SITA invests in digital mapping technology firm LocusLabs

Air transport IT provider SITA has made a strategic investment in digital mapping technology developer LocusLabs, for an undisclosed amount.

LocusLabs provides graphically enhanced, vector-based indoor maps for airports, with built-in navigation functionality to guide travelers to their boarding gate or other airport locations. Content includes images, attributes, keywords and other metadata that enables the easy location of points of interest, retail stores and other amenities.

The platform is used by SITA to power its mapping functionality for its Day of Travel airport app, already in use by international airports such as Miami International Airport in Florida and Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in France. The additional funding will help LocusLabs further enhance its mapping capabilities.

Jim Peters, chief technology officer at SITA, said, “SITA has a clear focus to fast-track innovation on behalf of the air transport industry and provides new technology that makes air travel easier at every step. These investments complement our own research and development at SITA Lab, by investing in complementary technologies that add value to our overall portfolio.

“LocusLabs is a perfect example – its geo-location capability adds real value to SITA’s cutting-edge airport app and opens new possibilities to enhance the passenger experience using location.”

LocusLabs CEO and co-founder, Campbell Kennedy, said, “While LocusLabs’ mapping technology helps millions of passengers find their way through airports globally, technology continues to change rapidly and we need to keep pace to remain relevant. Future smart buildings and augmented reality applications are the new frontier for maps, and with the support of SITA, both as an investor as well as a technology specialist in the air transport industry, LocusLabs can bring these technologies to fruition.”

Written by Daniel Symonds