ACRIS

ACI AIRPORT COMMUNITY RECOMMENDED

INFORMATION SERVICES BEST PRACTICE

Version 2.0
Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s
airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation
among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO).
In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy
development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air
transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable.

www.aci.aero
© Airports Council International 2018
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For further information, contact [email protected].

2 ACRIS - Best Practice

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction................................................................................................................................................ 6
1.1 Purpose of this document............................................................................................................................. 6
1.2 Audience for this document.......................................................................................................................... 6
2 ACRIS overview.......................................................................................................................................... 6
2.1 Mission and vision......................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Benefits of ACRIS Standard for airports....................................................................................................... 7
2.3 ACRIS working group governance................................................................................................................ 8
2.4 ACRIS organization........................................................................................................................................ 8
2.5 ACRIS position.............................................................................................................................................. 8
2.6 ACRIS logo and tagline................................................................................................................................. 9
3 ACRIS methodology................................................................................................................................. 10
3.1 Service Oriented Architecture..................................................................................................................... 10
3.2 ACRIS service definitions and supported technology stacks..................................................................... 10
3.3 The ACRIS Semantic Model....................................................................................................................... 11
3.4 Defining ACRIS web services..................................................................................................................... 13
3.5 Compliance and certification to the ACRIS Semantic Model..................................................................... 13
4 Getting started......................................................................................................................................... 14
4.1 Characteristics of an ACRIS airport............................................................................................................. 14
4.2 First steps towards being an ACRIS airport................................................................................................ 14
4.3 Bilateral service contract............................................................................................................................. 14
5 Example use cases................................................................................................................................... 16
5.1 Business-to-business.................................................................................................................................. 16
5.2 Business-to-consumer................................................................................................................................ 17
6 References................................................................................................................................................. 18
6.1 Standards.................................................................................................................................................... 18
6.2 Glossary of terms and abbreviations........................................................................................................... 19
7 Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................... 20

FIGURES

Figure 2-1 ACRIS vision...................................................................................................................................... 6

Figure 2-2 ACRIS benefits.................................................................................................................................. 7
Figure 2-3 ACI ACRIS central position............................................................................................................... 9
Figure 2-4 Logo and tagline................................................................................................................................ 9
Figure 3-1 Semantic Model layers................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 3-2 Detailed Semantic Model structure................................................................................................ 12
Figure 3-3 Semantic Model position................................................................................................................ 12

ACRIS - Best Practice 3

 AIRPORT COMMUNITY
RECOMMENDED INFORMATION
SERVICES (ACRIS)

Best Practice
It is recommended relevant ACRIS standards should be used
when airports and partners exchange information.

4 ACRIS - Best Practice

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Regardless of size, airports operate in a complex, chang- ACRIS recommended practices include interfaces that
ing and challenging environment. While the demand for describe with whom information is being exchanged,
air travel is growing strongly, an airport’s infrastructure what information is required, and the format the data
and ability to cope may be limited. Financial pressure should have to perform a specific task, process or other
from airlines, service demands from customers, and operational activity. Community interface and informa-
competition from other airports may impose con- tion standards support interoperability throughout the
straints. Security is more critical than ever while regu- industry. It is this interoperability that creates efficien-
lation, deregulation, emerging technologies and social cies which are key in managing the challenge of growth
media bring their own problems and opportunities. when capacity and resources are constrained. The in-
formation standards will also help to reduce costs and
As a transport hub, an airport provides many func- increase revenue.
tions, some of which may be outsourced, to support
its time-critical operations. However, many airports are In short, ACRIS sets the standard for data exchange in
facing congestion without having a way to increase the aviation community.
capacity rapidly. The challenge for airports is to man-
age performance and growth, contain costs, make
better use of resources and find efficiencies, all while
improving the passenger experience.

Airports Council International (ACI) World has devel-

oped for its members the Airport Community Recom-
mended Information Services, known as ACRIS, to pro-
vide the data standards that can help airports meet the
demands of today and the future. ACRIS is central to
efficient airport operations and develops global airport
standards such as the ACRIS Semantic Model, which
complements similar standards from other aviation
organizations such as the IATA Airline Industry Data
Model (AIDM) and the ICAO/SESAR ATM Information
Reference Model (AIRM).

ACRIS - Best Practice 5

 1 INTRODUCTION 2 ACRIS OVERVIEW

1.1 Purpose of this document 2.1 Mission and vision

The purpose of this document is to recommend that Recognizing the need to formalize and improve the
airports use the ACRIS standard for defining web exchange of information among the many stakeholders,
services and facilitating data exchange among the the Airports Council International (ACI) World Airport
members of the airport community. IT Standing Committee (WAITSC) founded a working
group in 2009. The initiative is entitled ACRIS.
This document also describes the ACRIS working
group, its structure and its governance. It provides ACRIS provides the airport community and the air-
a framework for defining web services, and outlines port’s many partners with the standards, tools and
some real examples where the ACRIS Standards have techniques to improve the exchange of high quality
been applied in practice. information for the sustained benefit of the industry
and its customers.
1.2 Audience for this document
The vision behind ACRIS is “the consistent adoption of
The audience for this document includes all aviation Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles across
stakeholders interested in standards for data exchange. the world’s Airport Community in a coordinated effort.”

The mission of the ACRIS Working Group is “to de-

liver recommendations, requirements and technical
specifications that enable airports, airlines, partners
and suppliers to exchange and process data in a stan-
dardized and service-oriented way.”

Figure 2-1 ACRIS vision

Vision Mission Main Supported

Objective by industry,
The consistent To deliver Define a framework
information
adoption of recommendations, for airports, airlines, and
Service Oriented requirements and partners and
Architecture (SOA) technical specifications suppliers to facilitate
technology
principles across that enable airports, cross-company standards
the world’s airport airlines, partners and process integration
community suppliers to exchange scenarios
and process data in (B2B and B2C)
a standardized and
service oriented way

6 ACRIS - Best Practice

The main objective for the ACRIS Working Group is • Reduced reliance on legacy technology;
“to define a framework for airports, airlines, partners
and suppliers to facilitate cross-company process in- • Amore standard approach to web services,
tegration scenarios”. The framework applies to the reducing development time, cost and risk;
exchange of information, both business-to-business
(B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C). It does this • Reduced complexity of interfaces, leading to
by adopting mature industry, information and technol- lower development and maintenance costs;
ogy standards, without being constrained by individual
technologies. • Increaseddata quality, providing
consistent information;
2.2 Benefits of ACRIS Standard for airports
• Improved quality of information, leading to
Improving information exchange brings real benefits effective decision making; and
for aviation stakeholders, in terms of cost reduction,
improved collaboration, re-use of software compo- • Simplified sharing of information.
nents and reduced time from idea to implementation.
In particular, benefits include: These benefits ultimately promote a more seamless
travel experience for passengers.
• Increased inter-operability between applications
and systems within the airport and between the
airport and its partners;

Figure 2-2 ACRIS benefits

Cost Collaboration Reusability Agility

Efficiency
Help airports Speed up ACRIS Adopting
reduce IT information standards SOA, speed up
integration cost exchange with help increase delivery and
and efforts the airport reusability by deployment
using SOA community and eliminating time
partners proprietary
formats

ACRIS - Best Practice 7

 2.3 ACRIS Working Group governance Any ACI Member may have access to the ACRIS doc-
umentation to develop compliant services that will be
The ACRIS Working Group (WG) reports to the used at airports. ACI also distributes the documents to
WAITSC. The WAITSC provides direction and other qualified organizations, such as International Air
guidance to the WG and approves documents and Transport Association (IATA), third-party vendors, and
initiatives, including submission to the ACI World airlines) after approval by the ACRIS WG. ACI also acts
Governing Board (WGB) or other approval bodies as as the communication channel for gathering feedback
required. Major decisions on standards remain with on ACRIS services.
WAITSC. Standards developed outside of ACRIS may
be included. ACI World acts as the Secretariat for the ACRIS WG.

The ACRIS WG supports airport information require- 2.4 ACRIS organization

ments by:
As directed by WAITSC, ACRIS is structured to en-
• Recommending industry, information and able domain experts to provide guidance and support
process standards and best practices; to projects. Please refer to the ACRIS Terms of Refer-
ence for more information on the structure and roles of
• Providing supporting documentation regarding: the ACRIS organization.

– Information technology security 2.5 ACRIS position

– Installation and operation guidelines
– The semantic model for the airport domain ACRIS WG cooperate closely with the other major avi-
ation bodies, in particular (but not only) IATA and the
• Defining
service descriptions for chosen B2B International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)/Euro-
and B2C usage scenarios. control/ Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR).
ACRIS Members regularly attend IATA Passenger and
The ACRIS WG consists of aviation IT experts and Airport Data Interchange Standards (PADIS) and Bag-
contributors to ACRIS deliverables and include: gage Working Group meetings to share knowledge
and methodologies. ACI and IATA are working jointly
• ACIMembers and World Business Partners on the Baggage XML initiative.
in good standing; and,
The ACRIS Semantic Model (see chapter 3.3) co-exists
• Otherorganizations with approved applications with the IATA’s AIDM and SESAR’s AIRM, in order to
by the ACI ACRIS WG Chair and Secretary who improve the exchange of information between these
remain active at the meetings. major industries.

The WG is responsible for overseeing the ACRIS RP, ACRIS is central to airport operations, and as an
as well as any documentation required. international standard, ACRIS is aligned with those
standards from other aviation bodies such as IATA’s
The ACI IT Standing Committee and the official repre- AIDM and SESAR’s AIRM.
sentative and spokesperson of the WG approve the chair
and vice-chair of the ACRIS WG. Tenure of the chair and
the vice-chair is two years. The vice-chair automatically
becomes the chair after a period of two years.

8 ACRIS - Best Practice

Figure 2-3 ACI ACRIS central position

2.6 ACRIS logo and tagline

ACRIS supports airports in particular and also supports

the wider aviation community. Its logo and tagline
have been designed to convey the importance of
cooperating with agreed standards.

Figure 2-4 Logo and tagline

ACRIS - Best Practice 9

 3 ACRIS METHODOLOGY

3.1 Service Oriented Architecture • A semantic model that is used to inform the
service interface design;
Service Oriented Architecture is an architecture pattern
for distributed computing. Applications designed for • Model-based development techniques to ensure
the SOA are modularized into services. These services traceability between the business models and
contain either a business function or business logic, the implemented systems; and,
which is presented to consumer applications so they
may interact with it. Encapsulating business logic in • Processes that enable and validate conformance.
services permits a loose coupling architecture and
asynchronous message-based communication. The ACRIS initiative was conceived to provide these
capabilities.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) refers to
SOA as “a set of components which can be invoked, 3.2 ACRIS service definitions and supported
and whose interface descriptions can be published technology stacks
and discovered.”
The exchange of information may take many forms.
The interface is independent of the technology stack In the publish/subscribe pattern, an information provid-
and its implementation. For example, a service can be er publishes messages to a topic, and one or more
implemented either in NET or Java, and the application subscribers listen to the topic to obtain messages.
consuming the service can be on a different platform This is typically used to publish events as they happen
or language. —for example, to inform subscribers that an aircraft
has landed.
Problems with information exchange are compounded
by the need to cooperate with stakeholders in other In a request/response pattern, a client sends a request
organizations. A SOA approach facilitates this coop- to the server to execute a task. The server processes
eration, enabling organizations to implement services the request and returns a response. This approach is
for their own purposes. These services can be com- more suitable for providing information on demand,
bined into higher-level processes that cross organiza- such as a flight information service for passengers.
tional boundaries.
By focusing on information rather than data and tech-
SOA is based on the following principles: nology, ACRIS provides the means to produce different
schemas for different patterns and technologies (such
• Reusabilityof software components, which as eXtensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScript
reduces cost; Object Notation (JSON)), all from the one source.
• Standardization; and
• Loose coupling. Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is an XML-based
protocol for data exchange using web services. SOAP
To support the development of web services, messages are typically used in B2B exchanges, where
ACRIS recommends that IT development processes a formal ‘contract’ is agreed between two parties.
incorporate:
Representational State Transfer (REST) is an archi-
• A reference architecture that defines and inte- tectural pattern typically used for B2C—but also for
grates the business and information aspects of B2B—information exchange and is a common pattern
SOA and their relationship to the airport. It de- in the World Wide Web. REST services are less ma-
scribes the main components of SOA, including ture than are SOAP-based web services, but their use
the hierarchy and taxonomy of services and ser- in B2C and B2B exchanges is growing rapidly.
vice types;

10 ACRIS - Best Practice

RESTful Application Programming Interfaces (API) pro- 3.3 The ACRIS Semantic Model
vide simple access patterns, typically using the HTTP
protocol to access resources identified by Uniform Re- To be successful, each service in a collection of in-
source Identifiers (URIs), using standard HTTP verbs formation services should be consistent with every
such as GET, POST, PUT and DELETE. The pattern is other service and should be based on a common
independent of the technology used, whether in the understanding of the airport business. Planning and
client, the server or the intervening network. prioritizing of service definitions will benefit from this
common understanding. The ACRIS Semantic Model 1
REST web services are highly suited to support the provides the platform for this.
growing need to make information more available and
to support the rapid development of mobile apps—for The ACRIS Semantic Model has a number of layers,
example, apps to integrate flight and weather informa- comprising the airport vocabulary of business terms.
tion for passengers. The knowledge layer contains the main concepts that
are of interest to an airport and its partners. The data
For publish/subscribe patterns, ACRIS recommends element library layer contains detailed information on
the use of open messaging protocols such as Mes- the data items, including standard naming conven-
sage Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) or Advanced tions. A technology realization layer represents the
Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP). SOAP and REST components such as message interface schemas
are mostly beneficial for request/response patterns. (e.g. XML Schema Definitions (XSDs) or JSON sche-
mas), data models for information exchange (e.g. Re-
ACRIS recommends developing the messaging pat- source Description Framework (RDF)), rich semantic
tern that is most appropriate to the business require- languages (e.g. Web Ontology Language (OWL)) and
ments, then selecting the technology approach, such database schemas.
as API. See section 3.4 for more information on the
recommended approach. The ACRIS Semantic Model brings multiple benefits
to the aviation industry. As it organizes airport infor-
ACI ACRIS service definitions are managed by the mation into related concepts, it provides a common
ACRIS WG. platform allowing consistency of information, irre-
spective of any particular area of interest. It enables
the integration of different standards and is extensible
Figure 3-1 Semantic model layers to accommodate new standards. It provides a central
source of meaningful information and yet supports
different technology implementations. It therefore im-
proves the quality of information within an airport, and
Language between an airport and its many partners. The model
continues to evolve as new projects enrich it.

ACRIS Knowledge An airport-community Semantic Model also serves as

Semantic the basis for data standards that are requirements for
service data quality. The primary purpose of the mod-
Data element
Model library el is to capture, represent and specify airport domain
knowledge to enable its re-use in the specification of
Technical business services.
realization
The service requirements identify the business re-
quirements for the information exchange, including
A semantic model for airports is the representation of the vocabulary used in the airport
1
the use cases and the business terms.
domain. This kind of model has been given many names by different IT communities,
including domain model, semantic model, ontology, conceptual data model and fact model.

ACRIS - Best Practice 11

 Figure 3-2 Detailed Semantic Model structure

AIRPORT LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY REALIZATION

Term Relational JAVA C#

glossary XSD and JSON OWL2 and RDF3

AIRPORT KNOWLEDGE AIRPORT DATA ELEMENT STANDARDS

Taxonomy Data element

Concept Map library

The service specification identifies the technical the emphasis may vary between airports, the ACRIS
elements of the information exchange, such as name Capability Model provides an integrated view of the
space usage. This should include all appropriate airport, enabling the model to (1) assess objectively
documents, such as XSD, RESTful API Modelling how and where its resources are deployed to support
Language (RAML) and Web Service Definition its objectives; (2) identify gaps; and (3) identify a target
Language (WSDL). architecture. It provides an evolving view—a roadmap

The service implementation represents the physical

implementation of the web service, including such Figure 3-3 Semantic Model position
elements as transport protocols.

For more information on the concept and for the best

practice on how to develop a Semantic Model, please
refer to the supporting document ACRIS Semantic
Model Community of Practice.
SERVICE
Airports have a wide range of capabilities for deliver- REQUIREMENTS
ing the services their customers demand. The ACRIS
Capability Model provides standard definitions for
these capabilities. Airport managers can use the ca- SERVICE
pability blueprint to assess the applications, systems MODEL
and resources required to support the capabilities, and
to identify the information requirements. Although
SERVICE SERVICE
2
Web Ontology Language (OWL) IMPLEMENTATION SPECIFICATION
3
Resource Description Framework (RDF)

12 ACRIS - Best Practice

for enabling the airport to improve its awareness and Follow these steps to ensure that the information
resilience and to cope better with future demand. which is to be exchanged is subject to corporate
standards. Such information is more consistent and can
3.4 Defining ACRIS web services be reused more easily. For example, flight information
exchanged between two parties in the Aviation
The ACRIS WG has formalized a method for devel- Information Data Exchange (AIDX) format can be
oping web services, and recommends the following consumed more readily by other systems.
approach:
Similarly, the same information can be produced in
1. Determine the stakeholders and the business use different formats, such as XML or JSON, on demand.
cases. Create activity diagrams for each business This ensures the integrity of the information and
use case. These are used to develop the Business reduces dependencies on specific technologies.
Requirements Document (BRD).
These steps are intended to be iterative, if not fully
2. Extract the business terms from the business use agile. They will quickly deliver useful artefacts and pro-
cases to establish a business glossary. Refer to vide business value.
the ACRIS Data Naming Guidelines document. For
each term create descriptions, which should be as 3.5 Compliance and certification to the ACRIS
detailed and as meaningful as possible. This pro- Semantic Model
vides clarity of meaning and removes ambiguity.
The semantic model group in ACRIS intends to estab-
3. The terms refer to business concepts. Identify the lish an internet-based facility to enable airports and
underlying concepts to which the business terms third-party suppliers to test compliance to different
refer. Organize the concepts to develop the taxono- parts of the ACRIS Semantic Model. The Semantic
my concept. Model group is able to award levels of certification
based on the parts of the semantic model with which
4. Identify the business rules and policies that relate the organizations comply.
the concepts to each other. Develop the concept
map, also known as the knowledge model or the The test facility will comprise a central repository con-
knowledge graph. This identifies the factual rela- taining the semantic model and standard interfaces to
tionships between the concepts in the semantic the main data-exchange standards. Organizations will
model which are relevant to the domain in question. be able to submit XML documents to a web page for
validation against specific standard interfaces. This will
5.
Develop the airport data element standards. include XSDs and individual-instance documents. Val-
Identify the object name, the property name and idation results will be provided for the user to assess
data type to define the data element names, as compliance with the ACRIS Semantic Model.
recommended by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) 11179 standard. Refer to the To ensure that the scope of the testing is sufficient,
ACRIS Data Naming Guidelines document. the ACRIS WG will create a standardized set of test
cases as part of the test facility. The ACRIS Semantic
6. Generate sequence diagrams to show data rep- Model Community of Practice (ASMCoP) will devel-
resentations and exchange patterns. Create an op the test framework; ACRIS Projects will develop
exchange model, which might be a message-ex- specific test cases. An organization that uses the Se-
change model or an API. mantic Model according to the ACRIS Recommended
Practice is responsible for demonstrating compliance
7. Develop the physical interfaces using the technolo- by providing results of its execution of the ACRIS test
gy standards agreed in the project, such as RAML cases embedded in the test facility.
and WSDL documents.

ACRIS - Best Practice 13

 4 GETTING STARTED

4.1 Characteristics of an ACRIS airport 1. Sign up to the ACRIS web site to obtain guidance
material, share information, participate in discus-
An ACRIS airport recognizes the strategic importance sions and learn from others;
of high-quality information as an asset, both for
operational decision making and for developing and 2. Participate in ACRIS conferences and workshops;
sharing longer-term plans. What distinguishes an
ACRIS airport from others is the extent to which 3. Participate in one or more of the ACRIS projects;
it adopts ACRIS Standards. These mainly apply to
architecture, projects and information exchange. An 4. Obtain login to the ACRIS Semantic Model to
ACRIS airport has the following characteristics: contribute actively to the development of the
semantic model;
Architecture: An ACRIS airport uses SOA. It maintains
a central repository of information items, such as a 5. Adopt and use the ACRIS Semantic Model in new
taxonomy of terms with clear definitions and master projects;
reference data. It adopts industry, information and
technology standards such as the ACRIS Semantic 6. Establish and maintain a central repository for
Model, RP 1741, ACRIS web services and APIs. business objects, including taxonomy of terms, in-
formation-quality metrics, master reference data,
Projects: An ACRIS airport uses the ACRIS Semantic business processes and web services. This enables
Model in projects, by following the approach set out self-service business intelligence.
in section 3.4. It has re-usable standard information
objects that are shared between parties, such as 4.3 Bilateral service contract
standard flight, passenger, bag and asset items. It takes
a model-driven approach to application development, Where two parties exchange data on an ACRIS API or
implementation and integration. web service, the services and the payload are defined
by ACRIS Standards. The service provider and service
Information Exchange: An ACRIS airport shares consumer should create a bilateral service contract,
information with itself and with its partners (airlines, which records various technical and commercial factors
air traffic management, other airports, customers that are necessary for a satisfactory implementation.
and suppliers, regulatory bodies, etc.) using standard The parties should agree on the following minimum
interfaces compliant with ACRIS Standards. It items list:
participates in the ACRIS Working Group and ACRIS
projects to develop new information exchange • Guaranteed availability;
standards. It requests the implementation of ACRIS
Standards actively in IT tender processes in order to • Payment conditions, if any;
force suppliers to implement ACRIS Standards in their
products wherever possible. • Average and maximum service-response times;

4.2 First steps towards being an ACRIS Airport • Average and maximum calls on the service, per
time unit;
Transforming to become an ACRIS airport is best
managed by defining specific objectives and estab- • Average and maximum size of the messages, per
lishing initiatives in one or more of the above areas. time unit;
Early steps to obtain the benefits of being an ACRIS
airport include: • Security measures that must be implemented;

• Network communications, transport protocols

and related factors;

14 ACRIS - Best Practice

• Agreement on any features defined as optional in
the service description;

• Service level and contacts in case of disruptions

and incidents;

• Version control and change management; and

• Any other information which needs to be agreed

for the unambiguous implementation and opera-
tion of the service usage.

Note that ACRIS does not specify particular

technologies, protocols or security techniques such as
encryption.

The service consumer will ensure that:

• Transmitted service requests conform to the

ACRIS methods and schema; as defined in the
specific service definition; and,

• It will use the service according to a fair-use policy.

The service provider will ensure that:

• Transmitted service responses conform to the

ACRIS methods and schema, as defined in the
specific service definition; and,

• The conditions as stated in the service-level

agreement/bilateral service contract will be met.

ACRIS - Best Practice 15

 5 EXAMPLE USE CASES

5.1 Business-to-business

Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM):

Business problem: Improve the flight operational efficiency of all airport partners
Stakeholders: Airport operators, aircraft operators, ground handlers and air traffic control
Cooperation: SESAR, ACI World, IATA
Purpose: To reduce delays, streamline the predictability of events during the progress of a flight and
optimize the utilization of resources
Benefits: Better operational decisions based on more accurate and timely information, with multiple
parties having the same operational picture
Message pattern: Publish/subscribe

Common use—Bag and passenger conformance (also known as IATA RP 1741):

Business problem: Extend the use of common facilities to increase airport capacity by efficient use of infrastructure
Stakeholders: Airport and airline operations
Cooperation: ACI World, IATA
Purpose: To implement information exchange service(s) which provide bag and passenger information
between bag drop facilities and airline Departure Control Systems (DCS) to ensure the accu-
rate association of bags and passengers
Benefits: Improve common use, increase capacity utilization, implement standard interfaces and im-
prove reconciliation information for bags and passengers
Message pattern: Request/response

Baggage XML:

Business problem: Improve the quality of baggage information exchanged between multiple parties, in order to
handle bags more efficiently and reduce baggage costs
Stakeholders: Airport and airline baggage operations and handlers
Cooperation: ACI World, IATA, third-party suppliers
Purpose: To implement information exchange service(s) which provide business event information for the
movement, storage, sortation, containerization, authentication and security of baggage items.
Information is provided to subscribers to the service, which are involved in baggage operations
Benefits: Improve interoperability, reduce development and maintenance costs, reduce the number of
missed bags and reduce the cost of messaging
Message pattern: Publish/subscribe

16 ACRIS - Best Practice

5.2 Business-to-consumer

Seamless travel:

Business problem: Find new ways for airports and airlines to distribute high-quality information to customers,
including services via many distribution channels
Stakeholders: Airport, airlines, aviation service providers
Cooperation: ACI World, IATA, third-party suppliers
Purpose: To develop standard information components and interfaces, in order to enable the provision
of improved information services to customers
Benefits: Rapid development of services offering improved quality of information for the customer
Message pattern: Request/response

ACRIS - Best Practice 17

 6 REFERENCES

6.1 Standards See Annex 2, “Supported IT Standards for the ACI

ACRIS Initiative” for more information on the Standards
As an international standard for airport information, to which ACRIS adheres.
ACRIS itself supports and adheres to a number of open
IT standards. These include information standards
such as ISO 11179 and UN CEFACT for data naming,
as well as technology standards such as SOAP/REST
and XML/JSON. It also supports open-messaging
protocols such as MQTT and AMQP.

18 ACRIS - Best Practice

6.2 Glossary of terms and abbreviations

Abbreviation Meaning

ACDM Airport Collaborative Decision Making

ACI Airports Council International
ACRIS Airport Community Recommended Information Services
AIDM Airline Industry Data Model
AIDX Aviation Information Data eXchange
AIRM ATM Information Reference Model
AMQP Advanced Message Queuing Protocol
API Application Programming Interface
ASMCoP ACRIS Semantic Model Community of Practice
ATM Air Traffic Management
B2B Business to Business
B2C Business to Customer
BRD Business Requirements Document
DCS Departure Control System
HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol
IATA International Air Transport Association
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
ISO International Standards Organization
IT Information Technology
JSON JavaScript Object Notation
MQTT Message Queue Telemetry Transport
OWL Web Ontology Language
PADIS Passenger and Airport Data Interchange Standards
RAML RESTful API Modelling Language
RDF Resource Description Framework
REST Representational State Transfer
RESTful Representational State Transfer web services
RP Recommended Practice
SESAR Single European Sky ATM Research
SOA Service Oriented Architecture
SOAP Simple Object Access Protocol
URI Uniform Resource Identifier
W3C World Wide Web Consortium
WAITSC World ACI IT Standing Committee
WG Working Group
WGB World Governing Board
WSDL Web Service Definition Language
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XSD XML Schema Definition

ACRIS - Best Practice 19

 7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The following have actively contributed to the ACRIS RP (in first-name alphabetical order):

Arie Van Der Veek Schiphol Airport Group

Bob Logan Rockport Software
Douglas Taylor Orlando Airport
Frank Barich Barich, Inc
Humphrey Loe San Francisco Airport
Ian Law San Francisco Airport
Joe Furnari Orlando Airport
John Seely Dublin Airport Authority
Leslie Ruiz Barich, Inc
Mark O’Connor Los Angeles World Airports
Michael Gould Toronto Pearson Airport
Ole Nymoen Avinor
Rolf Felkel Fraport
Segun Alayande London Heathrow Airport
Sid Taleb Aéroports de Montréal

20 ACRIS - Best Practice

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