TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
Overview
Today’s airport practitioners need easy access to the tools that will keep their facilities open and thriving. In this era of uncertainty, the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) serves as a source of unbiased, accurate research to assist the industry. ACRP is an applied research program managed by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies and sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration. Together with public- and private-sector industry experts, ACRP produces reports, syntheses, and digests that cover a diverse set of research fields: safety, policy, planning, airport design, construction, legal issues, maintenance, operations, and administration.
The shift in the airport industry—from predictable traffic and passenger levels to economic instability, capacity constraints, and congestion—has required airport practitioners to respond with creative problem solving. ACRP has been offering practical, hands-on software guidance, modeling tools, sample planning documents, best practices, worksheets, checklists, and more since 2006. Critical to ACRP’s success has been its ability to establish and engage with a growing network of airport practitioners. Over the past nine years, industry experts representing all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, have contributed to the program’s research and helped ensure that ACRP’s work is relevant and meaningful to its audience (see Figure 1).
In 2014, ACRP continued to identify and address the most pressing new and ongoing issues facing the airport industry. Relying on its proven collaborative process, ACRP published more than two dozen industry reports, syntheses, and research digests—many with a particular emphasis toward environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. These publications help airports identify opportunities to become more environmentally responsible, demonstrate sensitivity to the impact of operations on surrounding communities, diversify fuel supplies, improve air quality, and implement energy efficiency measures that save money and cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Notable accomplishments in 2014 include the following reports on sustainability (for more information, see www.trb.org/Publications/PubsACRPPublications.aspx):
- ACRP Report 100: Recycling Best Practices—A Guidebook for Advancing Recycling from Aircraft Cabins
- ACRP Report 102: Guidance for Estimating Airport Construction Emissions
- ACRP Report 110: Evaluating Impacts of Sustainability Practices on Airport Operations and Maintenance
- ACRP Synthesis 53: Outcomes of Green Initiatives: Large Airport Experience
ACRP’s outreach efforts in 2014 provided airport practitioners with opportunities to collaborate and share best practices with other industry stakeholders. Through its webinars, presentations, website, and social media outlets, ACRP provided reliable information and helped build relationships that are improving the way airports do business. Key highlights from 2014 include:
- Conducted 13 webinars
- More than 55,000 web visits
- Continued growth in social media through Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook
Facilitating the Research Process
Since 2005, ACRP has authorized more than 426 projects resulting in a diverse set of practical research products covering a wide range of topics relevant to the airport industry. It has distributed more than $96 million in project funding—providing $10 million in FY2015 alone (see Figure 2).
Download full version (PDF): Airport Cooperative Research Program Annual Report of Progress
About the Transportation Research Board
www.trb.org
The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal.
Tags: ACRP, AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM, airports, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, National Academies, Transportation Research Board, TRB, TRB of NA
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