| |June 20199is the data that laptops, tablets and phones consume and generate.Data has been described as the new currency of busi-ness, driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and avi-ation as an industry is beginning to take notice of the operational impact that analytics, artificial intelligence, and data sharing can provide. The opportunities are not all theoretical--performance-based logistics models that allow airlines to tie key asset costs directly to revenue are supported only with heavy dependency on data analytics and process automation.While aviation clearly believes data can provide an up-side, potential pitfalls include expert bias and conflicting information. For example, predictive maintenance can help an airline reduce downtime by identifying a failure before the event. In order to gain this result, the mechan-ic has to respond to a work order that requests a replace-ment on a part that does not indicate a problem, which for the last twenty years the mechanic has been trained to avoid. The accounting team at the airline will need to agree that the action was valid, as they will see the remov-al of a part that has value remaining. The entire company will need to adjust thinking to recognize the full value of predictive actions.The regulatory shift, significant in the aviation in-dustry given the safety culture, is often behind the com-mercial push for technology, but has already seen some adjustments. GE and Emirates, for example, have part-nered on the GE90 engines powering the Boeing 777 aircraft to shift maintenance to a predictive approach--akin to changing oil in an automobile based on use, not schedule. In a first, regulators agreed to allow Emirates to operate with increased "on-wing" time based on the analytics. Operationally, the impact to the airline is over-whelmingly beneficial, and can mean the difference in future fleet selection. Increased traffic and environment awareness are driving pushes in air traffic control that are possible only with data communications and regulators have begun requiring data over voice in the future.Aviation is typically viewed as a high-tech industry, and there are many examples where the industry has driv-en change globally. The diversity of operations can create problems with introducing technology, and aviation has often lagged other industries as a result. The last decade has introduced a new approach that changed the para-digm and a growth curve has developed with a steeper slope and higher value. Perhaps the best part of recent innovation and transformation is how it allows the in-dustry to move faster and stronger into new technology in the future.
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