BACKGROUND
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (“NextGen”) is a term used to describe a pervasive and critical component of the future of the National Airspace System (NAS). This project is part of an ACRP NextGen Initiative, comprised of five distinct projects being conducted simultaneously. ACRP will be coordinating and sharing scope, ideas, and preliminary results among all five projects. The initial titles of ACRP projects included in the ACRP NextGen Initiative are as follows:
- ACRP 01-27, NextGen—A Primer
- ACRP 01-28, NextGen—Guidance for Engaging Airport Stakeholders
- ACRP 03-33, NextGen—Airport Planning and Development
- ACRP 03-34, NextGen—Understanding the Airport’s Role in Performance-Based Navigation (PBN)
- ACRP 09-12, NextGen—Leveraging NextGen Spatial Data to Benefit Airports
NextGen also describes a number of different technologies that are expected to improve the NAS. The benefits of NextGen for airports are not generally understood.
In support of NextGen technologies, the FAA requires that airports participate in a number of initiatives that require airports to collect, organize, maintain, and provide spatial data. Airports can leverage this data along with other sources of data to provide enterprise-wide benefits. However, there is a lack of understanding by airport executive staff of the benefits of collecting and organizing spatial data that can be utilized by a variety of different airport work groups (e.g., maintenance, engineering).
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research is to develop a guidebook for airport operators that identifies the benefits that can be derived from spatial data that is to be collected in support of the FAA’s NextGen effort, and provides guidance on how airports can maximize use of this data.
The guidebook should address or include, at a minimum:
- An executive summary that demonstrates the benefits of the spatial data to be collected, and an overview of NextGen technologies for airport executive staff.
- General information on return on investment including maintenance of data;
- Benefits of data sharing with stakeholders including identification of the risks and challenges;
- Identification of additional data that may be available and beneficial to airports;
- Discussion of how data may be monetized to generate revenue for the airport, including at a minimum:
- Legal issues, if any,
- Limitations to selling/sharing data, and
- Liabilities;
- Uses of data that can be used to achieve operational objectives;
- Uses of data that can be used for non-operational purposes (e.g., community engagement, marketing);
- Benefits that the airport may achieve from the integration of spatial data with NextGen technologies;
- Case study examples that illustrate best practices;
- Identification of relevant technology trends that will impact airports in the future;
- Expected timelines for airports to address spatial data requirements related to NextGen technologies;
- List of additional resources; and,
- Glossary of terms.
