NextGen for Airports: Understanding the airport's role in performance-based navigation : resource guide

Book excerpt: The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) refers to the federal programs (predominately airspace, air traffic, or avionics related) that are designed to modernize the National Airspace System (NAS). The Airport Cooperative Research Program's (ACRP's) NextGen initiative aims to inform airport operators about some of these programs and how the enabling practices, data, and technologies resulting from them will affect airports and change how they operate. Volume 1, Understanding the airport's role in performance-based navigation : resource guide, provides comprehensive information to practitioners concerning all aspects of Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) and how implementation affects overall airport operations. This Resource Guide encompasses background information, description of effects on short- and long-term airport development, impacts on safety and performance measures, and other critical factors affecting future airport operations. In addition to providing guidance to users on available resources for additional assistance, this volume also includes lessons learned and best practices based on findings from case studies that examined the airport operator's role in PBN implementation. Volume 2, Engaging airport stakeholders : guidebook, helps airports engage the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), aircraft operators, community representatives, and other airport stakeholders during the planning, environmental review, design, deployment, and monitoring phases of NextGen implementation. The guidance references a NextGen Outreach Toolkit, which contain videos, an interactive flow chart, and links to additional resources. The NextGen Outreach Toolkit, which will be available for download from a forthcoming website, accompanies Volume 2. The Toolkit also incorporates material created in conjunction with the other projects in the ACRP 150 (NextGen) series. These materials may help airports establish a continuous engagement strategy to balance stakeholder needs as well as efficient NextGen implementation. Volume 3, Resources for airports, is a resource guide that provides a comprehensive list of NextGen technologies and initiatives categorized and described for airport practitioners, and presents existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans that could potentially affect airports of all sizes and roles, the larger aviation industry, and the public. This guide presents a likely timeline for implementation and highlights the FAA's planned rollout of near- and mid-term elements as well as its long-range vision. Appendices include a glossary of terms and a Public Information Toolkit for communicating about the NextGen initiative to the broad spectrum of external stakeholders. This Public Information Toolkit is also available at the ACRP NextGen for Airports. Volume 4, Leveraging NextGen spatial data to benefit airports : guidebook, provides information for airport operators on the creation, maintenance, and use of spatial data that is generated as a result of NextGen initiatives. The data that airports have or will have to produce is used in a variety of different ways to advance some of the NextGen programs. This guidebook identifies benefits to airports from the spatial data that is required or produced from NextGen programs, not all of which are obvious. The guidebook also describes costs, and financial and legal considerations. In addition, a customizable presentation template can be downloaded from the report webpage at www.trb.org/acrp. The presentation can be tailored to educate various communities about NextGen and spatial data.