Dynamic aviation planning tool

• US 9,189,824 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McFarland-Johnson, Inc.
• Original Assignee: McFarland-Johnson, Inc.
• Inventors: Nixon, Chad Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Thangavelu, Kandasamy
• Application Number:
  US13/794,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A method for airport dynamic aviation planning is disclosed. The method includes the steps of populating an existing conditions database comprising an inventory of existing conditions data at the airport, defining an aviation planning scenario with a graphical user interface by selecting input parameters, developing, by a processor, a future growth forecast comprising future levels of aviation activity at the airport in response to the selected input parameter, generating, by a processor, a facility requirements summary needed to satisfy the selected input parameter by comparing the difference between the future growth forecast and the existing conditions data, and generating, by a processor, a dynamic airport layout plan graphically representing the facility requirements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented dynamic analysis tool for aviation planning, comprising:

a computer processor;

a computer readable storage medium coupled to the computer processor;

memory coupled to the computer processor;

an existing conditions database coupled to the computer processor, the existing conditions database comprising existing conditions data selected from the group consisting of;

the physical facilities on the airport, the regional setting of the airport and surrounding land uses, the environmental setting of the airport, aviation forecasting baseline data, and airport business affairs;

program instructions to create an aviation planning scenario by accepting a user-selectable parameter associated with the existing conditions data;

program instructions to compute future growth forecast data of future levels of aviation activity in response to the user-selectable parameter;

program instructions to compute airport facility requirements needed to satisfy the user-selectable parameter by comparing the difference between the future growth forecast data and the existing conditions data; and

program instructions to create a dynamic airport layout plan graphically representing the facility requirements;

wherein the program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the computer processor.

2. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, wherein the existing conditions database further includes historical financial data for the airport.

3. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, further comprising program instructions to generate financial data of projected future revenues and expenses based upon the facility requirements to satisfy the aviation planning scenario.

4. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 3, further comprising program instructions to create an output summary based upon the facility requirements and financial data.

5. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 4, wherein the output summary comprises a facility requirements portion, a forecasting portion, and a financial data portion.

6. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, further comprising program instructions to create an airport layout plan graphically representing the existing airport facility.

7. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic airport layout plan comprises geographic information systems (GIS) based output.

8. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 7, further including layers tied to the user-selectable parameter.

9. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, wherein the user-selectable parameter is a pre-loaded, scenario-based parameter.

10. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 9, wherein the scenario-based parameter is selected from the group consisting of new service, air cargo, and low cost carrier.

11. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, wherein the user-selectable parameter is a user-defined parameter.

12. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, wherein the aviation planning scenario is implemented via graphical user interface.

13. The dynamic analysis tool according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic analysis tool is provided as a service in a cloud environment.

14. A computer program product for dynamic analysis of aviation planning functions, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to create an aviation planning scenario by accepting a user-selectable parameter associated with existing conditions data;

computer readable program code configured to compute future growth forecast data of future levels of aviation activity in response to the user-selectable parameter;

computer readable program code configured to compute airport facility requirements needed to satisfy the user-selectable parameter by comparing the difference between the future growth forecast data and the existing conditions data; and

computer readable program code configured to create a dynamic airport layout plan graphically representing the facility requirements.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code configured to generate financial data of projected future revenues and expenses based upon the facility requirements to satisfy the aviation planning scenario.

16. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the dynamic airport layout plan comprises geographic information systems (GIS) based output.

17. A method for airport dynamic aviation planning, comprising the steps of:

populating an existing conditions database comprising an inventory of existing conditions data at the airport;

defining an aviation planning scenario with a graphical user interface by selecting input parameters;

developing, by a processor, a future growth forecast comprising future levels of aviation activity at the airport in response to the selected input parameter;

generating, by the processor, facility requirements needed to satisfy the selected input parameter by comparing the difference between the future growth forecast and the existing conditions data; and

generating, by the processor, a dynamic airport layout plan graphically representing the facility requirements.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of generating financial data of projected future revenues and expenses based upon the facility requirements to satisfy the aviation planning scenario.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of creating an output summary based upon the facility requirements and financial data.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of creating an airport layout plan graphically representing the existing airport facility.