APRON - Aviation Policy Information Resources based on Observatory Networks
Overview
Background & policy context:
The growing demand for air transport services increases congestion problems at airports with serious negative consequences on the level of service offered to the travelling public, the quality of the surrounding environment, and the safety of the air transport system. The relative importance of airports in the intermodal transportation system is growing. The smooth integration of airports in the overall transportation system prerequisites the availability of relevant information: hence the need for an airport observatory.
The innovation of APRON relates to the fact that an airport observatory network did not previously exist and the European Commission did not have direct access to an airport performance information system to withdraw policy-sensitive information prior to APRON.
Within the FP5 framework, APRON responds to the task "Observatory of the performance of the European airport system. Assessment of the impact of air-traffic in the airports".
Objectives:
The main objectives of the APRON project were to:
1. Review, assess and collect existing data and information to satisfy user requirements.
APRON first had to provide highly organised, standardised and unified information, which would be permanently validated by the airport industry, in order for it to be easily and directly available for the European transport policy formulation process. Moreover, this would reduce costs and increase efficiency in the decision process, as the information provided by the observatory allows more concentration to be spent on the analysis of policy issues instead of data collection.
2. Work out all matters concerning the establishment of an airport observatory network.
APRON aimed to stimulate the progress of policy monitoring for the benefit of society and the efficient allocation of resources. This could only be achieved by reducing the need for data collection and compilation. Therefore, the achievements of several European projects were integrated with the aim of avoiding double work. To also make optimal use of available sources (data, information), information from related organisations like Eurostat, Eurocontrol, ACI-Europe, and DG TREN, would have to be integrated as much as possible.
3. Produce a technical environment to maintain, access and provide the observatory data and information in a user friendly way.
APRON had to develop a user-friendly database and information system, enabling and facilitating efficient analysis of different policy options. Indeed, if effeciently used, the system would allow the information and the providers to enjoy a new type of interaction with the policy makers: the decision process would be streamlined and efforts better directed towards main policy aims. This had to be established in a pan-European context.
Methodology:
The APRON project was carried out in 4 stages:
Stage 1: Assessment of existing information and information sources, and information requirement analysis
The objectives of this first stage were to identify the sources from which relevant and reliable data pertaining to strategic airport policy analysis and management can be retrieved, the particular data items provided by each of the identified sources, and the conditions under which this data can be retrieved for use within the observatory network.
After identification of information sources, it was necessary to conduct an information requirement analysis. This involved
- the identification of the stakeholders in the air transport policy making process,
- the elicitation and analysis of the information requirements capable of “feeding” / supporting the different elements of the airport and air transport decision making process,
- the elicitation of the user perceptions and attitudes with respect to the preferred functionalities of the airport observatory network / platform,
- the identification of the requirements and constraints to establish and maintain an observatory network.
Stage 2: Data collection and validation
This second stage defined the core of the APRON project. Based on the user requirements that were defined in Stage 1, demand data, airport infrastructure data, investment data, accessibility data, etc was collected from relevant sources and from the airports that participated in the project. The data was checked and validated and stored in a structured manner in the APRON databank. During this last procedure, the various integration possibilities and issues were explored and addressed, in order to achieve a harmonised and structured storage.
Data validation involved enhancing, validating, and finalising the results of the work previously undertaken, while ensuring maximum applicability of the database as a source for policy formulation purposes. Last, the security framework of the airport observatory database was worked out.
Stage 3: Establishment of the airport observatory network
Firstly, this third Stage proposed to identify the requirements and constraints necessary in establishing and maintaining an observatory network, and to formally propose an organisational and operational framework providing guidelines and establishing procedures for the daily operation of t
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