MIA passenger experience innovators unveiled

Daniella Levine Cava, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, with county level officials and leaders from Miami-Dade County’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development (OIED), Miami International Airport (MIA) and the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority (MDIA), announced the champions of MDIA’s Public Innovation Challenge.

The challenge prioritises customer service at MIA, demonstrating innovative technologies and solutions designed to enhance customers’ and employees’ airport experience.

The showcase featured demonstrations of the technology solutions that will take part in a test programme conducted at MIA through autumn 2024: RouteME, which uses AI to allow a passenger to navigate MIA with their phone camera; Signapse (UK) uses Generative AI to deliver text to sign translation, making digital signage accessible to deaf passengers at MIA and Mapsted, which provides airport wayfinding mapping with accessibility features and integration to smart technology devices.

“As Miami-Dade County’s leading economic engine, MIA’s success profoundly influences the livelihoods of our local residents and businesses,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We are making historic investments to ensure our airport is future-ready in order to provide the highest level of service to our visitors and residents for generations to come. This innovation challenge advances our mission by partnering with visionary innovators to position MIA as a global leader in sustainability and innovation.”

MDIA, working in collaboration with MIA and OIED, selected the Public Innovation Challenge winners from a competitive pool of 136 local and global technology companies after the challenge’s launch in December 2023. MDIA will invest $100,000 in funding into each company to support testing their technology at MIA with the aim to scale these solutions to airports globally afterwards. The test programmes will be conducted during the next three months with the option to extend each to as long as 12 months.

“As one of the 10 most transited airports in the country and the largest gateway to our community, MIA provides the perfect environment in which to demonstrate that inclusive technology solutions and user-driven innovation are essential to elevating the travel experience. The winners of MDIA’s second Public Innovation Challenge have developed solutions that prioritise the needs of all passengers, including those travellers with different physical and hidden disabilities, to navigate the airport effectively and seamlessly,” added Leigh-Ann A. Buchanan, President & CEO of MDIA.

“The Office of Innovation and Economic Development’s mission is to build a future-ready Miami-Dade by emphasising equity, resilience, and innovation. The Public Innovation Challenge at Miami International Airport is a perfect example of this commitment. By integrating cutting-edge technology and fostering cross-sector collaboration between our local government and innovators, we enhance the passenger experience and align with our core values of agile, solutions-oriented governance. This initiative not only advances our goal of creating a thriving, inclusive economy but also ensures Miami-Dade remains a global leader,” said Chief Innovation and Economic Development Officer Francesca de Quesada Covey.

Simultaneously, as part of MIA’s Future Ready initiatives, the airport is advancing its “Modernisation in Action Plan,” a comprehensive effort that will invest nearly $9 billion in maintenance upgrades and capital improvements over the next 10 years. This plan includes some of the largest modernisation projects in MIA’s history, such as restroom upgrades, new passenger boarding bridges, renovated elevators, escalators and moving walkways, the construction of a 2,240-space parking facility, a four-star hotel and terminal-wide redevelopment projects.

Launched in 2023 with seed funding from Miami-Dade County, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin, MDIA was founded with equal private, public and philanthropic funding totalling $9 million. The Public Innovation Challenge at MIA is the second of three challenges launched during MDIA’s first year of operations, including a collaboration with PortMiami to enhance cargo visibility, which collectively further its mission to address Miami-Dade’s most urgent needs around health, housing, climate, transportation and equitable access to opportunity.