British Airways (BA) has installed Market Eye wireless and plasma display screen technology driven by Macromedia Flash MX Software at its new Johannesburg International Airport domestic business class lounge, ensuring a constant flow of information to passengers.
BA business class passengers are now able to view static and video advertising, video clips, general information about flight departure times and hotel room rates, as well as up-to-date financial services information. "Macromedia Flash MX gives BA a versatile software platform for dynamic and visual messaging; aiding customer relations and generating revenue for the company through advertising on the display panels," says Jeremy Matthews, MD of local Macromedia distributor, Dax Data.
Generator New Media, Market Eye`s design and implementation partner on the airport project, utilised Flash ActionsScript object-orientated features to build a highly configurable playback environment.
"We are able to update virtually every aspect of the environment, from background animations to type faces and colours, without having to recompile the stand-alone executable. This makes redeploying or updating the environment a simple task. One can change the look and feel of the Flash application literally in the space of a couple of minutes," says Benon Czornij, technical director at Generator New Media.
"Flash offered us the ability to mix dynamic information with a professional display interface. The use of an XML-based data engine allows us to regularly update the screens at each location with minimal bandwidth.
In addition, Flash ensured a rapid development path, with users safe in the knowledge that the platform provides maximum stability," Czornij says.
Using the Sorensen Squeeze video compression tool and Flash MX, BA is able to deliver high quality video material to remote locations, using 42-inch plasma panels, via cellular GPRS and HSDC technology. "This is an excellent example of Macromedia Flash used for a business application in a non-Web-based environment," says Matthews. "Location partners, such as BA, benefit from this technology by being able to keep their passengers informed while in their venues and also share a split of the advertising revenue generated from the screens."
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Dax Data is a value add software distributor providing solutions in the Web development and Web enablement area. Incorporated in September 1989, Dax Data has offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, is an IBM Business Partner, a Microsoft Solution Provider and holds local distribution rights for Macromedia, NetManage, DataMirror and Graphon products. The company has an extensive skills-base for these products, assisting southern African enterprises to tackle complex host-to-any connectivity issues, Internet-based delivery mechanisms and data replication solutions. Dax Data and its partners offer value-added services around the Web enablement of business applications - in effect, helping customers to maximise their investment in systems by making the data, information and applications they contain available across multiple backend and client technologies. (www.daxdata.co.za)
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