ACRP IdeaHub Research Projects

Further guidance on how to approach the design of airport infrastructure that is more resilient to climatic change is required. Efforts are underway both nationally and internationally to address identification of vulnerabilities and incorporating into planning documents; but there remains a gap in procedures to evaluate and determine design criteria for engineers and architects that may be more readily endorsed by funding... more »

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.

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.

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.

The objective of this research is to provide a resource for state aviation agencies to identify and implement project prioritization methods that would be effective and appropriate for their agency.

Many airports have air traffic control tower (ATCT) facilities that were constructed more than 50 years ago and despite renovation and rehabilitation efforts, they are reaching the end of their useful life. Some do not meet updated FAA siting and design criteria, and other state-of-art practices. NATCA conducted a survey in 10 years ago (2007) that indicated over two-thirds of the ATCTs were rated as having fair to poor... more »

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 »

Conduct research on airport noise and emissions regulations,

requirements, programs in place at U.S. airports, including the impetus

for each, legal authority and impact.

Develop a guidebook that provides strategies (best management practices) that airport operators and other stakeholders can use to manage demand placed on landside facilities (e.g. ground transportation infrastructure) in a constrained environment. The guidebook reviews existing and proposed operational, financial and logistical strategies that airport operators or other entities are permitted to use to encourage efficient... more »

A Fatigue Risk Management Program (FRMP), specific to the needs of ramp workers, will be developed and implemented in at least one airport with the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of the program evaluated. An implementation schedule should then be devised to provide a successful program to ramp workers in major airports across the country.

The main objectives of this idea are providing the U.S. airport industry and their stakeholders (airlines, ATO, ground handling service providers, etc.) with the following:
- Overview of the green taxiing solutions and their typical concepts of operations,
- Impact of these systems on airport operations, planning and design.

The research project includes producing or collecting:
- An inventory of the existing and prospective... more »

Everyone flies! Today's traveling public is more diverse than ever. U.S. airports are serving people of more countries of origin, age ranges, language groups, nationalities, ethnicities, religious groups, physical/cognitive abilities, and income brackets than ever before.

However, most airports have not done an adequate job of modernizing their communications and facilities to accommodate this diversity. Not only are... more »

Stipends are used in competitive bids to encourage bidders to submit their best ideas in a procurement. Better understanding of the use and value of stipends would be useful to airport management, boards and policymakers to determine if compensating losing bidders for their intellectual property would advance practice and improve design and project delivery.

Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs) are coming... This project would develop a primer on the opportunities offered and the feasibility of widely implementing Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs) at the airport - landside and airside.