Systematic Multi-Criteria Approach to Determine Suitable Vertiport Locations for Advanced Air Mobility

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is projected to form an integral part of transportation within the near future. As a result, it is critical to analyze environmental and societal concerns that come with its implementation. The scalability, acceptance, and success of AAM operations are highly dependent on the vertiport locations selected. The location of vertiports influences how operations will coexist with surrounding flights, integrate with other modes of transport, and impact local communities. However, determining feasible vertiport locations can be challenging. The following paper provides a systematic approach to determining vertiport locations utilizing multi-criterion decision analysis. The framework utilizes a user-defined objective to assess feasible vertiport locations based on a set of criteria established by existing vertiport considerations. Data used to measure the suitability of a vertiport, as defined by a set of criteria, are obtained from publicly available data from OpenStreetMap and the CalTrans Performance Measurement System. The framework is developed with Orange County, California, as a case study. The multi-criteria approach presented is independent of vehicle configuration and may be expanded to other case study locations. In conjunction with stakeholder and community input, the following methodology is intended to inform and support future vertiport decision-making.