ACRP IdeaHub Research Projects

Develop updated academic curriculums and requirements to cultivate airport industry professionals to meet existing and future needs.

The 2,455 General Aviation Airports in the U.S. provide essential services that are uniquely available through this type of airport. A Resilience Management Plan, although expensive to contract and complicated to create, may be critical to protecting the continuity of these services. This research project provides operators with the tools necessary to effectively and efficiently develop their own Resilience Management... more »

The objective of this research is to develop a guidebook to help airport practitioners identify and quantify benefits, costs and the economic impact of business diversity programs.

Convert an already-developed tool for preparing NIMS/ICS compliant airport emergency plans (AEPs) to a web-based product and to host and maintain the tool/website for 3 years.

Develop a talent cultivation "playbook" that would provide the aviation industry with inspiring, tested, and rapidly-implementable techniques front line managers and senior staff can use to enhance talent cultivation and knowledge transfer in their organizations.
The playbook would be designed for people on-the-go who can pick it up, read it for a few minutes and take away key talent planning ideas that can be implemented... more »

Airports need to understand the best ways to preserve institutional knowledge as large scale industry changes occur and both leaders and experienced employees at all levels of the organization are eligible for retirement and leave the airport. Knowledge management and institutional knowledge transfer should be incorporated into all aspects of airports, including the culture, training delivery platforms, and automated... more »

It's a common refrain: Organizations work to reshape their workforce and organizational structure, transform their business model, or move in a new strategic direction. But a year after the launch, they still have not realized the anticipated benefits. As airports look to make dramatic and unanticipated changes in response to the COVID-19 virus, they will need practical guidance on how to make needed changes "stick."... more »

Identify practices that airports and their public health partners have successfully used to prevent and mitigate the transmission of communicable diseases.

This project will create a practical guide that provides airport managers and other key personnel with day-to-day strategies to help combat human trafficking at airports. The need for this guidance was identified at the May 2018 ACRP insight event on economic and social sustainability.

Airport teams are ramping up innovation labs, centers and executive level positions to support critical thinking, strategy and innovation. Airports need an approach to innovation that is powerful, effective and broadly assessable, that can integrate into all aspects of the business and region, and that individuals and teams can use to generate breakthrough ideas that are implemented and have a meaningful impact in the... more »

Airport and related aviation organizations generate and absorb large amounts of data, particularly geospatial data such as CAD, GIS, BIM, LiDAR, and aerial imagery. How can airports leadership and staff learn from industry best practices, including from others such as university campuses, in terms of effectively managing the flow of data to facility operations, maintenance, and other end-users, so they are not held up... more »

Many airports are facing very difficult futures, especially HUB airports, in light of COVID and other funding challenges. These airports will need to learn to "do more with less" and respond rapidly to the changes faced or risk losing their foothold. ACRP project 06-04 (Report 186) and current project ACRP 06-06 highlight the new job demands and technological changes already requiring a new business approach and skills... more »