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.

Review the tools and practices currently being used to conduct airfield pavement conditions.

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.

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.

Develop tools for evaluating the risk of runway incursions based on airport-specific factors such as airfield configuration, weather, aircraft operations, aircraft characteristics, and air traffic management practices. This project would involve data collection from historical runway incursion event data for storage in a relational database. These events would be classified by type following FAA and international taxonomy.... more »

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

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 »

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 »

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.

Synthesize aspects of airport characteristics that can influence the planning, design, and construction of roads and highways and provide instructive considerations for each.

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 »