Category: Case Studies

Case Study: GSE Systems

Data Systems Dashboard powered by SQL Server and .NET

Overview

We developed a specialized Ground Support Equipment (GSE) management platform to support ground operations
at airport terminals, helping manage the full lifecycle of GSE assets — from deployment and maintenance to
inventory tracking and personnel assignment.

Designed for airport operators and aviation contractors, the system centralized all ground operations data
into a single platform and replaced fragmented tracking spreadsheets and disjointed communication workflows.

At a Glance

  • 🛠 Fleet tracking of tugs, belt loaders, air starters, GPUs, and more
  • 📦 Parts & maintenance inventory management
  • 👷 Personnel management with shift assignments and certifications
  • 📍 Real-time location and service status visibility
  • 📋 Preventive maintenance scheduling and compliance
  • 🗃 Role-based access across departments and operations

The Challenge

Ground operations teams were managing a complex, multi-terminal fleet using outdated tools such as:

  • Whiteboards, spreadsheets, and static databases
  • Manual check-in/out processes
  • Fragmented communications between maintenance, dispatch, and shift leads

This led to key challenges:

  • Poor real-time visibility into equipment status and location
  • Missed preventive maintenance cycles, resulting in breakdowns and downtime
  • Inventory inaccuracies, including lost or duplicate parts
  • Lack of accountability around personnel assignments, vehicle use, and inspection logs
  • No way to track service history or generate performance reports across facilities

The Solution

We designed and implemented a modular GSE fleet management system using modern web technologies and a scalable backend.
The solution gave airport operations a centralized command center to track, deploy, and maintain ground support assets.

Core Modules & Features

🛻 Equipment Fleet Manager

  • Real-time status tracking for every piece of ground equipment
  • Custom attributes for equipment type, condition, location, assigned gate, and availability
  • QR/barcode integration for check-in/out, inspections, and service records

📦 Inventory Control

  • Manage parts, consumables, and tools by location
  • Min/max thresholds, reorder alerts, and inventory audit logs
  • Tied to maintenance records for automatic part consumption

🧰 Maintenance & Service Scheduler

  • Preventive maintenance logic based on usage hours, mileage, or calendar intervals
  • Work order creation and tracking with status, assignments, and technician notes
  • Service history reports and compliance logs

👷 Personnel Manager

  • Assign operators, techs, and supervisors by shift or equipment group
  • Store credentials, certifications, and training expiration dates
  • Performance and usage logs linked to equipment assignments

📊 Reporting & Dashboard

  • Live operational dashboard for active equipment, OOS units, and service queues
  • Custom filters by terminal, equipment type, or service category
  • Exportable reports for compliance, usage, and downtime metrics

Results & Impact

  • 📍 Gained real-time visibility into 100% of GSE inventory and location
  • 🧾 Cut maintenance-related downtime by 40% through predictive scheduling
  • 🛒 Improved inventory accuracy with automated part consumption tracking
  • 👷 Streamlined shift transitions and personnel accountability
  • 📊 Enabled data-driven planning for capital replacement and utilization improvements

Key Innovations

  • Modular architecture with independent subsystems for equipment, inventory, and staff
  • Real-time status updating and mobile-friendly inspection workflows
  • Smart maintenance triggers based on usage data, not just time intervals
  • Unified data access for maintenance, dispatch, and operations leaders

Technology Stack

Component Technology
Frontend Razor Pages, JavaScript, Bootstrap
Backend .NET Core / C#
Database SQL Server
Email/SMS SMTP for alerts, optional Twilio integration
Security Role-based access control, encryption at rest
Hosting IIS with on-premise or cloud deployment support

Data Systems Dashboard powered by SQL Server and .NET

🚚 Overview

We developed and deployed a high-performance, security-hardened fueling management platform for one of the five largest U.S. metropolitan fleets. The solution ensures uninterrupted fueling operations and centralized oversight across:

  • 21,000+ fleet equipment units

  • 130,000+ fuelings per quarter

  • 65 fueling sites across 50+ city departments

  • All municipal vehicles, including first responders, sanitation, transportation, and public works

Engineered for mission-critical uptime, the platform delivers real-time control, ruggedized hardware integration, and fully encrypted communications—while significantly reducing data costs, eliminating operational errors, and generating measurable business value.

❓ The Challenge

The city’s legacy fueling system had become increasingly unreliable as fleet size and data volumes grew. It struggled to meet operational demands and introduced critical inefficiencies. Major issues included:

  • Severe slowdowns due to accumulating unindexed historical data, causing sluggish response times and daily operational delays

  • Frequent software crashes that disrupted fueling and increased IT workload

  • Inaccurate transaction logging, often failing to reflect actual fuel dispensed—leading to billing discrepancies and audit concerns

  • No centralized dashboard for monitoring site activity, tank levels, or system health

  • Manual retrieval of Veeder Root tank data, with no real-time integration across sites

  • Excessively high cellular data costs, driven by unoptimized communication protocols that retransmitted full unencrypted vehicle whitelists and site data with every change—including vehicle updates, site edits, or fuel allowance modifications. This resulted in repetitive, redundant, and insecure sync activity across all sites

The city required a robust, always-on solution that could operate independently at remote fueling stations while delivering secure, centralized control—without ballooning operational overhead.

🛠 The Solution

We engineered a custom-built fueling ecosystem using .NET Core, combining secure APIs, ruggedized embedded hardware, and a centralized architecture designed for scale, resilience, and real-time performance.

🔧 Embedded Hardware Integration

Our custom fueling controller included:

  • RFID vehicle identification for fast, secure, hands-free authentication

  • Manual scan keys as a backup authentication method for authorized personnel

  • Coil ring sensors to verify nozzle engagement before dispensing

  • Rugged, weather-resistant design for uninterrupted 24/7 outdoor use

🔐 Secure APIs & Encrypted Communication

  • Designed RESTful APIs for fueling transactions, authentication, user access control, and audit logging

  • Enabled encrypted TCP socket communication between site terminals and the central server

  • Protected all sensitive data—including user IDs and fueling logs—via AES-256 encryption and client-side certificates

  • Developed a proprietary dual-layer encryption and compression protocol that reduced payload sizes by 50–60% prior to transmission. Unlike conventional encryption methods that increase data size, our approach preserved security while optimizing bandwidth—contributing directly to an 80% reduction in cellular data usage

🔄 Synchronization & Real-Time Oversight

  • Implemented role-based access control by department, user, vehicle, and site

  • Enabled standalone localized mode at each site to maintain operations during network interruptions

  • Introduced offline queuing with automatic sync to ensure all transactions were securely captured and transmitted

  • Delivered real-time dashboards providing system health, tank status, and fueling activity visibility citywide

⚙ Performance Engineering

  • Improved transaction speed by 300% through optimized data flow and high-efficiency SQL queries

  • Replaced the legacy full-whitelist sync model with compressed, delta-based synchronization, powered by our custom encryption/compression layer

  • Reduced redundant traffic and improved communication efficiency—resulting in an 80% drop in cellular data transmission

  • Delivered a modular, scalable backend designed for low maintenance and seamless future expansion

🚀 Results & Impact

The platform now powers one of the largest and most complex municipal fueling operations in the United States—with unmatched speed, visibility, and control.

  • ✅ 99.5% system uptime, ensuring continuous fueling access for all city departments and emergency responders

  • ⚡ 300% faster fueling terminal response and transaction speed

  • 📉 80% reduction in data transmission load and cellular communication costs

  • 🔐 Real-time, end-to-end encrypted data handling across 65 fueling locations and 50+ departments

  • 🌐 Centralized audit, live monitoring, and full Veeder Root tank level integration

These outcomes were enabled by our custom-engineered compression-encryption protocol—delivering full data security without the transmission bloat typical of standard AES encryption systems.

💰 Financial & Operational Benefits

Fuel Theft Prevention & Cost Recovery

Real-time auditing, encrypted user validation, and fuel usage limits eliminated theft and misuse—saving the city hundreds of thousands annually.

Accurate Departmental Billing

Every transaction is now linked to the correct department and vehicle, enabling precise usage-based billing and improved interdepartmental cost forecasting.

Fleet Efficiency & Performance Insights

Fuel consumption data revealed underperforming or inefficient vehicles, enabling proactive maintenance, replacement planning, and optimized lifecycle management.

🧠 Key Innovations

  • Full integration of rugged hardware with .NET Core backend

  • Real-time, encrypted TCP socket communication

  • Site-localized operations with automatic offline queuing and resynchronization

  • Role-based access control and unified citywide reporting

  • Custom compression-encryption protocol reducing payload size by up to 60% while maintaining full data integrity

  • Delta-based sync that eliminated redundant full-whitelist transmissions

🔍 Technology Stack

Component Technology
Frontend ASP.NET Razor, Bootstrap
Backend .NET Core 6, Entity Framework, LINQ
APIs RESTful JSON APIs, JWT auth, HTTPS
Security AES-256 encryption, client certificates, RBAC
Networking Encrypted TCP socket services
Database SQL Server with partitioning, replication, indexing
Hardware RFID boards, manual scan keys, coil sensors
Hosting On-premise Windows Server cluster with redundancy