If you ever felt like one of the "ants" in a Dave Matthews song while marching through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, there might be something to it.
Southwest Airlines researchers trying to mimic the efficiency of marching ants tested a computer simulation at the airport in 2004, trying to get airplanes through the gates faster.
National Geographic recently covered the research in an article that also detailed how trucking companies are improving logistics using "swarm behavior" research
Southwest ran computer simulations that allowed landing aircraft to find the most efficient gate using the same swarm behavior ants use to find the fastest route to food from their hill.
"Life systems take the way living things deal with their world and try to emulate that in the business world," said Doug Lawson, the airline’s manager of process forecasting and simulation.
He never finished the study but went on to study how life-systems research can help speed up passenger trips through the terminals.
"The whole idea is to get passengers through with the least amount of time in line," he said.
But it’s still unclear what ants would do when a colony member shows up late and asks to cut to the front of the line to make a flight.
Speaking of …
People wanting to watch airplanes flying in and out of the airport from their condo should have a good view from Onyx Tower, a 26-floor project that begins sales Friday.
Billed as the tallest building on Tempe Town Lake, the project should break ground late this year and finish in 2009.
WestStone Communities also plans 22 townhouses to accompany the 196 units. Floor plans range from 711 to 2,364 square feet, with prices starting in the high $300,000s and topping out at $2 million for penthouses.
The company doesn’t advertise views of the airport but mentions the lake, Karsten Golf Course, Mill Avenue Bridge and the nearby mountains.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0814biz-buzz0814.html
