of scheduled summit on Wednesday with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov. In a tweet on Tuesday, President Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton announced that he would be meeting with both foreign ministers during their visit to Washington.
"Looking forward to meetings later this week with the Foreign Minister of Armenia and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, to encourage continued dialogue between them," Bolton tweeted on Tuesday. "The United States stands ready to assist in advancing the cause of peace in the region," he added.
It was not immediately clear whether Bolton was going meet the foreign ministers separately or at the same time.
During his visit to Armenia last fall and in subsequent conversations with Armenia's leaders, Bolton has emphasized the importance of a peaceful resolution to the Karabakh conflict. However, it was his offer to Armenia to purchase U.S.-made weapons, as well as his stern comments about United States policy vis-à-vis Iran that raised eyebrows when he visited Yerevan in October.
On Tuesday, Mnatsakanyan met with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Igor Popov of Russia, Stéphane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the U.S., as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk to discuss continued efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"During the preparatory meeting the interlocutors assessed the current situation of the peace process, including in the context of implementation of agreements that were reached during previous meetings," the Armenian foreign ministry said in a press statement.
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan with acting assistant Secretary of State of European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker on June 19
On Wednesday, Mnatsakanyan met with acting assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Ambassador Philip Reeker. Deputy Assistant Secretary of U.S. Department of State George Kent, OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chair Andrew Schofer and Armenia's Ambassador of the U.S. Varujan Nersesyan were also present at the meeting.
A broad range of issues regarding U.S.-Armenia partnership were discussed and all parties underlined their collective willingness to expand and further enrich the agenda of multidimensional cooperation.
In welcoming the first session of Armenian-U.S. strategic dialogue that took place in Yerevan in May, Mnatsakanyan reaffirmed Armenia's commitment to implementing the agreements reached at that meeting.
Mnatsakanyan briefed Ambassador Reeker about the reform processes underway in Armenia, especially emphasizing reforms in the judiciary and law enforcement. In this context, Mnatsakanyan particularly highlighted the support of various international partners and the coordination of that support.
Urgent regional concerns were also brought up during the talks, during which Mnatsakanyan also discussed the latest efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen on resolving the Karabakh conflict.
A.Grigorian - June 20, 2019 said:
Any Armenian political leader who talks about land for peace, is an agent of our enemies.
Any Armenian political leader who is talk about land for peace is a traitor.


text:
All About The Vietnam
You are here: Home / Archives for Thailand womens volleyball team
Thailand womens volleyball team
Women's football team refuse awards
January 14, 2020 by vietnamnet.vn
"We've received lots of bonuses and there have been no problems about how we shared them among team members so far," Chung said. "Everyone knows how much they and other members get and no one has complained or said it was unfair. So we feel hurt when seeing the company's requirements as it seems they doubt us." … [Read more...] about Women's football team refuse awards
Filed Under: entertainment sports vietnam women's football team, mai duc chung, duc giang group, bonus, awards, Sports news, Vietnam sports, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, vietnamnet news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news, Vietnamese newspaper, Vietnamese newspap, qpr women's football team, iranian women's football team, ateneo women's football team, tajikistan women's football team, iraqi women's football team, cameroon women's national football team, bangladesh under 15 women's football team, bangladesh under 16 women's football team, scotland women's football team, essendon women's football team
Vietnamese fans to get few seats for Thailand clash at World Cup qualifiers
August 7, 2019 by e.vnexpress.net
Although the low number of seats may upset Vietnamese fans, a FIFA regulation says that in an official match organized by the association, the away team will only get 8 percent of the total seats in the stadium. The Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand, has a capacity of 25,000 seats, meaning Vietnam will get exactly 2,244 seats. … [Read more...] about Vietnamese fans to get few seats for Thailand clash at World Cup qualifiers
Filed Under: Uncategorized Vietnam, Thailand, World Cup, qualifiers, football, Vietnamese fans to get few seats for Thailand clash at World Cup qualifiers - VnExpress International, panama world cup qualifying, fiba basketball world cup qualifiers, fiba world cup qualifiers, fiba world cup qualifiers 2018, fiba world cup qualifiers asia, fiba world cup qualifiers europe, europe 2018 world cup qualifiers, europe 2018 world cup qualifying, 2022 fifa world cup qualifier, cameroon vs nigeria world cup qualifier, afcon world cup qualifier 2018, world cup qualifier who qualifies, concacaf world cup qualifying 2018 standings, conmebol world cup qualifying wiki, conmebol 1994 world cup qualifying, conmebol 2018 world cup qualifiers, qualifiers basketball world cup, qualifiers of world cup 2019, world cup qualifiers 6 october 2017, world cup qualifiers who has qualified, world cup qualifiers where to watch, world cup qualifiers under 21, 2026 world cup qualifying, qualified football teams for world cup 2018, qualifying teams for world cup 2018, will us qualify for world cup 2018, concacaf 2018 world cup qualifying results, england qualify for world cup, how costa rica qualified for world cup 2018, group f qualifying world cup
Dung crucial to team at AFC Women's Cup
February 21, 2018 by english.vov.vn
Besides Dung, the website mentions Maysa Jbarah of Jordan, Wang Shuang of China, Kanjana Sung-Ngoen of Thailand, Sara Castaneda of the Philippines, Saki Kumagai of Japan, Sam Kerr of Australia, and Ji So-yun of the Republic of Korea. … [Read more...] about Dung crucial to team at AFC Women's Cup
Filed Under: Uncategorized Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung, AFC Women Cup, AFC, Asian Cup, Jordan, Sports, AFC Cup final, asia afc cup, afc asian cup 2019, afc asian cup tickets, afc asian cup results, afc cup live score, afc cup 2017, AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers, World Women Cup, womens cup
Six teams into quarter-finals of AFC U23 Championship
January 16, 2020 by english.vov.vn
In the final round of matches in Group D on January 16, Jordan are due to face the United Arab Emirates, whilst Vietnam will play the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The two matches will decide the remaining two teams who qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament. … [Read more...] about Six teams into quarter-finals of AFC U23 Championship
Filed Under: Uncategorized AFC U23 Championship, U23 Vietnam, Thailand, AFC, U23, Sports
Four Vietnamese women detained for illegal sex work in Malaysia
May 6, 2019 by e.vnexpress.net
They found 175 Thais and five Laotians besides the four Vietnamese, all reportedly aged between 20 and 50. They were alleged to have entered the country using social visit passes and worked illegally as guest relations officers. … [Read more...] about Four Vietnamese women detained for illegal sex work in Malaysia
Filed Under: Uncategorized Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, illegal sex work, sexual services, social visit passes, Four Vietnamese women detained for illegal sex work in Malaysia - VnExpress International, india malaysia women's hockey, smt kesarbai bhimani working women's hostel mumbai maharashtra, amrapali working womens hostel mumbai maharashtra, recasting the global political economy counting women's unpaid work, disciplined bodies women's embodied identities at work, working illegally in the us, working illegally 2015, how let works in malaysia, how does refinancing work in malaysia, chest work out for women, working women quotes, hard working women quotes, how to perform oral sex on women, women sex wrestling, womens sex machines, black women do work out, work out plans for the gym for women, consequences of working illegally in us, penalty for working illegally in china, "penalties for working illegally in australia", illegal detainment lawsuit, tantric sex for women, women who want to have sex, women want to have sex, women that want to have sex
Bosch celebrates fifth anniversary of automotive R&D centre in Vietnam
Is Minh Phu evading anti-dumping duties on shrimp from India?
Encouraging long-term foreign interest in SOEs
Ministries told to adopt measures to combat Chinese coronavirus
– Key highlights from Premier Showcase media event
– Classic PC MMORPG prepares for mobile platform launch
LOTRO: Minas Morgul will take you back in time to the Second Age
Screenshot Saturday: Pizza Connection 3
WSOP Promotions
Copyright © 2020 Talk Vietnam. Power by Wordpress.


text:
Dortmund Airport Streamlines Workforce Planning Using SITA Tech
AirportResource Manager allows the airport to optimize deployment of 300-plus employees in real-time
Dortmund | November 15, 2016– Dortmund Airport is set to introduce a new operations solution from global IT provider SITA that will allow the airport to optimize the deployment of its 300-plus workforce, ensuring that employees are always in the right place at the right time.
Using SITA's AirportResource Manager, the airport operator will streamline its operation through intelligent and proactive decision-making, leveraging tools for planning, staff rostering, real-time scheduling and management as well as reporting. Overall this will deliver more accurate and flexible long-term and real-time workforce planning.
The technology also allows employees out in the field to access and update information using mobile devices as well as update in real time the statuses of their tasks. This will ultimately save costs and improve productivity across the airport operation.
Udo Mager, CEO of Dortmund Airport, said "Airports are extremely dynamic environments and having the ability to have the right person in the right place is crucial to a smooth, friction-free operation, benefiting both our employees and passengers. SITA's technology provides us with a clear picture of which tasks are assigned to which staff member and therefore management can quickly make decisions and respond to developments in the airport as they occur."
Dave Bakker, SITA President, Europe said: "Technology is central to cost-effective and efficient airport operations while helping to improve the overall passenger experience. This is clearly illustrated by the deployment of AirportResource Manager at Dortmund Airport which will streamline the workforce planning function, allowing the airport to maximize their resources through smart, real-time planning, saving costs, improving efficiency and enhancing the airport journey for passengers."
Dortmund Airport has long turned to SITA to provide its technology needs. Over the past decade SITA has supported the regional airport with several technology solutions, including Common Use Terminal Equipment and Common Use Passenger Processing Systems used across the airport.
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airport, airports, Dortmund, Global, IT, Management, resources, SITA
SITA Named Asia Pacific Airport IT Solutions Company of the Year
Frost & Sullivan awards SITA '2016 APAC Airport IT Solutions Company of the Year'
Singapore | October 13, 2016– Frost & Sullivan today recognized SITA as the Airport IT Solutions Company of the year in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region for the third time in seven years. The award highlights SITA's leading role in the air transport industry across APAC, where it provides solutions to 70% of the region's top 20 airports.
Frost & Sullivan was particularly impressed by the technology SITA has developed to provide a smooth end-to-end passenger journey through the airport. The four key elements highlighted were SITA Smart Path™, which uses biometrics to give passengers a walkthrough experience from check-in to the aircraft door; self-service technology, including kiosks, bagdrop and boarding gates; hybrid check-in/bagdrop desks, that can be used by agents and passengers alike and SITA's Day of Travel app, that gives passengers the right information at the right time, wherever they are.
A key highlight was SITA's airport operational expertise. Real time and predictive data is needed by airports to better anticipate, plan and control operations. SITA's Day of Operations, and its Airport Management solution which is used at more than 150 airports in 48 countries, enable airlines to assign assets and resources more effectively and balance operational efficiency with business results.
Anston Tan Yong An, Industry Analyst Best Practices, Frost & Sullivan, said: "SITA sits right at the heart of the air transport industry. It stands out among its peers in its ability to deliver world-class technology solutions to the airport sector globally and across the Asia Pacific region.
"SITA's product portfolio is supported by a management that understands aviation and is consistently able to deliver to their customer's requirements and expectations. It has helped more than 1,000 airports globally operate more effectively while improving the overall passenger experience. And it can always be counted on to deliver unmatched service."
Ilya Gutlin, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: "APAC is a fascinating region for the air transport industry. We provide our solutions in the fastest-growing and largest airports in the world, and we tailor our offering to some of the smallest as well. This award from Frost & Sullivan is yet another accolade for our SITA team members throughout the region, who maintain a relentless focus on innovation and service excellence."
Posted by Patricia on Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 11:16 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airlines, Airport Management, airports, bagdrop, check-in, IT, SITA, Smart Path
Asiana IDT and SITA Partner to Deliver Airline and Airport Excellence in Korea
Seoul, Korea | July 14, 2016– Asiana IDT, the IT service provider and affiliate of the Kumho Asiana Group based in Korea, today announced a partnership agreement with global travel technology provider SITA. Together the partners will deliver world-class solutions and customer services to airlines and airports in Korea and across Asia.
SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communications and information technology. This strategic partnership will see its extensive portfolio of solutions for passenger management, cargo, government, and communications and infrastructure services provided to Asiana IDT's airline and airport customers. SITA's technology solutions will be fully backed by the extensive regional expertise of Asiana IDT.
As part of the agreement all customers will also benefit from SITA Global Services. This 24/7 customer services organization is unique in the air transport industry having a single global team of 2,000 people spread across the world and available 'on the ground' for SITA customers.
Han Chang Soo, President and CEO of Asiana IDT, said: "This new partnership with SITA will allow us to provide our airline and airport customers with the perfect blend of Asiana IDT's regional expertise and SITA's renowned global solutions and delivery of world-class customer service. This is the ideal combination for Korea's air transport industry which is looking to expand its international business and to operate on a global level."
Ilya Gutlin, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: "South Korea has a clear focus on developing its tourism industry so it is appropriate that SITA has partnered with Asiana IDT during the 2016-2018 Visit Korea Year program. Together we can support the airlines and airports of Korea to use world-class technology to transform the passenger experience and innovate for the future of the Korean air transport industry."
Asiana IDT's parent company, Kumho Asiana Group is one of the largest conglomerates in the Republic of Korea, with affiliated companies and subsidiaries in aviation, construction, transport, logistics, manufacturing, civil engineering, finance and leisure sectors. Subsidiaries in the aviation industry include Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Asiana Airport and the new low cost carrier Air Seoul, which is due to begin operations over the coming months.
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airlines, airports, Asiana IDT, IT, partnership, SITA
SITA Provides Airlines with Quick and Easy Connections at 300 Airports From Beijing to Barcelona
SITA's shared infrastructure AirportHub™ now available at 300 airports worldwide
2016 Air Transport IT Summit, Barcelona, Spain | May 26, 2016– SITA, the air transport industry communications provider, today announced that 300 airports in more than 100 countries across the world, are now equipped with SITA AirportHub™. This unique shared infrastructure allows airlines to connect all their applications and IT systems at an airport quickly and easily. It removes the complexity of dealing with local telecom providers and adds flexibility and agility to route management.
Airports are the center of the industry's communications and are becoming ever more connected. By 2030, 18,000 airline communication connections will be needed at the world's airports. The number and size of airports is also rising; 500 new airports – a 30% increase over today – and a 40% capacity growth in existing airports. The challenge the industry faces with this expansion is have reliable, secure, high performance communications – consistently across the world's airports – for airlines, ground handlers, maintenance companies, other airport tenants and the airports themselves.
SITA AirportHub is an airport-wide shared connectivity platform that ensures airports can provide their airlines, ground handlers and other tenants with secure and reliable bandwidth, including wireless connectivity to access off-airport applications. Today, it is at 300 airports and provides 3,000 connections across the world.
Matthew Billings, Chair of Membership Committee, SITA and VP Technology Services at Virgin Atlantic, speaking at the Air Transport IT Summit being held in Barcelona, said: "SITA's investment in the AirportHub infrastructure over the last number of years is of huge benefit to the entire air transport community. Now airlines can use AirportHub at 300 airports across the world – from Beijing to here in Barcelona.
"SITA AirportHub makes opening new routes much quicker and easier. When airlines are connecting their systems at an airport they can now do so within a matter of weeks not months. This streamlined approach is efficient and cost-effective. Many airlines are keen to work with their airport partners who don't already have SITA AirportHub in place to consider its adoption."
Dan Ebbinghaus, Senior Vice President, Communications and Infrastructure Solutions, SITA, said: "All airlines need high levels of connectivity on demand. Wherever they fly, and whether they are low cost, hybrid or flag carriers, the need is the same. As our airline members have experienced, SITA AirportHub provides this securely and efficiently.
"The rollout of AirportHub across the world's airports is multi-year investment by SITA on behalf of the airline and airport community. Our plan over the next three years is to have AirportHub at 700 sites reaching 80% of airlines' international destination airports. This will dramatically expand our coverage transforming the communications infrastructure at the world's airports."
SITA AirportHub helps to reduce the total cost of ownership through secure shared infrastructure and global community solutions. It makes connections between all stakeholders at the airport – airlines, governments, ground handlers, commercial operators and other partners – efficient and cost-effective. In addition to cost savings through shared, short lead time to connect and common-use infrastructure, there are vast savings in the time and effort of sourcing from local telecom companies, managing multiple suppliers and having to cope with long lead times.
The 300 airports already taking advantage of SITA AirportHub are located in more than 100 countries. These range from remote and regional destinations serving less than a million passengers to the largest international hubs of the world which together manage hundreds of millions passengers every year.
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with air transport, Airlines, AirportHub, airports, Aviation, IT, SITA
Astronics, Rockwell Collins at AIX and more…
We continue this week with some interesting people and products we saw during AIX in Hamburg at Astronics and Rockwell Collins.
Astronics:
When you were at AIX you surely would have seen the latest 'lightweight' inseat power system from the folks at Astronics. What really caught our attention was the weight of the 'Direct Current Power Supply' itself – but we will save that data for the Astronics spokesperson, Ken Adwan, Senior Business Development Manager, who told IFExpress: "The DCPS is actually capable of supporting (30) USB outputs operating at 2.1 Amp simultaneously. The zone-based DCPS, which provides DC power to the seats weighs in at 3.8 lb. (nominal). The result is that a typical narrow body system, providing (175) total High Output USB Power ports to the passenger seats will have a shipset weight and price that are 30% to 40% lower than a traditional seat-based power supply architecture. That system would be comprised of a total of (8) zone-based DCPS units." (Be sure to check out the high level system graphic for the USB UltraLite system and data sheet for the P/N 1375-2 DC Power Supply Unit (DCPS).) What really caught IFExpress's attention was the statement on the data sheet: "Power conversion efficiency greater that 85%,"…and that has to be some kind of record for an airborne AC to DC converter. Typically they run about 80% or less!
Rockwell Collins:
"Hi there, I'm Jeff Sare" was our first introduction to the new Vice President, Sales & Marketing Air Transport Cabin Solutions Commercial Systems at the Rockwell Collins booth. IFExpress was told: "We were really impressed with Jeff when he was a consultant to Rockwell Collins and we brought him on board to help out the IFEC efforts. Jeff brings a wealth of industry knowledge about in-flight entertainment and connectivity solutions, an area of growing interest for airlines to keep up with fast-changing passenger requirements," said Scott Gunnufson, Vice President, Commercial Sales, Marketing and Support at Rockwell Collins. Further, from the Rockwell Collins news release about Jeff; "For more than two decades, Sare has served in a number of leadership roles in the air transport in-flight entertainment (IFE) and connectivity marketplace, from IFE manufacturers and connectivity providers to airline marketing. In his new role, Sare will lead a sales and marketing team focused on Rockwell Collins' complete portfolio of PAVES IFE and connectivity solutions that meet the passenger engagement needs of any airline, including seat-centric IFE, broadcast and wireless IFE, high-speed broadband connectivity, moving map and passenger services systems," stated the company. We note, Jeff is a very pleasant, easy to talk to person and we encourage folks in our industry to say hello.
During the interview, we asked where the IFE industry is heading and Jeff indicated the following: "IFE seems to have stabilized. We are seeing appropriate and significant growth in both wide and narrow body aircraft markets. At the same time, IFE Wi-Fi growth is also explosive. The demand for connectivity and some control over your environment is on fire. There is a demand for end-to-end connection to the passenger. Further, new technology opens up new opportunities. B-2-B is driving innovations that help airlines manage their business. Our customers are the airlines… full stop!"
"Rockwell Collins' inseat video has gone into service line fit at both OEMs. In-seat availability is running near 100%. In fact, Biman Bangladesh launched in late November 2015 and they are flying at 99.98% – the .02% was a pinched wire," said Sare.
We also asked about IFE in the aviation ecosystem and Mr. Sare went on: "There are two business case studies worth mentioning: What Apple did was to build an entire ecosystem that explained their vision for the iPhone and what it could do – think apps here," he noted. "Further, Tesla is doing the same in the automotive industry." The company sees that solution, and Jeff implied that Rockwell Collins will take advantage of their IFE solution, and with their acquisition of ARINC, will leverage the aviation communication platform. He went on to say: "There are fourteen thousand commercial aircraft, some five thousand business jets, one thousand airports and some three hundred and sixty airlines in this environment… Rockwell Collins sits in the middle of this aviation ecosystem." We get it!
We should also note that Rockwell Collins was awarded an Airbus supplier trophy for "Cabin BFE Supplier Support in 2015" at Aircraft Interiors and the team was rightfully proud of their efforts in winning. The awards followed Airbus's supplier support rating process, which drew in-service feedback from more than 133 of Airbus customers worldwide." The news release also said, 'Rockwell Collins, which was also top ranked in the category last year by Airbus customers, was credited for its ability to continuously provide reliable equipment and complementary technical support, its effectiveness of operational support services and finally, customer feedback on cost of ownership."
If you didn't get the big picture, one of the big Rockwell Collins focuses is on data. They note: "By 2030, the number of active air transport and business aircraft is expected to grow to 85,000 (Editor's Note: Given that today there are around 30,000) – with 80 percent of those equipped with new information-management systems. These developments are making a seamless secure and integrated aviation ecosphere a reality." Aviation and information, two pre-separated words, now have a reality that Rockwell Collins see's as a future reality. The flow of data along with the future is where Rockwell Collins is placing their bets. Here is a list of future information solutions they see:
1. Intuitive, information-enabled flight decks and aircraft that use data from on-board and external sources to provide new levels of analysis and awareness for pilots, airlines and manufacturers
2. Cabin solutions that change the paradigm from passenger entertainment to passenger engagement while helping airlines achieve their goals
3. Airport operations that streamline passenger processing, increase efficiencies and enhance revenue
4. A robust and flexible network that pairs bandwidth to manage information across the aviation ecosphere with the necessary security to keep our passengers and our airspace safe.
5. A future airspace that leverages the flow of shared information to address the congestion of today with a new model of aircraft and airspace management.
So, if information is the future of aviation data, then they expect massive amounts to infect our aviation space – Massive Amounts! This includes maintenance, scheduling, freight, airplane performance, and much more in networks on and off the aircraft. Rockwell Collins has four Principles when it comes to handling all this data:
Principle 1. Match the Right Data With the Channel.
Principle 2. Interoperability Matters.
Principle 3. Make the Best Use of Data.
Principle 4. Peace of Mind is Paramount.
We also wish to point out the paramount importance of security, and when this subject is addressed by Rockwell Collins, they say: "As systems become increasingly interconnected, interdependent cyber security has become a growing concern in civil aviation. Network security threats are diverse and persistent; a large part of the data that traverses private aviation networks is sensitive and relates to passengers' reservations."
They go on: "In this environment, security is essential Today, private aviation networks like those from Rockwell Collins are outfitted with multiple firewalls and security mechanisms to ensure that the security of critical communications is airtight, and that policies and protections align with IATA security rules and mandates. As we explore new channels of communication to meet the needs of the information age, we must ensure that they can support those same levels of security at every moment of transmission." We couldn't agree more.
Further they state: "But peace of mind goes beyond ensuring messages are protected at every point of transmission – it's also about ensuring the information arrives at its intended destination in a timely manner. Even as our industry embraces new technology like ACARS over IP and standardized, web-based applications like XML Web Services, we believe the curation of message delivery is a critical component of information management – knowing exactly where a message is at any given moment, and if something goes wrong, where that error occurred and what backups are available to ensure the message arrives at its destination."
In conclusion, Rockwell Collins notes: "In aviation's information age, an ever-increasing volume of data streams across the sky and around the earth. Developing faster ways to transmit, store, process and access that information – leveraging the latest ground- and satellite-based communications technologies – will be necessary to ensure our industry can take full advantage of the opportunities ahead." Stay Tuned In on this one as aviation data will be taking a big uptick of storage and connectivity in the future… for almost every reason!
If you have not been following TMF Associates Blog, you might start here: TMF Associates blog » The exploding inflight connectivity market?
You might want to watch "The Age of Aerospace," a multi-piece aviation documentary sponsored by Boeing… now on YouTube
If you are planning on attending EXPO Asia and APEX in Singapore at the end of October, be sure to check out the 'View Location Map'… and bring your credit card because the Ferrari dealership is a short walk away!
If you are in charge of airline food, you probably want to see what foods are trending in favor and declining. Here is a good source of info: Google Food Trends Report. And yes, it might be true in your kitchen as well!
We got an interesting email recently that went: Per the following link, I have a few questions:
I wonder if Airbus also invested in BOC's aircraft leasing firm?
Does an investment in BOC give Boeing an advantage when selling airplanes into China? (Duh!)
Is this the cost of doing business, i.e. selling airplanes, in China?
In answer to the above we found the following:
1. China will become the "single-most important market" for plane-leasing companies over the next five years, Domhnal Slattery, chief executive officer of Dublin-based lessor Avolon Holdings Ltd., said in an April Interview.
2. Coy as ever, Cook's somewhat cryptic remarks naturally led to an avalanche of speculation, particularly given rumors that Apple is developing its own electric car. Other commentators took the position that Apple's investment was simply an old-fashioned way to curry favor with the Chinese government. (Check out the full article here)
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with airports, ARINC, Astronics, Aviation, BOC, Boeing, China, communication, inseat power, IT, Rockwell Collins
Malta International Airport and SITA Sign Strategic Partnership
Agreement paves way forward to a future-proof airport
Valletta | May 11, 2016– Malta International Airport has entered into a strategic partnership with global air transport IT specialist SITA which is geared towards boosting the airport's operational excellence and putting it at the forefront of technology in the aviation industry.
The partnership – which came into effect from May 10, 2016 – will allow Malta International Airport to focus on strategic investment and innovation as SITA takes over the airport's day-to-day ICT operations. The partnership will help improve ICT service levels, optimize airport operations and enhance the overall passenger experience.
SITA's experience in managing large-scale ICT transformation programs around the world will be extended to Malta International Airport, and support it in integrating ICT at the heart of its growth strategy over the long term.
Malta International Airport welcomed 4.62 million passengers in 2015 and is expected to grow by more than 2% this year. The company has also unveiled an ambitious investment program which includes a €28m terminal expansion. Work on Phase 1 of the project is scheduled to commence later on this year.
Alan Borg, CEO of Malta International Airport said: "We recognize that developing our ICT infrastructure is fundamental to our future growth. In light of this, we are delighted to be partnering with SITA, the market leader in this industry, and look forward to working together on a digital blueprint to meet our future demands."
Dave Bakker, SITA President, Europe said: "As a global supplier of end-to-end solutions to the broader air transport industry, we are in the unique position of being able to support the full gamut of airport, airline, and government systems found in airports today. This allows us to take our service to the industry a step further, by managing the end-to-end ICT infrastructure for airports while guiding their future investment to ensure cost savings and improved service delivery."
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airport, airports, ICT, IT, SITA
Abu Dhabi International Airport Installs New Technology to Enhance Passenger Experience
Abu Dhabi, UAE | January 5, 2016– Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with global IT provider SITA to introduce its latest technologies across Abu Dhabi International Airport's (AUH's) three terminals. The technology transformation is part of Abu Dhabi Airports' preparations for AUH reaching a capacity of 45 million passengers by 2017.
The investment in SITA's latest innovations will bring the airport's entire IT infrastructure in line with the systems that SITA is already implementing in the new Midfield Terminal Building, currently under construction. These new technologies will help improve the airport's operational efficiency while providing a seamless passenger experience across all terminals.
As part of the five-year contract, SITA will provide a range of advanced and fully integrated airport systems. One of these includes their Airport Management solution which will allow Abu Dhabi Airports to proactively manage the operation of AUH by providing real-time information from across all facilities. This will enable the operations team to plan for events before they happen, while ensuring resources are fully optimized.
Other key products from SITA include AirportConnect® Open, which enables airlines to share check-in areas, kiosks and boarding areas while still having access to their own data, and BagManager which allows bags to be tracked in real-time, providing a clear status on any bag no matter where it is in the baggage system.
In addition to these three systems, passengers will also enjoy new automated boarding gates and flight information display systems.
Eng. Ahmad Al Haddabi, Chief Operations Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "Abu Dhabi International Airport continues to experience double-digit passenger growth and therefore we are investing in new airport facilities that will allow us to accommodate the forecast future increase in passengers. In order to achieve this we require a trusted technology partner, such as SITA, to provide one-stop, integrated IT solutions across the airport."
Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East, India and Africa, said: "We have long admired Abu Dhabi International Airport's ability to meet the rapid growth it has experienced over the past few years without compromising the great service offered to passengers. We have worked alongside the team at the airport to provide the technology to manage everything from check-in and airport management systems to self-boarding gates, across the existing terminals. Abu Dhabi Airports has recognized the value we bring as an IT partner who can deliver not only improved operational efficiency, but also an enhanced passenger experience."
Abu Dhabi International Airport currently serves over 103 destinations in 56 countries and in 2014 accommodated over 20 million passengers.
Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 3:46 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airlines, airports, Aviation, baggage, IT, tracking
Sprint and Boingo Bring Seamless Wi-Fi to Millions of Sprint Travelers
Strategic Agreement Enables Access to Boingo Wi-Fi Networks in 35 Major U.S. Airports
Los Angeles and Overland Park, Kanasas | April 30, 2015– Boingo Wireless, the leading DAS and Wi-Fi provider, and Sprint today announced a multi-year Wi-Fi agreement, enabling access to seamless and secure Boingo Wi-Fi networks in 35 major U.S. airports. Leveraging Boingo's industry-leading network technology, connecting to Wi-Fi will become as easy and safe as cellular.
Sprint devices within proximity of a Boingo hotspot can automatically connect to the Wi-Fi network seamlessly, providing service at the fastest speeds available, be that cellular from Sprint or Wi-Fi from Boingo. The auto-authenticating Wi-Fi connections are available at no additional charge to all Sprint customers with capable devices, and usage while connected to Wi-Fi does not count towards a customer's monthly service plan. Sprint and Boingo conducted successful market trials with millions of Sprint handsets, which demonstrated the consumer benefits of effortless authentication onto Boingo's network.
"With Wi-Fi being the world's largest wireless ecosystem, we view it as a highly complementary layer to our network," said Stephen Bye, Sprint CTO. "By enabling customers to move seamlessly between secure Wi-Fi and cellular, our customers will have a better mobile experience in more locations, all while lowering their cost of data usage."
The Sprint network improves daily and the company continues to invest in solutions that deliver the consistent reliability, capacity, and speed that customers demand. As service expands to additional Sprint handsets, customers with Passpoint-enabled devices can be connected to Boingo's "Passpoint Secure" networks at airports nationwide. By utilizing Boingo's "Passpoint Secure" networks, customers can enjoy a simpler mobile experience with seamless Wi-Fi authentication and WPA2 enterprise-grade encryption technology.
"Boingo's relationship with Sprint removes the traditional barriers between Wi-Fi and cellular service," said David Hagan, Chief Executive Officer for Boingo Wireless. "Sprint is a market leader with the integration of Wi-Fi and cellular, which is a very customer centric solution to provide an always-best-connected experience through either network."
Posted by Patricia on Monday, May 4, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with airport Wi-Fi, airports, Boingo, Sprint
Airline Passengers in Brazil Rely on Technology for Better Travel
Sao Paulo, Brazil | March 5, 2015– More airline passengers in Brazil carry a smartphone than in other parts of the world. The SITA-ATW Passenger Survey reveals that 85% of passengers in Brazil carry smartphones compared to the global average of 81%. A significantly higher percentage of these passengers use apps from airlines, airports and travel agencies compared with passengers from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, making Brazil's passengers among the most connected in the world.
SITA, which provides technology to airlines and airports around the world, conducted its research across 15 countries with nearly 6,300 participants. The results show that passengers in Brazil are using technology to enhance their journey. More than half of passengers who carry smartphones are using airline apps on a regular basis, 43% use travel agency apps and 38% use airport apps.
When it comes to booking their flights, passengers in Brazil are also picking up their smartphones and tablets faster than their counterparts in other parts of the world. Some 43% of them regularly use their smartphone to book flights, this compares to the global average of 31%. In Brazil, 42% take advantage of the larger screen and regularly use tablets to book flights. This use of mobile technology is set to continue to rise – when asked which channels they would use more for tickets and services, if all equally available, 60% of passengers said smartphone apps and 53% tablets.
Mauro Pontes, SITA Vice President, Brazil, said: "Airline passengers in Brazil are turning to technology to improve their journey. They are the pioneers across the Americas, when looking to the future we see that more of them expect (64%) to use smartphone apps for check-in compared to other countries in the region. The rate expected in Mexico is 61% while only 43% the USA."
More than half of passengers in Brazil (55%) regularly use a smartphone app for flight information. This is higher than in other regions in both Mexico (44%) and the USA (46%). In the unfortunate case of flight disruptions, passengers in Brazil are also turning to their mobile technology to ease the experience.
Pontes added: "Airlines should take note that in the case of disruptions, such as a flight being cancelled, 64% of passengers expect to get a message via a mobile app, while 58% expect a call to their mobiles and 54% an email. This demonstrates the opportunity for airlines to leverage technology to support communications during these challenging periods."
Posted by Patricia on Monday, March 9, 2015 at 3:07 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airlines, airports, apps, SITA, smartphone, smartphones
China's Airports Putting More Focus On The Passenger
100% of airports in China investing in social media and mobile services to improve passenger experience
Shanghai | November 6, 2014– Airports in China are focusing their IT investments on improving the passenger experience and introducing new self-service options including bag-tag printing, self-boarding and self-bagdrop. This increased attention to the customer experience has also seen the airports embrace new media with 100% of them investing in passenger services via social media and mobiles by 2017.
This is according to the SITA/ACI Airport IT Trends Survey which was announced today. The research results represent the views of the top 20 airports in China which serve more than 60% of all Chinese airline passengers.
May Zhou, Vice President, SITA China said: "The extensive airport expansion and passenger growth, currently being experienced in China, are major challenges. Airports however are stepping up to these challenges and investing in IT to improve the passenger experience. There is now a real focus to improve the customer experience. We see airports investing in passenger services, and 100% of them are investing in social media and mobile services to provide an efficient and personalized journey."
The survey shows that the massive growth in passenger numbers in China – up 9.7% in 2013 to 745 million – is leading to further investments in self-service to help improve performance and speed of passenger handling throughout the airports. More than half (53%) of airports consider passenger processing as the most important priority for IT investment. In total, 65% of airports in China are investing in major self-service programs and a further 29% are running pilots.
Investments in common-use self-service kiosks continue, with 35% planning to use them for check-in, while 35% plan to install them for other uses. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of China's airports are implementing bag-tag printing. Another area of significant development is self-boarding, which 35% of airports have implemented, up from 8% in 2013.
Behind the airports' investment into new media is a strong desire to develop more personalized customer service through direct interaction, and China's airports are succeeding here. More than half (53%) rate their social media investments as performing well, or above expectations, for customer loyalty. In particular, airports are using mobile and social media to communicate with passengers in times of disruption. By the end of 2017, 94% of airports in China will have implemented real-time notification via social media and mobile.
Some 85% of Chinese airports surveyed said their total IT expenditures would either increase or stay the same in 2014. Much of this spend will be on infrastructure to support airport development in anticipation of future passenger growth. More than half (54%) are investing in IT for airport terminal expansions, 50% for new terminals and 44% for refurbishments.
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airport Communication, airports, self service kiosks, SITA, Wi-Fi
Airports and Airlines Struggle To Meet Mobility Expectations of More Than 60% of Travelers Surveyed. Despite Wi-Fi Wake-Up Call 12 Months Ago
More than 2,100 travelers share expectations and experiences – calling out mobile, self-service and personalized travel information as critical to their satisfaction
San Jose and Boston, USA | September 23, 2013– Airports and airlines are clearly focused on improving the travel experience. But are the investments they're making having the desired impact? Based on new research reports — for both airlines and airports — of 2,160 travelers just released from FlightView, the day-of-travel information company, the answer is a resounding "no."
"Improving technology and infrastructure are massive undertakings for any airport or airline, but as we move further into an era of mobile and self-service dominance, these capabilities will become especially vital from both the travelers' and providers' perspective"
"WiFi is and has been the highest priority for travelers, yet satisfaction levels have remained largely the same — with approval for airport WiFi actually decreasing by 4 percent, and improving for in-flight WiFi by a little more than 1 percent, since this time last year," said Mike Benjamin, CEO of FlightView. "With more travelers using smartphones at the airport, and 82 percent using them in-flight – improving WiFi is absolutely critical to improving the overall travel experience."
Talking Holograms, Sleeping Pods and Massage Stations Cool… but Lack Broad Appeal
Despite all of the hype, only 8 percent of those surveyed find value in virtual assistant holograms – which cost airports ~$20 to $30 thousand each. Fewer than 16 percent care about massage stations, and only 30 percent are interested in sleeping pods.
"Meeting customer expectations requires asking before implementing," said Benjamin. "In this case, some airports have spent upwards of $100 thousand on innovative extras that travelers could take or leave, when what they really want are services that support their connected lifestyles."
Case in point: When asked which amenities travelers would like to see airports and airlines provide, the responses were nothing revolutionary: 87 percent want more charging stations for electronics at the airport, and nearly 75 percent would value tray tables with electronic hookups and charging capabilities from airlines.
Mobile Functionality and Highly-Personalized, Relevant Information Tops Travelers' Priority Lists
In order to strike the right balance between innovation and practicality, airlines and airports should focus investments on what travelers crave most: mobile self-service and personalized, actionable travel information.
Among the travelers surveyed, the desire for improved mobile functionality was strong:
84% of travelers want mobile access to personalized flight information like boarding times and the status of their connecting flight
76% want the ability to view security line wait times
59% want the capability to track missing luggage
50% want mobile access to their position on the standby list
45% want the ability to manage and share travel itineraries
Destination-centric information was also paramount — nearly 90 percent of travelers want airlines to push the gate and status of their connecting flight to their mobile device, while more than 60 percent want terminal maps, and 53 percent would value weather forecasts.
Of note to airports, the demand for more personalized, relevant information extends beyond mobile and into the terminals:
More than 86 percent of respondents want terminal displays with departure information for nearby major airport hubs where there are frequent connections.
Nearly 90 percent of travelers value interactive terminal maps on kiosks that show their current location and provide detailed information on items like nearby restaurants, walking times and directions to terminals.
Adoption Rises for Self-Service Technology
While the initial rollout was slow, mobile boarding adoption is starting to take off. In 2013, more than 60 percent of travelers had the opportunity to board with a mobile boarding pass – a 10 percent increase over 2012. Of those travelers that were presented the option, 70 percent took advantage of it, up 11 percent over last year. The adoption is even higher among business travelers: three out of every four use mobile boarding when given the chance.
More modern methods for flight check-in are also catching on, over the past 12 months:
69% of travelers have checked-in for flights using a mobile device
65% have checked in via personal computer
57% have checked in using the airline kiosks
Despite these more convenient self-service options, more than a third of travelers still go to the airline customer service desk to check-in for flights.
"Improving technology and infrastructure are massive undertakings for any airport or airline, but as we move further into an era of mobile and self-service dominance, these capabilities will become especially vital from both the travelers' and providers' perspective," said Benjamin.
To access the full findings from all 2,160 respondents, stop by FlightView's booth #926 at ACI-NA or download the 2013 reports for airlines and airports.
FlightView's research features the responses from 2,160 travelers. The survey was pushed to users of FlightView's Android and iPhone flight-tracking app, and launched and completed in September in 2013.
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Airlines, airports, mobile devices, mobility, Wi-Fi
The new IFExpress website looks great!! What an improvement over the old site... it is like a whole new world. Cheers and kudos from New York City."
- Nick Gray, International Marketing, Flight Display Systems


text:
The Art of Disney – The Magic of Animation
"Steamboat Willie" (1928) Original picture © Disney
From the birth of Mickey Mouse to the latest work, display about 450 original drawings of Disney works
Through nearly 450 artworks of original art, sketches and concept art starting from the legendary "Steamboat Willie" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", to "Frozen" and the latest "Moana", this show will focus on the moment when life is given to the characters.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) Original picture © Disney
"Alice in Wonderland" (1951) concept art © Disney
It will aim to discover "The Magic of Animation" that was brought by Walt Disney and his animators' imagination, innovation and the technology that made it all true.
"Frozen" (2013) concept art © Disney
"Big Hero 6" (2014) concept art © Disney
"Moana" (2016) concept art © Disney
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)
【Closed】 Tuesday *May 2, July 25, August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 opened
*Last admission is until 30 minutes before closing.
【Advance ticket】
Adult (Ages 19 and over) 1,600 yen
Junior (Ages 7 to ages 18) 1,000 yen
Junior (on Saturdays) 900 yen
Child (Ages 3 to ages 6) 500 yen
Junior (on Saturdays) 1,100 yen
*Also valid for the Permanent Exhibition.
*Free admission for 2 years old and under.
*Free admission for those in possession of a Disability Book and one accompanying person.
*Advance tickets on sale from Wednesday, February 8 – Friday, April 7, 2017.
*During crowded times, number tickets will be issued and entrance regulations may be applied.
2-3-6 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo


text:
Clara Gillispie
Senior Director of Trade, Economic, and Energy Affairs
eta@nbr.org
2013 Pacific Energy Summit Report	Forging Trans-Pacific Cooperation for a New Energy Era
Report | Apr 4, 2013
2013 Pacific Energy Summit
Forging Trans-Pacific Cooperation for a New Energy Era
On April 2–4, 2013, NBR and Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada co-hosted the Summit, which convened key stakeholders from around the world in Vancouver, Canada, to discuss market and policy solutions for "Forging Trans-Pacific Cooperation for a New Energy Era."
The annual Pacific Energy Summit provides a vehicle for ongoing collaboration and dialogue on the topics of energy security and climate change and seeks to forge lasting partnerships that address these challenges jointly.
This invitation-only event took place in an interactive forum where delegates explored what is needed to realize the full potential for more integrated energy trade and investment between Asia and North America.
Summit Papers
To inform plenary sessions and prompt thought-provoking discussion, the 2013 Summit organizers commissioned policy papers from top experts in the field.
Energy-Efficiency Policies in the Asia-Pacific: Can We Do Better?
Tilak K. Doshi, Energy Studies Institute, National University of Singapore
Nahim Bin Zahur, Energy Studies Institute, National University of Singapore
Implications of North American LNG Exports for Asia's Pricing Regime
Shahriar Fesharaki, FACTS Global Energy
Forging a New Trans-Pacific Energy Trade: Opportunities and Challenges
Mikkal E. Herberg, The National Bureau of Asian Research; University of California, San Diego
The U.S.-Canada Energy Relationship and the Growing Role for Asia
James Slutz, Global Energy Strategies LLC
Social License to Operate: How to Get It, and How to Keep It
Brian F. Yates, SNC Lavalin Environment
Celesa L. Horvath, Ventus Development Services Inc.
Dennis Blair, The National Bureau of Asian Research Board of Directors, United States
Charles W. Boustany, Jr., House of Representatives, United States
Ed Fast, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada
Mikkal Herberg, The National Bureau of Asian Research; University of California, San Diego, United States
Robert D. Hormats, Department of State, United States
Muhammad Enamul Huq, Ministry of Power, Energy and Natural Resources, Bangladesh
Ken Koyama, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, Japan
Kevin Lynch, BMO Financial Group, Canada
Tadashi Maeda, Japan Bank for International Cooperation; Special Advisor to the Cabinet, Japan
Oh Sung-Hwan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, South Korea
Carlos Jericho Petilla, Department of Energy, Philippines
Wang Zhen, China University of Petroleum at Beijing, China
Yuen Pau Woo, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Canada
Satya Yudha, Commission VII, House of Representatives, Indonesia
Anthony Yuen, Citi Research, United States
Finding the Right Price: LNG Markets and the Asian Premium
Shinichi Kihara, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Japan
Media Coverage (PDF)