Did you have a process for use case prioritization, especially with many teams approaching you for specific functionalities? Is there an ROI model you follow, or how do you decide when to extend the deployment?

Speaker: Johnathan Lewis, Innovation Division Director, Miami Dade Aviation Department

The way that has worked out for us is somewhat organic, but still grounded in evaluating ROI. Let me give you an example.

People within our ecosystem asked the Innovation team if we could find a point-of-sale monitoring system for our concessionaires. We went out to look for options. We found a few, and identified one that — from a security perspective — was perfect because it didn’t interfere with PII data.

But then the next challenge emerged: if we have 200-plus concessions and need to install this equipment at every location, what would that cost? We’d have to close each concession during off-hours, core the floor, rearrange their layout, and modify their interior design just to install the system. My initial reaction was: that’s a no-go.

But then we realized: with the private wireless network, we could do all of this without coring, drilling, or changing their interior design. That completely changed the equation.

So, we looked at the return on investment again — and suddenly it became viable. That’s basically the approach we take. We look at what the costs and timelines would have been before, ask whether private wireless makes it cheaper or faster, and determine the ROI from there.

In many cases, private wireless has significantly reduced both cost and time, which ultimately saves us money and accelerates deployment.