Three software applications were developed: two for the check-in desk and one for the conveyor system. In addition, Ultra has added a remote management piece to the software, which allows it to dial into the system from its U.K. headquarters for remote monitoring and upgrades. Ultra began work on the SFIA project in May 2000 and completed it by December.
One of the biggest software challenges was making sure that the RFID-based baggage handling system could interface with all the other computerized systems in the airport, according to Ealing. "San Francisco is one of the most integrated airports in the world," he says. "All the systems talk to each other. We had to do quite a lot of testing to make sure our system could be integrated into all the others. Amazingly, it worked very well almost from the first time."
