ACRP IdeaHub Synthesis Topics

Volunteer programs are a common practice at airports in the United States whereby local residents are engaged to enhance the airport's overall customer experience by welcoming travelers, offering directional assistance, and providing accurate information about the airport's services and amenities. The presence of a dedicated volunteer team creates a positive image of the airport and reflects the friendly hospitality of... more »

Identify how drones can be utilized as a tool for airport operations (inspections, maintenance, wildlife) and emergency response. Identify who is currently using them and what are the best practices for their use in an airport environment.

This topic was discussed for the FY2018 synthesis program and has been held over for further discussion at the FY2019 synthesis topic selection meeting.

John Pokryfke, jpokryfke@broward.org... more »

New U.S. Department of Defense programs offer funding for resilience upgrades in communities that neighbor military installations. This project would review resilience partnership strategies for the more than 70 civilian airports that are co-located with Air National Guard units.

Airports have been using the Internet of Things to become more connected and offer enhanced customer service logistics as smart airports. This synthesis would document the state of the industry with regard to the application of smart airport technologies and lessons learned from current adopters.

ACRP Synthesis 11-03/Topic S01-21 (The Benefits of Airport Arts Programs) provides an exhaustive analysis of current practices related to airport arts programs; the Synthesis identifies many tools that airports use to govern such programs and to manage them efficiently and economically. It was, however, beyond the scope of Synthesis 11-03/Topic S01-21 to provide an in depth analysis of precisely how these tools are used... more »

Compile and contextualize lessons learned, including strengths and areas for improvement, identified by airports of all sizes from around the nation. These lessons learned, derived from documented after action reports and interviews with airport officials, will support industry-wide preparedness when collected and shared.

Sustainability and environmental mitigation are rapidly being incorporated into construction efforts at airports to mitigate and offset environmental impacts such as air emissions, water quality issues, etc. Naturally, every airport and their associated construction efforts and ability to incorporate sustainability vary on multiple fronts. This effort would provide a synthesis of construction sustainability and environmental... more »

This project will provide airport administrators and other stakeholders with a concise resource that applies software solutions, applications, and digital technologies toward a multitude of common tasks, responsibilities, and problems. The project will synthesize existing research and resources on the subject, paying particular attention to off-the-shelf style product categories that can be easily procured, implemented,... more »

The objective of this research is to create a guidebook of Aircraft Characteristics. The first step is a synthesis that summarizes the data sources available for determining Aircraft Characteristics for airport planning, design, construction, and operation. The characteristics would include at a minimum Aircraft Approach Category (AAC), Airplane Design Group (ADG), Taxiway Design Group (TDG), wingspan, tail height, length,... more »

A synthesis that would allow a cross the board runway length determination analysis.

The Synthesis project would review and summarize the aviation system performance measures that have been adopted as part of national, state and regional airport system plans.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the financial foundations of airports and many aviation industry stakeholders. The proposed synthesis is to identify and evaluate current research on various airport funding models in order to describe potential future analytical projects.

Airports, airlines and their emergency response partners can develop a culture of interagency coordination that promotes the regular sharing of airline, airport, and other emergency response plans and strategies. This can provide an opportunity for both airline and support staff and the airports to be familiar with individual corporate emergency response and family assistance plans in the event there is the need for a... more »

Changes to the RCAM have impacted how and when airports remove contaminants on the runway and in turn has impacted the hours needed for personnel and equipment to remove contaminants as well as the useful life of markings and pavement surfaces.

This synthesis would analyze the current state, feasibility, and interest of airports and the FAA to use recycled concrete aggregates as constituents in a concrete mix design of new airfield rigid concrete pavements.