GCP – ChromeOS powered digital signage guides the way at Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Today’s post is by J.J. Swain, IT Manager for Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The airport serves more than three million passengers annually and over 100 cargo flights per day. GRR partnered with ChromeOS and Art of Context to upgrade and modernize the airport’s extensive digital signage system.

At an airport, the entire passenger journey is dependent on clear communication with accurate, accessible, and timely information. Wayfinding begins right at the curb and continues through terminal walkways, gates, and luggage carousels. At Gerald R. Ford International Airport, we use ChromeOS powered digital signage and Art of Context, an industry leader in airport data systems including flight Information and wayfinding, to inform the entire passenger experience, pointing everyone in the right direction.

A trouble-free OS is the perfect match for airport signage

For travelers, nothing disrupts a smooth airport experience like delays. Our IT team manages 200 screens throughout the airport in both operational and public areas that are essential for airport operations and the passenger experience. Blank screens or delayed information is not an option, especially since we operate 24/7.

Seeking modern screens and effortless IT management, we partnered with Art of Context, the airport interactive solution specialists. Their Airport Display Platform (ADP) was ideal, but our existing solution posed a challenge. Frequent, disruptive software updates plagued these devices, causing downtime and burdening our IT team. Art of Context recommended switching to ChromeOS, which was a win-win! Instead of replacing our entire 200-device fleet, ChromeOS Flex allowed us to seamlessly upgrade existing devices.

Not only did we quickly revitalize half our fleet, but we also achieved significant cost savings. Compared to buying new hardware, ChromeOS Flex saved us $80,000. Thanks to ChromeOS Flex, we achieved a major upgrade that afforded us reliable uptime without breaking the bank.

Central management and secure design for 200 screens

Since we switched to ChromeOS and Art of Context’s Airport Display Platform, we estimate we’ve saved approximately 300 hours of IT time. All of our ChromeOS and ChromeOS Flex devices are visible in the Google Admin console which makes it really easy to centrally troubleshoot.

A secure-by-design OS safeguards systems

Security of our airport systems is a constant concern, but we worry much less than we used to with ChromeOS. With a much smaller attack surface than other operating systems, ChromeOS is easier to defend and control. Devices update automatically in the background, without taking the screens offline. Furthermore, ChromeOS is a read-only OS that blocks executables and prevents third party applications from pushing updates that will impact uptime. In instances where ChromeOS integrates with third party cybersecurity service providers, they develop internal tools to interact with their software rather than leveraging the third party software directly. This means that it is not possible for these services to disrupt the standard operation of our ChromeOS fleet so we can rest assured that there are no missed patches and upgrades.

With ChromeOS, on-screen disruptions are minimal. Content, including videos and interactive displays, run flawlessly—giving us peace of mind for even the most innovative ideas of future signage.

Time to plan the future of digital signage

ChromeOS has given our IT team more time to dedicate to other tasks. Since ChromeOS eliminates day-to-day concerns about patches and updates, we gain time for more proactive investigations and upgrades. We also have more time to brainstorm ways to improve the passenger experience, like our plan to add AI-generated American Sign Language (ASL) to content.

The thousands of people traveling through and working at the airport — all on different parts of their journeys—depend on us to guide their experiences. ChromeOS and Art of Context keeps us and travelers focused to make sure we get where we need to be.