The FAA is Doing WHAT With Maps?
By: Federal Aviation Administration
Tags: GIS, Airports, News, Drones, Aviation

By Callie Dosberg, FAA Office of Communications

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the FAA is taking that to heart, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to better analyze data to meet its safety mission. GIS helps the FAA get a handle on the vast quantity and types of data the agency owns by making it visual and easier to understand, allowing for faster assessment and decision-making.

Here are seven ways the FAA integrates GIS into its operations and uses this technology to share information with the public:

1. How high can I fly?

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Facility Maps show the maximum altitudes around airports where the FAA may authorize part 107 UAS operations without additional safety analysis. The FAA publishes maps with GIS features to keep part 107 drone operators informed and flying safely.

2. Mobile mapping

Recreational drone users who only fly their drone for fun can use the FAA’s B4UFLY mobile app. The app helps show where they can and cannot fly with interactive, GIS-enabled maps.

3. Abundant access to aeronautical data

Though it’s most often used by aeronautical and technology companies, the FAA also makes aeronautical GIS data available to the public. This data ties to the FAA’s Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Enroute chart products that form the foundations of flight — airports, flight paths, terminal procedure charts and airspace schedules, among other things.

4. Picturing pavement safety

A GIS pavement management database helps the FAA quickly assess pavement conditions at airports in New York, essentially providing a snapshot of the parts of the runway pavement that are safest and those that need safety improvements. Airports can upload photos of the runways to provide additional details to help the FAA assess a specific location. All this information aids the agency in its safety mission by determining where airport improvements are needed.

5. Easier emergency evaluation

The FAA uses GIS to understand and see how emergencies and events could impact the national airspace system, the FAA and its facilities, and its employees. For example, GIS can show which FAA facilities or airports would be impacted by a hurricane or other natural disaster, allowing the agency to better plan, prepare and take precautions. Other emergency planning GIS tools at the FAA are used as a “virtual situation room,” providing both visual updates of how disasters impact FAA personnel and facilities, along with easy access to plans and checklists for teams to use in their response efforts.

6. Virtual walk through at the workplace

A GIS-generated, 3D, virtual-reality walk through of the one of the FAA’s facilities helps employees re-imagine what a more modern workspace would look and feel like.

7. Planes, trains, automobiles and more

The FAA is part of the Department of Transportation, as is the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). BTS has as slew of GIS-enabled data available to the public on aviation, marine, rail, roads and transit to give a more complete picture of transportation facilities and impacts.

The FAA continues to find new ways to leverage the power of GIS to meet its safety mission. Learn more about the FAA’s work in this area here: https://www.faa.gov/news/conferences_events/gis_day/.