ACRP IdeaHub Research Projects

Objective is to develop airport-specific design guidelines and best practices for airport terminals and passenger facilities to make them accessible to all persons.

Airports are increasingly interested in bringing multi-disciplines together in a common environment to improve collaborative decision making during regular and irregular operations. Guidance on how to plan and design for these centers is needed.

The USGS will be releasing the Earthquake Early Warning System for public use in 2018. All airports in the west will need to understand how this will directly impact shutdown of critical infrastructure, alerting to the public and changes in the airport safety systems.

Research and develop a universal Aviation Symbol Signs System for the airport/travel sector that is comprehensive, rigorously tested, and industry accepted, as well as provide guidelines for their best use in airports. The focus will be on pedestrian wayfinding and safety related symbols. Process should be based on a global approach with U.S. airport application.

The objective is to produce an aviation symbol library... more »

How can airports set up incubators unit to create a space for innovators to solve airport problems based on challenges placed on them from different departments? Then, using the resulting solution, partner (in terms of equity) with the innovators. Help them form companies that the airport can partner with. Then market to other airports.

Demonstrate an autonomous system that meets flight requirements for

small airports and commercial operators.

Guidance on holisitic master planning that goes beyond just future

facility and infrastructure that includes the sub categories such as IT,

Operations, Security and Maintenance as examples. It would also provide guidance on how to develop a "plan" for the ancillary operating areas and how important components may be rolled into a true master plan

This Guidebook would detail what it takes to stand up a full IT Security

and Compliance program at an airport.

Develop airport-specific Incident Command System training courses at the ICS-100 and ICS-200 levels that meets NIMS training standards as established by the National Incident Management System Training Program.

Airports have for decades been managing and remediating contamination of soil and groundwater resulting from past practices. However, within the past two years airports have been surprised by a previously unrecognized environmental threat from a family of compounds found in firefighting foam known as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). A synthesis study to provide necessary education on the subject is proposed. It is... more »

There are all kinds of animals coming through airports today: service animals, comfort animals, security animals, and pets, not to mention farm animals, zoo animals, circus animals, primates, uninvited wild animals ("pests"), and marine life. How should airports set up protocols, physical spaces, and customer service messaging to coordinate and manage as today's Noah's Arcs of air travel?

The research would identify the best persuasive strategies, language, and media, supported by behavioral science, for successfully encouraging customers to separate waste materials at the source and reduce contamination. This would reduce the number of costly waste hauls; help rehabilitate international scrap materials markets; reduce the amount of materials being sent to landfills and incinerators; promote composting... more »

More than 14,000 wildlife strikes were reported to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2017. Globally, wildlife strikes have killed more than 287 people and destroyed over 263 aircraft from 1988 through November 2018 (Dolbeer and Begier. 2019). To warn pilots of potential wildlife hazards, airports often include generic language in the Automated Terminal Information System (ATIS) or Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) that does... more »

Our team aims to architecturally and financially model new ways to relieve airport congestion through the expansion of the curbside, while also allowing for new programs to monetize the landside and the airside. Our team intends to develop architectural solutions for modifying airport parking garages, providing ride share lobbies and amenities, re-programming parking garages and surface lots for alternative uses, and... more »

The objective of this research is to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of Airport Wildlife Hazard Management Plans being funded by FAA and implemented by numerous airports under FAA jurisdiction. Primary suggested lines of inquiry and related products will include: (1) Are Airport WHMPs being fully and properly implemented, (2) Are implemented WHMPs meeting the expectations of sponsoring airports, (3) If expectations... more »