Month: February 2023

Social media monitoring is extremely advantageous to have in our lives for public safety reasons. The latest technologies make it easy to identify issues relating to public safety in real time on social media platforms.

The relevant authorities can monitor and respond to emergencies when required by detecting meaningful patterns and trends in the information flow and streams of messages. They can identify events through significant spikes in activity and the meanings can be determined by changes in content.
Social media monitoring technology can be used by the police, government officials, community organisations, businesses and the general public to improve public safety and well-being.

Communication is the key

Social media enables us to stay in touch and relay information to the people we choose. Communication is the key to our well-being and today’s social media platforms have become increasingly versatile and powerful.

The latest evolution in social media monitoring technology enables authorities and companies to listen to the general chatter found online. It can be used a means of communicating important information to the public in a direct and personal way.

Crisis alerts

Recognising a potential crisis, alerting the public and putting the relevant emergency measures in place is one way social media can aid public safety.

The most widespread social media tools are Facebook and Twitter, with 2.91 billion and 237.8 million users respectively. These two channels alone have had a central role in monitoring world events, such as the London riots, the northern Africa revolutions and the nuclear accident and tsunami in Japan.

Social media was used by citizens for organising and spreading information, while it was also a vital communication link and major source of information for emergency services managers. Communicating in real-time enabled rescue efforts to focus on the right places.

Emergency management

Europe has several different technical systems in place for emergency management. These include satellite-based warning systems, high-level strategic and organisational systems, sirens and automated emergency messages. Social media complements these physical systems to communicate crisis information to the wider population.

Crisis communication strategies are vital for every organisation, private or governmental. Best practices during a crisis include using social media technology aligned with overall crisis communication strategies.

Disaster relief

A recent study into using social media monitoring to aid disaster relief found it was generally considered an effective platform to improve awareness among communities.

Emergency responders use social media to tailor crisis information to address people’s needs and to understand the sentiments of communities. In doing so, the information they provide can mitigate rumours and dispel panic.

Regardless of the official authorities’ presence on social media platforms, the public can keep up the conversation about the crisis or emergency. This can then be flagged up to the relevant organisations to give them real-time updates.

Importance of reliable sources

A warning from a credible source, such as a government department, or the emergency services, will have a greater impact that general chatter. This is why it’s crucial that official bodies make use of social media monitoring technology to focus on what’s happening in the world.

If a source isn’t considered as reliable and the appropriate authorities haven’t picked up on what is genuine news and added their weight to the information, people tend to doubt its authenticity.

When the content is from a reliable organisation and addresses factors such as the time, location, impact and magnitude of an event, the public are more likely to believe the message and will become motivated to take protective action.

Social media monitoring technology is an important part of our lives for public safety reasons and should be embraced and developed.

How social media monitoring technology improves public safety in the aviation industry

Communication is key in our modern society, with social media platforms making it easier than ever to stay in touch and relay information to the people you want. This is equally true for the aviation industry, which has a duty of care to its passengers and the general public. To facilitate this duty, the aviation industry benefits greatly from social media as a way to communicate with passengers and the public.

The aviation industry and social media

During social media’s infancy, many airline companies used this platform as a complaints handling system. Disgruntled airline passengers would take to social media platforms like Twitter to complain about poor service or an issue during the flight. Social media culture has changed significantly since then, and social media platforms have become more powerful and versatile in their application.

Social media monitoring technology is the latest evolution in social media, and it allows companies to listen to the chatter found online. Moreover, social media monitoring can be used as a way to communicate with passengers and the public in a more direct way.

Helping prepare for disruptions

Social media monitoring can be an excellent tool for the aviation industry to predict and prepare for disruptions in travel. British Airways left passengers irate in 2019 after an IT error at Gatwick Airport caused significant delays and flight cancellations. Passengers were quick to take to social media to air their grievances with the company.

However, this fracas could have been avoided if British Airways used social media monitoring to analyse and track the complaints on social media. If complaints start to develop online in a public space, social media monitoring can alert airline companies to the growing frustrations and deploy an emergency response procedure. This should focus on public relations and requires expert social media communication to dispel the complaints.

Real-time flight tracking and alerts

One of the most common challenges facing the aviation industry is cancellations and amendments to flight schedules at short notice. This is an everyday occurrence that could potentially result in complaints, confusion and chaos at airports. Cancellations or amendments to flights can occur for many internal and external reasons – from bad weather to staff shortages.

The aviation industry can benefit greatly from using social media to inform their passengers about any upcoming delays or cancellations in real-time.

Although this doesn’t provide a complete fix to the problem, many passengers will see these notifications with enough time to amend their travel plans. Real-time social media responses can empower the aviation industry with a way to communicate in real-time about things like weather updates and changes to flights.

As we develop more useful ways to communicate through social media, the aviation industry could stand to benefit from these innovations. From providing accurate, real-time information to passengers about flight changes to keeping passengers informed about technical difficulties, social media can be an incredibly powerful tool. Moreover, it brings passengers and airlines closer together which can improve trust levels with airlines.

If you would like to learn more about how social media monitoring technology improves public safety in various industries – do not hesitate to contact Bayanat Engineering Qatar for information or go to our website.

Buoys are floating objects anchored at specific locations to assist maritime navigation and safety in oceans, lakes, water channels and rivers. There are various different types of buoys, each with its own purpose.

Harbour masters, mariners and other seafarers have relied on navigation aids for safe sea journeys for centuries. The history of buoys dates back to the 13th century. Their design over the years has developed from a basic wooden raft into today’s high-tech maritime tools.

History of buoys

The first buoys were used in the Guadalquivir River in Spain in the 13th century, according to the 1295 mariners’ handbook, La Compasso de Navigare. The guide contained details of sea routes and approaches for boats around the Iberian Peninsula.

Basic buoys that were simply wooden rafts were used to direct vessels attempting to access Sevilla. A buoy was recorded on the nautical chart, Lo Compasso De Navegare, detailing Mediterranean Sea routes in 1296.

Thirty years later, historical literature detailed the use of buoys in the Zuider Zee, a North Sea bay used by ships sailing to Amsterdam and other European ports. These comprised a hollow drum bound with iron bands and secured by chains tied to a heavy stone.

While the early buoys provided a navigational service in daylight hours only, experiments began in the 19th century to find other ways of highlighting the buoys’ location, even at night. Bell buoys that made a clanging sound as they moved in the waves were developed.

Patented in 1876, US Lighthouse Society member John Courtenay’s groundbreaking whistle buoy contained a hollow tube with a whistle attached on top. As the buoy moved, air was forced up the tube and produced a whistling sound.

Uses of modern buoys

The capabilities of today’s modern buoys have far exceeded their predecessors. The three different types of buoy are used for navigation, mooring and data platforms. They guide and warn seafarers, mark the position of a submerged object and moor vessels before they drop anchor.

Two international systems mark channels and submerged hazards. Both systems use buoys of standardised shapes and colours to highlight safe passageways. In addition, special-purpose buoys including anchor buoys, cable buoys and race buoys have various uses.

Mooring buoys differ from other types, as they are a point where vessels can be tied up. The mooring buoy is secured to a group of permanent anchors by a heavy chain. It is a connecting link between the boat and the anchors. A moored vessel needs less space to swing with the tide and wind than a vessel at anchor.

The purpose of data buoys is to support, power and protect a number of sensors that measure water conductivity, depth, temperature, pH, chlorophyll A, dissolved oxygen and turbidity for scientific purposes.

Solar light-up buoys

The latest 21st-century innovations include solar light-up buoys to aid navigation. Solar power is used to light the buoys, which are made in a variety of colours. The rechargeable solar light engine illuminates several bright LED lights so the buoy can be seen after dark.

They can be used to mark the location of a pier or dock. Their bright LED glow means they are visible for up to half a nautical mile away. The solar sea buoys are a fine example of modern marine technology. They are an eco-friendly option due to being solar-powered.

The latest buoys have come a long way since the wooden raft structures of the 13th century, but one thing remains the same: they are still the road signs of water more than 700 years after their invention.

If you would like to learn more about the marine buoys and other marine solutions – go to Bayanat Engineering Qatar website bayanatengineering.qa to learn more about solutions that can help your organization.

It’s undeniable that airports are key targets for those who want to cause harm. Because of this, security must remain stringent at several stages throughout the passenger’s journey. From the moment they step through the door, multiple airport staff play a role in keeping both the airside and landside areas safe. Those same activities also ensure aircraft remain safe as they move through the airspace.

While airport security won’t go away any day soon, there is room for improvement. Revolutionising security systems inside airports is achievable. Here are some areas airports could focus on.

Optimise Baggage Screening
Effective baggage screening is necessary but can act as a point of frustration for passengers. They’re aware that their journey to the aircraft is time-sensitive, and inefficient screening acts as a bottleneck that slows them down.

Adopting new screening technologies ensures that bags are scanned faster but with the same diligence. By steering away from traditional x-ray solutions, those who work in security lanes can reduce their manual input. With less manual input, it’s possible to screen baggage while remaining compliant with international regulations. Passengers experience fewer frustrations while continuing to benefit from a safe environment.

Identify Passenger Bottlenecks
Passenger bottlenecks act as security risks for several reasons. First, they act as a point of frustration. If the congestions results in a passenger missing their final call to the gate, they may become aggressive towards airport staff. In areas such as border control, they can result in staff becoming overworked. When staff fatigue sets in, they’re less likely to perform at peak efficiency.

Passenger tracking systems identify where they are occurring. As overcrowding begins to build, those who work in airport operations can receive notifications that allow them to act. Having information on these situations makes it easier to deploy staff appropriately. It also allows airport operations managers to gather data that helps them plan future staffing levels and prevent problematic incidents. Overall, this also contributes to passengers enjoying a timely and pleasant journey through the airport.

Efficient Queue Management Systems
Few people enjoy queuing. Again, due to the time-sensitive nature of airports, queues can soon cause frustration to build among passengers. Poorly managed queues can have an adverse effect on staff too. For example, if those who need to go airside to perform their duties face long queues, they’re likely to be late for said duties. This could result in a lack of necessary staff airside during key points of the day, making the customer experience unpleasant for passengers.

Advanced queue management systems allow operations managers to make predictions. With those predictions, they can staff areas adequately and reduce the number of excessive queues generated throughout the day. They also alert operations managers as to when they need to redeploy staff and offer extra support to areas where employees need to go airside. From a security perspective, this ensures that queues are still managed in accordance with IATA regulations. When it comes to keeping passengers happy, efficient queues ensure that everyone reaches where they need to be in order for airport services to run smoothly.

Revolutionising security systems inside airports is about much more than staying safe. With the right approach, you can heighten passenger satisfaction too. To discuss ways to revolutionise your airport’s security systems, contact us for an expert consultation or visit our website bayanatengineering.qa for more information.