Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports (2019)

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11 Airports and communities should work to understand the differing perspectives associated with land use compatibility challenges near airports. Key challenges such as aircraft noise and obstructions to navigable airspace, among others, present opportunities to better administer land use compatibility, and introduce the possibility for better collaboration. Understanding the Concern As referenced in ACRP Report 27, Airport compatible land uses are defined as uses that can coexist with a nearby airport without either constraining the safe and efficient operation of the airport or exposing people living and working nearby to unacceptable levels of noise or hazards. Determining the level of compatibility of land uses around an airport is affected by the type of use and associated concerns. To better understand these issues and to prioritize research for this guidebook, an on-line survey was conducted to generate a sense of compatible land use impacts related to day-to- day operations on and around airports. Many airports and communities have leveraged GIS to analyze these impacts or to explore operations to collaborate on planning for and mitigating hazards via land use compatibility planning enhanced by access to the rich information found in GIS datasets. According to the on-line survey results, irritation to aircraft noise and obstructions to navi- gable airspace introduce the most critical impacts on land use around airports. Additional survey results are included after descriptions of the most critical impacts. Respondents were asked to rate and prioritize critical impacts according to each issue’s relevance to airport land use com- patibility challenges, to assess the breadth of use for this type of information at their airport or within their communities, and to identify where the use of GIS technologies has helped or could be applied. Table 3 describes the most critical impacts on land use around airports identified by the on-line survey respondents: aircraft noise and obstructions to navigable airspace. The most critical impacts are summarized as follows: • Aircraft noise: Irritation of aircraft noise can impact local communities by causing learning difficulties, non-auditory health effects (stress, cardiovascular function, mental health), sleep disturbance, and building and surface vibration. Residential property and nearby school dis- tricts are some of the communities most susceptible to aircraft noise. Aircraft noise has been a basic airport land use compatibility concern for the last few decades. Moreover, at commercial service airports, military bases, and many busy general aviation airports, noise is the impact people in those environments most often recognize. C H A P T E R 2 Airport Land Use Compatibility Concerns

12 Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports Many airports are already located within continuously urbanized areas. However, expand- ing development and migration to urban areas present more land use incompatibilities near airports, increasing the likelihood of noise complaints from increased air operations or even operations keeping constant at their current annual volumes. In many cases, local govern- ments do not place immediate considerations on airport facilities and their potential future expansion regarding planning. Measuring and forecasting aircraft noise emanating from airport property is highly critical to ensure the long-term viability of an airport. Furthermore, it is in the best interest of an airport to proactively address noise impacts to local communities. One goal of the FAA’s NextGen Implementation Plan is for airports to be “valued neighbors” of nearby communi- ties. Keeping the public well-informed and addressing land use incompatibilities cultivates greater acceptance and a more positive perception of airport operations. • Obstructions to navigable airspace: Obstructions to navigable airspace present tangible physi- cal interference with safe flight operations. Obstructions include cell towers, tall buildings, trees, high terrain, power lines, wind turbines, and temporary objects nearby such as con- struction cranes or a transiting vehicle (e.g., a passing train or cargo truck). The safety-critical nature and worldwide scope of the obstructions issue require the efficient, intuitive, and timely planning process that application of a GIS offers. Geospatial-based analysis would benefit nearly all aspects of the inherently spatial process of addressing airspace obstructions: information management (what data are needed and how do we store them), obstruction analysis (what exactly is an obstruction and how do we determine that), and visualization and communication (how do we demonstrate obstruc- tions and their effects to stakeholders). The additional impacts identified through the on-line survey are included in Table 4. Though respondents did not rank or prioritize these critical impacts as most important, many airports and communities find these issues to be challenging as each relates to land use compatibility, and GIS technologies have been used to mitigate many of these subjects. Compatible Land Use Impact Issue Stakeholders (Impacted or Influencers) Information Required Relevance to Airports Breadth of Use GIS Can Help Irritation of Aircraft Noise Airport operators; airport planning (federal, state, county, municipal); residents (property owners) Flight tracks; noise contours; existing and future land use data; existing and future zoning data; population data; ALP; basemap information (transportation, hydrography, jurisdictional boundaries) Essential Obstructions to Navigable Airspace Airport operators; airport planning (federal, state, county, municipal); FAA; operations; residents (property owners) Obstacles; obstruction identification surfaces; runway ends; existing and proposed flight procedures; population data; noise- sensitive locations data; timing and location of on- and off-airport development Essential Note: Critical Impacts ranked in order of prioritization from ACRP 03-37 on-line survey results. Table 3. Critical impacts to land use compatibility at airports.

Airport Land Use Compatibility Concerns 13 Fauna that is Hazardous to Aircraft Operations Airport planning, engineering, environmental agencies Habitat areas; wetlands; species types; migration patterns; location of control devices; incident locations; drainage and physical characteristics of detention ponds and other storm water best management practices (BMPs) Helpful Degradation of Air Quality Airport environmental, planning, operations; FAA environmental; regional planning; airline, car rental, hotel tenants; neighboring residents and business; surface transportation Access to airport and fuel facilities; fuel utilities; vehicle circulation routes; car rental locations; bus routes Limited Congestion of Surface Transportation Airport planning; departments of transportation Roads and parking lot locations; traffic flows and volumes; timing and location of on- and off-airport development Helpful Unintentional Subsurface Utility Discovery Airport planning, design, construction, engineering, maintenance Utility location (type and owner); deed information; timing and location of on - and off-airport development Helpful Operational Safety in Populated Areas Airport planning; residents; planning agencies (state, regional, county, municipal) Flight tracks; runway safety areas (RSAs); land use; population density; facility evacuation capability Helpful Navigational Aid (NAVAID) Interference Airport planning, operations, construction; FAA Air traffic, airport traffic control tower (ATCT); airport operators NAVAID locations; restricted areas; telecommunication frequencies; NAVAID equipment types and specifications; timing and location of on- and off-airport development Helpful Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Safety and Privacy Airport Planning, Operations; Businesses, residents Certificates of waver or authorizations (COAs); restricted airspace; movement areas Limited Spread of Invasive Species (Flora) Airport environmental, planning; environmental agencies Plant location; stand areas; species types; drainage and physical characteristics of detention ponds and other storm water BMPs Helpful Glare from Solar Panels Airport environmental, planning, design, construction, engineering, operations; airline operators and pilot community Solar panel locations; solar farms; line-of-sight (LoS) or sun beams; temporal and seasonal sun angle data Limited Stakeholders (Impacted or Influencers) Information Required Relevance to Airports Breadth of Use GIS Can Help Compatible Land Use Impact Issue (continued on next page) Table 4. Additional impacts to land use compatibility at airports.

14 Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports Additional compatible land use impact issue descriptions identified through the on-line survey are: • Fauna that is hazardous to aircraft operations: Wildlife attractants such as retention ponds and waste disposal sites near an airport increase the potential for bird strikes and serve as a threat to human health and safety. Wildlife can be attracted to anything including agricultural activities, architectural features, landscaping (such as water features on golf courses), surface and subsurface mining, waste disposal sites, wastewater treatment facilities, or wetlands. The largest fauna threat comes from birds flying in and around aircraft approach paths (Wildlife Hazard Mitigation 2018). With over 90% of bird strikes occurring at or below 3,500 feet above ground level, the area of concern can extend 12 miles from the end of a runway or further in areas of rising terrain. Airports should be vigilant about reducing the population of birds in these areas. This may mean eliminating habitat that attract birds and installing bird scaring equipment on airport property. For example, one airport has installed radar equipment that can actively track birds so that airport operations and air traffic controllers can take the necessary actions to protect aircraft (van’t Hoog and Muddle 2018). Off airport property, airports should work with local zoning authorities and property owners to reduce the population of birds in airport approach and departure areas. Airports that have experienced bird strikes or observed birds of a size and/or in numbers capable of harming an aircraft should conduct a wildlife hazard assessment, which may result in the Sight and Airspace Constraints of Windmills Airport environmental, planning, construction; FAA Air Traffic; airline operators and pilot community; energy companies; residents Wind farm locations; airport and airspace operational configuration data; LoS or sun beams; temporal and seasonal wind rose data Limited Extraction of Oil and Gas Airport environmental, planning, construction; property owners; energy companies Drilling locations; natural resource locations; property boundaries; mineral rights Limited Cultural and Archaeological Airport environmental, planning, Location of cultural or archaeological areas (e.g., Limited Site Protection construction; cultural and archaeological groups; state or county historical agencies Indian burial grounds); property boundaries; flight tracks; noise contours or exposure; timing and location of on- and off-airport development Note: Additional Impacts ranked in order of prioritization from ACRP 03-37 on-line survey results. Stakeholders (Impacted or Influencers) Information Required Relevance to Airports Breadth of Use GIS Can Help Compatible Land Use Impact Issue Table 4. (Continued).

Airport Land Use Compatibility Concerns 15 need to develop a wildlife hazard management plan that addresses risks both on and off airport property (Wildlife Hazard Management 2011). Birds are not the only form of wildlife that can be hazardous to aircraft and airport opera- tions. Mammals that can gain access to the airfield can interfere with aircraft with taxing, landing, or taking off. This is less of a concern for land use off-airport, although nearby habi- tats can present problems that should be mitigated. Endangered species can also limit airport development, but this is an on-airport issue that is not a critical land use compatibility issue. GIS data and technologies can help airports and surrounding jurisdictions record, analyze, and reduce the presence of birds (and other wildlife) in critical aircraft operating areas. Data on where and when particular types of birds have been observed, typical flight tracks of birds in and around the airport, and the areas that attract birds can help airport environmental and operations personnel determine risk areas and develop preventative measures collaboratively with local planners and property owners. • Degradation of air quality: Degradation of air quality also serves as a threat to human health and safety. Emissions from aircraft engines, airport ground service equipment (GSE), airport ser- vices vehicles, rental cars, shuttle buses, and personal vehicles produce emissions resulting from fossil fuel combustion. While significant proportions of emissions from aircraft engines are emitted at altitude, aircraft in operational readiness (idling, taxiing, taking off, or landing) and other vehicles related to the operations or use of an airport are also emitting gases and particles that alter the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases in and around airport property. • Congestion of surface transportation: The steady increase in demand for landside connections at airports present increasing challenges with congestion. These range from personal vehicles dropping off or picking up passengers to taxis, shuttle buses, and other modes of transpor- tation seeking to gain access to airport roadways or parking lots or structures. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies such as traffic signal detectors and congestion pricing combined with the onset of increased opportunities for on-demand ridesharing (such as Uber and Lyft) introduce challenges directly related to land use compatibility (producing, in many cases, unanticipated congestion or intersection backups or inhibiting efficient ingress and egress at the airport). • Unintentional subsurface utility discovery: Airports are typically served by a network of under- ground utilities. Many airports have unreliable subsurface utility data or an incomplete under- standing of what lies below many of the structures and features on and off airport property. During construction, unintentional subsurface utility discovery can have significant impacts on airport property, surrounding property, and project timelines and budgets. Existing GIS technologies can be leveraged with land use compatibility planning to identify and reliably map subsurface utilities—both on and off airport—reducing impacts of potential damages caused by construction activities. • Operational safety in populated areas: The land use characteristic tied most closely to the consequences of aircraft accidents is the number of people concentrated in the accident area. Establishment of criteria limiting the number of dwellings or people in areas close to the air- port is the most direct method of reducing the potential severity of an aircraft accident. These fundamental land use concerns can be especially incompatible in critical operational areas, such as runway protection zones (RPZs) and extended runway approaches that should be protected for aircraft landing and departing and areas underneath traffic patterns. • Interference (glare and glint from solar panels, NAVAID interference, windmill constraints, etc.): Generally speaking, interference can be defined as anything that alters, modifies, or dis- rupts. As this pertains to land use at airports, interference can be categorized as atmospheric, electronic, or visual. – Visual interference may impede safety by promoting loss of situational awareness such as dust (from nearby construction or terrain), solar glare (from solar panels or windows), light emissions (from nearby lights or airfield lights), smog, smoke, or steam.

16 Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports – Electronic interference includes anything (such as vegetation or misplaced construction equipment) that can affect signals between aircraft and NAVAIDs used by pilots during takeoff and landing. – Physical interference occurs when an object interferes with the safe operation of aircraft or other vehicles and equipment associated with the airport. This can occur when windmills, ships, or other tall objects intrude into protected airspace. Solar energy has become an excellent alternative, renewable energy source that lowers operating costs for airport facilities. Solar energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), are mature, commercially available renewable technologies. Proliferation of solar PV installation on or near airport properties is likely to occur for a variety reasons. As defined by National Renewal Energy Laboratory (NREL), solar cells, also called PV cells by scientists, convert sunlight directly into electricity. PV gets its name from the process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage), which is called the PV effect. Land in airport environments is typically unsuitable for other uses due to aircraft noise, and airports and airfields are frequently situated in areas where electrical rates and surcharges are above average. Further, airport facilities have a large footprint of land that could easily harbor solar invest array installations. In fact, a study conducted by the FAA, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) estimated there are over 800,000 acres of idle lands within the 2,915 significant airport properties in the contiguous United States (Environmental Management 2012). Solar PV arrays present opportunities but also challenges to aircraft operations. While solar panels produce energy by retaining solar energy, panels also reflect sunlight. The reflection of sunlight (glare and glint) poses a safety hazard to pilots during aircraft operation—particularly during approach procedures—in efforts to guide the aircraft safely to the ground. – Glare is defined as a continuous source of brightness, relative to diffused lighting. This is not a direct reflection of the sun, but rather a reflection of the bright sky around the sun. Glare is significantly less intense than glint. – Glint, also known as a “specular reflection,” is produced as a direct reflection of the sun in the surface of the PV solar panel. This is the potential source of the visual issues regard- ing viewer distraction. When installing solar PVs on or around airport properties, the potential hazards from solar glare and glint need to be studied and mitigated. GIS and geospatial methods can help when analyzing potential sites for glare and glint impact. Analyzing solar PV impact on operations requires focus on the spatial relationship between the actual solar panel array, and airfield/ runway areas. Solar PV arrays can also create interference for airport navigational aids and telecommu- nication infrastructure as well as become obstacles to navigable airspace. Their impact as obstacles to navigable airspace can be analyzed using GIS methods and data described in the obstructions to navigable airspace portions of this guidebook. Additional information on the siting of solar PV arrays can be found in the FAA’s Technical Guidance for Evaluating Selected Solar Technologies on Airports (FAA 2018). While respondents identified aircraft noise and obstructions to navigable airspace as the most critical impact, collaboration for these impacts using GIS technologies have not been amplified. However, to demonstrate where GIS technologies can be utilized for collaboration with respect to additional land use compatibility challenges, this guidebook does contain a quick look at both interference (glare and glint from solar panels), and fauna that is hazardous to aircraft. There are numerous GIS tools that have been and can be utilized for many of the other key land use compatibility impacts. Planners are encouraged to read through the methods used to col- laborate for the most critical impacts and the quick-look examples and consider how those tools and processes can also be leveraged for the remaining compatible land use issues identified above.

Airport Land Use Compatibility Concerns 17 Administering Land Use Compatibility Broad governance, regulations, and financial considerations at all levels of federal, state, and local government in combination with the specific function and economic impact of an airport create a complex environment for land use compatibility planning. The Advisory Circular (AC) system provides a single, uniform, agency-wide system that the FAA uses to deliver advisory material to FAA customers, industry, the aviation community, and the public. ACs are intended to be informative in nature and not regulatory; however, many times they describe actions or advice that the FAA expects to be implemented or followed. ACs can be distributed by the FAA to an audience of pilots, mechanics, operators, airport managers, manufacturers, and the general public. The subject of ACs typically involves aircraft, airports, flight schools, pilots, operations, or maintainers. An FAA Order is a directive that the agency uses to issue policy, instructions, and work infor- mation to its own personnel and designees. It spells out how the FAA expects to carry out its responsibilities within the bounds of its statutory authority under the executive branch of the U.S. federal government via the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 14 Aeronautics and Space. When issuing Orders, FAA informs the public via publication in the Federal Register, inviting public comments. Orders are meant to be binding (or provide direction) only to FAA employees, and not the public at large. However, employees are bound to act according to the direction of the FAA Order (or “handbook”) for practical application to those subject to FAA regulations, such as airport sponsors. Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCP) To plan for and consider land use compatibility issues, municipalities are encouraged to think more specifically about land use compatibility than they do in a comprehensive plan. To enable planning actions related to addressing land use compatibility at airports, local planners create a more specific, long-term planning document called an ALUCP that supports antici- pated growth of airport activity and uses a variety of tools and techniques to maintain com- patible land use—combining planning techniques with specific goals, objectives, and needs of an individual airport. The resulting ALUCP guides land use decisions within the proximity of the airport through zoning ordinances—legal statutes used to implement findings and recommendations of the ALUCP. These ordinances can stand along or can be adopted as a part of a local zoning code. An example of these ordinances is when a local community adopts Part 77 surface requirements and associated restrictions into its zoning laws. These can be critical to preserving land use compat- ibility, particularly as it relates to prospective development of tall structures or buildings that may penetrate navigable airspace or interfere with the safe operation of the airport. Therefore, the objective of zoning ordinances on and around airports is to assure that future uses of the land are compatible with airport operations to protect and preserve the airport and the public investment in the airport. The determination of what is compatible depends on many variables from each airport and its surrounding community or jurisdictions. Figure 1 illustrates the complexities that can be involved with roles and responsibilities as well as relationships between various governing bodies and regulations related to land use compatibility near airports, including GIS con- nections. Accordingly, it is important to consider the numerous federal statutes, regulations, and guidance documents crafted to help airport planners and local community developers navigate the regulatory landscape related to land use compatibility and the development of an ALUCP and associated zoning ordinances.

Figure 1. Roles and responsibilities: land use compatibility.

Airport Land Use Compatibility Concerns 19 FAA Airport Design Standards FAA regulations pertaining to the physical layout of an airport, particularly safety areas, are defined by FAA AC 150/5300-13, Airport Design. Most design guidelines pertain to air- craft operating areas and facilities located on airport property. Perhaps most important are the trapezoid-shaped RPZs given their proximity to the ends of runways. RPZs are often mostly on airport property, but may extend beyond as dimensional requirements vary depending upon visibility minimums, and design aircraft and their approach categories, as designated in the AC’s Appendix 14. FAA recommends that, whenever possible, the entire RPZ be owned by the airport and be clear of all obstructions if practicable. Additional design guidelines also direct airports to include approach and departure require- ments as they relate to managing and mitigating obstructions (such as antennas, towers, poles, and vegetation) to navigable airspace for airspace surfaces defined in subsequent approach/ departure standards tables for protection of instrument and visual operations and any appli- cable surfaces defined in FAA Order 8260.3, U.S. Standard for Terminal Instrument Pro- cedures (TERPS). FAR Title 14 Part 77, Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace Part 77 provides guidance on navigable airspace around an airport, in addition to providing procedures for construction notification and the airspace review and aeronautical study to be conducted by the FAA. Many local governments have incorporated Part 77 into zoning laws to accommodate federal requirements to establish standards and notification requirements for objects affecting navi- gable airspace. Part 77 notifications serve as the basis for: • Evaluating the effect of the construction or alteration on operating procedures; • Determining the potential hazardous effect of the proposed construction on air navigation; • Identifying mitigating measures to enhance safe air navigation; and • Charting of new objects. Notifications allow the FAA to identify potential aeronautical hazards in advance thus pre- venting or minimizing the adverse impacts to the safe and efficient use of navigable airspace. Part 77 notification requirements include construction proposals located on or off of air- port property. Evaluations for on-airport proposals are administered by FAA Airports with coordinated assistance from flight procedures and Technical Operations in FAA Air Traf- fic. Both on-airport proposals and off-airport proposals may be submitted on-line via FAA’s Obstruction Evaluation and Airport Airspace Analysis (OE/AAA) website. FAR Title 14 Part 150, Noise Compatibility Program Part 150 established measures required by the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act (ASNA) and includes noise related land uses within airport noise contours and airport envi- rons. While entirely voluntary, local jurisdictions are encouraged to prepare and submit Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) and Noise Compatibility Programs (NCPs) for the airport’s environs to the FAA. Although the Part 150 program is voluntary, airports must participate if they wish to obtain FAA funding for noise-abatement measures. FAA Airports Interim Guidance on Land Uses Within a RPZ FAA’s RPZ guidance sets an expectation for airport sponsors to take all possible measures to protect against and remove or mitigate incompatible land uses. (FAA intends to incorporate

20 Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports RPZ land use considerations into the ongoing update to the Land Use Compatibility AC, a document that remains in draft form as of Summer 2018.) While the RPZ has limitations on obstructions (because it lies below the approach surface and because it includes safety areas and obstacle free areas), the primary purpose of the RPZ is the protection of people and property on the ground. Compatible land use within the RPZ is generally restricted to agricultural and similar uses that do not involve congregations of people or construction of buildings or other improvements that may be obstructions. It is FAA policy to object to incompatible land uses proposed for property within the RPZ whether or not the airport owns the land. Therefore, it is recommended that airport owners review the ALP for appropriate conformity. FAA Airports GIS FAA planning and design requirements, coupled with FAA statutes requiring land use compatibility related to airspace and the safe operation of the airport, require the need for accurate location-based data. FAA’s Airports GIS Program (AGIS) includes a set of require- ments that helps gain accuracies with features related to land use compatibility. Because air- ports are required to capture airport planning and airspace design data to these standards, AGIS is one technological aid that airports can use to collaborate with FAA to resolve land use compatibility issues. Guidance found in airport planning and design ACs direct airports to capture data to AGIS standards to inform Master Plan Updates and provide survey-grade accuracy to specific features required for proper airfield and airspace design. These include accuracies tied directly to inform- ing ALP sheets, such as airspace and inner airspace drawings, and airfield and airspace features such as RPZs, RSAs, locations of NAVAIDs, and Exhibit A Property maps. In 2006, as part of the preparation for accuracies required for satellite navigation, FAA Air- ports worked with the agency’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) and the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) to develop aeronautical survey standards for airports. These efforts sunset the initial effort by FAA and NGS to provide survey standards for airports: FAA No. 405 Standards for Aeronautical Surveys and Related Products (4th edition). (FAA’s NextGen Implementation Plan identifies airports GIS as a key enabler of location-based data accuracy.) The following ACs were introduced: • AC 150/5300-16: General Guidance and Specifications for Aeronautical Surveys: Establish- ment of Geodetic Control and Submission to the National Geodetic Survey • AC 150/5300-17: Standards for Using Remote Sensing Technologies in Airport Surveys • AC 150/5300-18: General Guidance and Specifications for Aeronautical Surveys: Airport Survey Data Collection and Geographic Information System Standards The FAA AGIS AC establish standards for geodetic control, by tying survey data collected in the field to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) via NGS-validated and -verified Permanent Airport Control Stations (PACS) and Secondary Airport Control Stations (SACS) established at airports, or Temporary Survey Marks (TSM) created where PACS and SACS are not adequate. They also include imagery requirements for remote sensing measurements and mapping compilation (via aerial triangulation and traditional photogrammetry) as well as GIS standards for aggregating data from field surveys and remote sensing into geodatabases for airport- and airspace-related features and attribution. AGIS requirements include data capture rules for airfield and airspace-related features with attribution. FAA requirements divide data capture of features into safety-critical and non-safety- critical categories. Safety-critical features are directly related to airfield and airspace requirements sufficient for FAA Flight Procedures Teams (FPTs) to build approach and departure procedures.

Airport Land Use Compatibility Concerns 21 [Instrument flight procedure (IFP) development is rooted by statute through federal regula- tions found in U. S. Standard for TERPS, FAA Order 8260.3, and binds with airport design requirements found in AC/150-5300-13.] Safety-critical data includes the runway and taxi- way environment on the airfield—including NAVAIDS, RSAs, RPZs, and runway end points. Safety-critical data also includes the airspace and obstruction environment near airports— focused largely on obstruction identification surfaces (obstructions sufficient to accommodate TERPS and Part 77 analysis) for both vertically guided (VG) and non-vertically guided airspace (NVG) navigation. AGIS requires both safety-critical and non-safety-critical airfield and airspace features to be captured, aggregated, and attributed into a database stored on FAA’s server (Figure 2). The AGIS data capture and upload process involves both FAA approval of the AGIS Statement of Work as well as NGS approval of Geodetic, Imagery, and Survey and Quality Control Plans and Data. NGS validates the plans and verifies the data so the information has been properly vetted and can be disseminated to users such as FAA’s FPTs for the development of IFPs. Land use compatibility, particularly near runway end points and along departure and approach surfaces, are of particular interest. This includes the obstruction environment (trees, antennas, poles, etc., that penetrate or encroach on airspace surfaces or NAVAIDS) and other nearby features that support the footprint of the airport and the boundaries of the airport property. Thus, there are sometimes competing interests at play when it comes to property development near an airport. In efforts to substantiate the importance of the AGIS program as it relates to land use compatibility—particularly for obstructions to navigable airspace—FAA introduced a focused memorandum to internal staff and an engineering brief directed to airport sponsors. The portions of these documents relevant to land use compatibility planning are summarized. FAA Airports Memorandum Reminder of Responsibilities for FAA Personnel and Airport Sponsors for Protecting Approach and Departure Surfaces prompts accountability as it relates to engagement and enforcement of applicable grant assurances and regulations related to ensure approach and departure surfaces are clear of obstacles. Airport sponsors are expected to: • Per FAA AC 150/5300-19, Airport Data and Information Program, the airport master record describes the basic operational and services data of the airport. The primary purpose of the airport master record is to identify the minimum data and information about the physical Figure 2. FAA AGIS: safety-critical and non-safety-critical projects.

22 Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports infrastructure, characteristics, services, operations, and status of all airports (public and private) comprising the NAS. To accommodate updates to its airport master record, FAA requires airports to record the new information and submit it to FAA via airport master record forms (series 5010). • Meet GIS requirements, including use of the surface analysis and visualization (SAV) tool. • Develop an Obstacle Action Plan (OAP) that details how and when each of the surfaces will be cleared and maintained. Engineering Brief 91 Management of Vegetation in the Airport Environment details how airport owners and opera- tors collect, submit, and manage data describing vegetation, on or near the airport, that affects or has the potential to affect the safe and efficient use of the airport. The document explains how to limit the effects of existing airport airspace objects and prevent future airport object penetrations by proactively collecting, reporting, and managing data about the vegetation surrounding an airport. Mitigation may include clearing or topping of trees, negotiations for aviation easements, or tree maintenance programs. Data collection, submission, and manage- ment are expected to be conducted via FAA AGIS requirements. [An FAA airport engineering brief (EB) provides additional information about airport engineering, design, and construc- tion standards and specifications included in FAA airports ACs.] In summary, airport compatible land uses can coexist with a nearby airport without either constraining the safe and efficient operation of the airport or exposing people living and work- ing nearby to unacceptable levels of noise or hazards. However, it is important to determine the level of compatibility of land uses around an airport based on the potential effects to land such as aircraft noise and obstructions to navigable airspace. Furthermore, GIS technologies and standards exist to enable potential collaboration between airport planners, community planners, and other land use compatibility stakeholders.