Aeroporti Di Roma selects Outsight's LiDAR Solution

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is ADR's 'Runway to the Future' program?

  Aeroporti di Roma's 'Runway to the Future' is a competitive innovation program that solicits technology proposals from companies worldwide and selects a small cohort to pilot their solutions at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport. The selection process is highly competitive: the program received 716 proposals in the round that included Outsight. Selected companies get to demonstrate their technology in a live airport environment that handles over 40 million passengers annually, giving them access to one of Europe's most complex operational testbeds. Outsight was chosen to deploy its Motional Digital Twin technology at the airport, bringing infrastructure-based 3D LiDAR perception to one of Italy's busiest transport hubs.

• What makes Rome Fiumicino a useful testbed for passenger flow technology?

  Fiumicino is often compared to a small city in terms of its operational complexity: multiple terminals, a large ground transportation interchange, and consistent high passenger volumes. It holds a 5-Star Skytrax rating and the Airports Council International title of Best Airport in Europe for airports exceeding 40 million annual passengers. That combination of scale, terminal diversity, and recognized operational excellence makes it a demanding proving ground, where a passenger flow system that performs well is credible for deployment at comparably complex hubs elsewhere. Aeroporti di Roma selected Outsight through its "Runway to the Future" innovation program, deploying LiDAR-based infrastructure sensing to build a real-time picture of how passengers and vehicles move through the site, precisely the conditions needed to validate technology intended for the world's busiest airports.

• How does LiDAR-based passenger flow monitoring improve airport operational efficiency?

  LiDAR sensors mounted in airport infrastructure produce a continuous, real-time 3D picture of where passengers are, how fast they move, where queues form, and where bottlenecks develop. Because the data is available in under 50 milliseconds end-to-end, operations teams can reallocate staff or open additional lanes before a bottleneck reaches critical length. Outsight applies this approach at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport through its SHIFT platform, which builds a Motional Digital Twin of passenger movement across the terminal without capturing faces or biometric data. Unlike camera-based systems, LiDAR works in any lighting condition and captures depth directly, so occupancy counts and queue-length measurements are geometry-based rather than inferred from 2D images.

• Does LiDAR passenger tracking at airports comply with GDPR and Italian data protection rules?

  LiDAR sensors capture shape, position, and motion using laser pulses. They do not record pixel images, faces, or biometric data. Because no personal information is ever captured, there is nothing to anonymize after the fact: the system is anonymous by design rather than by configuration. Outsight's infrastructure-based approach at Rome Fiumicino operates on exactly this principle, with the SHIFT platform processing 3D point clouds that contain no facial or biometric identifiers at any stage of the pipeline. This structural property satisfies GDPR and equivalent national data protection frameworks without requiring airport operators to implement additional anonymization pipelines or obtain special consent for biometric processing.

• How competitive is the LiDAR spatial intelligence market for airports?

  The selection pressure visible in programs like ADR's "Runway to the Future" reflects broader market dynamics: airport operators are actively evaluating multiple vendors, and proposal volumes in the hundreds are now common for major innovation tenders. Outsight has been recognized seven times by Gartner as a category-defining emerging leader in Spatial Computing and Digital Twins, and holds certifications including ISO 27001, SOC 2, and TISAX. Compatible sensor coverage across 210+ LiDAR models from different manufacturers is increasingly treated as a baseline requirement, because airports want hardware flexibility rather than lock-in to a single sensor vendor. Outsight's SHIFT platform addresses this directly through native multi-vendor LiDAR compatibility, a factor that has contributed to deployments at major hubs including Rome Fiumicino, Dallas Fort Worth, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Bordeaux Airport.

• Can the same LiDAR infrastructure used for passenger flow monitoring also support airport security applications?

  Yes. The same fixed LiDAR sensors that track passenger density and queue lengths can simultaneously feed perimeter intrusion detection, unauthorized-access alerts, and loitering detection pipelines. Because the spatial data is structured (each tracked entity carries a position, classification, and behavior label), different analytics modules consume the same underlying stream for different purposes. This is the architecture Outsight deployed at Rome Fiumicino as part of Aeroporti di Roma's innovation program: the SHIFT platform ingests a shared sensor network and routes the same 3D data stream to both operational flow analytics and security event detection. Airports with both mandates therefore avoid deploying redundant hardware for each function, reducing infrastructure cost while keeping all applications synchronized to a single source of truth.

• How many proposals did Aeroporti di Roma receive for its Runway to the Future program?

  Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) received 716 proposals from companies around the globe for its Runway to the Future innovation program, and Outsight was one of the companies chosen to take part. The program is held at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Outsight's selection from such a large field was seen as strong recognition of the key role LiDAR technology plays in optimizing passenger flow in large-scale environments. It also reflected Outsight's leadership in LiDAR-based Spatial Intelligence for airports.

• How many passengers does Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport handle each year?

  Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport handles over 40 million passengers annually, which places it among the busiest and most technologically advanced airports in the world. Because of its vast size and complexity, Fiumicino is often described as a smart city in its own right. That scale is what makes it a demanding environment for Passenger Flow Monitoring. It is the airport where Outsight was selected in 2024 to demonstrate its LiDAR-based Spatial Intelligence solution through ADR's Runway to the Future program.

• Which awards has Rome Fiumicino Airport received that reflect its commitment to innovation?

  Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport holds the 5-Star Skytrax rating and has been named Best Airport in Europe by Airports Council International (ACI) in the category of airports with over 40 million passengers. These recognitions reflect the airport's continuous commitment to innovation. Aeroporti di Roma runs the Runway to the Future innovation program at Fiumicino, through which it selected Outsight in 2024 to demonstrate Spatial Intelligence for Passenger Flow Monitoring.

• What solution was chosen for demonstration at Rome Fiumicino through ADR's Runway to the Future program?

  Aeroporti di Roma selected Outsight's Passenger Flow Monitoring solution, built on LiDAR-based Spatial Intelligence, for its Runway to the Future program at Rome Fiumicino. The solution provides real-time data on the movement and behavior of people. Airports use this data to improve operational efficiency, enhance the passenger experience and guarantee safety and security. The program gives Outsight the opportunity to demonstrate the technology inside one of the busiest and most technologically advanced airports in the world.

• When was the selection for Aeroporti di Roma's Runway to the Future program announced?

  Outsight announced its selection for Aeroporti di Roma's Runway to the Future innovation program in September 2024. The program takes place at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport, and Outsight took part in the program's kick-off meeting at the ADR Innovation Hub. The selection came from a field of 716 proposals submitted by companies from around the world. It allowed Outsight to demonstrate its LiDAR-based Passenger Flow Monitoring solution at an airport handling over 40 million passengers a year.

• What does Aeroporti di Roma want to improve at Fiumicino with real-time people flow data?

  Aeroporti di Roma aims to enhance operations at Fiumicino, an airport so large and complex that it is often seen as a smart city in its own right. Outsight's Spatial Intelligence provides real-time data on how people move and behave throughout the airport. With that data, ADR can target three outcomes: better operational efficiency, a better passenger experience, and stronger safety and security. The Runway to the Future program is the framework in which Outsight demonstrates these capabilities.

• What awards had already been received before the Aeroporti di Roma selection in 2024?

  Before its selection by Aeroporti di Roma, Outsight had won the 2024 Airport Technology Award, which recognized its software platform Shift within the Airport Technology Excellence Awards. Outsight had also been featured by Gartner as a key global leader in LiDAR-based Spatial Intelligence, as part of Gartner's view of the Digital Twin landscape. The ADR selection, chosen from 716 proposals, added to this series of recognitions for Outsight's work in airport passenger flow.

• Is the role in ADR's Runway to the Future program a demonstration or a full rollout at Fiumicino?

  Outsight's selection for Aeroporti di Roma's Runway to the Future program is described as an opportunity to participate in the program and demonstrate its LiDAR-based Passenger Flow Monitoring solution at Rome Fiumicino. Runway to the Future is ADR's highly coveted innovation program, and Outsight was chosen from 716 proposals submitted by companies around the globe. Fiumicino handles over 40 million passengers per year. The selection highlights Fiumicino's continuous commitment to innovation and the growing importance of LiDAR-based solutions in the aviation industry.

• Why is Fiumicino airport considered a smart city in its own right for passenger flow projects?

  Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport is often seen as a smart city in its own right because of its vast size and complexity, serving over 40 million passengers annually. Aeroporti di Roma aims to enhance operations at an airport of this scale by leveraging Outsight's technology through its Runway to the Future program. Outsight's LiDAR-based Spatial Intelligence provides real-time data on the movement and behavior of people. That data helps the airport improve operational efficiency, passenger experience, and safety and security.

• What does Aeroporti di Roma's selection say about Spatial Intelligence in airport management?

  Aeroporti di Roma's selection of Outsight, chosen from 716 proposals worldwide, is presented as a sign of the growing importance of advanced 3D Spatial Intelligence in reshaping the future of airport management. It is also a strong recognition of the key role LiDAR technology plays in optimizing passenger flow in large-scale environments. Outsight's technology provides real-time data on how people move and behave, helping airports improve efficiency, passenger experience, safety and security. The choice highlights the growing role of LiDAR-based solutions in the aviation industry as a whole.