Environmental Tools
Quantifying and modeling aviation environmental impact to reduce noise, fuel burn and emissions
Metron Aviation has long been at the forefront of developing the environmental modeling and analysis tools needed to measure potential environmental impacts due to proposed changes in air transportation systems in all areas: surface, terminal and en route. Metron Aviation has a proven track record in developing tools to estimate noise and emissions (including greenhouse gases and associated fuel metrics) impacts at a macroscopic level, as well as at a detailed analysis level and the capability to determine root causes of noise and emission impacts, due to specific variable changes (routing, procedures, aircraft fleet mix, etc.). The determination to develop versatile and pragmatic environmental analysis tools to support the governments, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) and users involved in the operational evolution of air transport worldwide has made Metron Aviation a recognized leader in the support and direction of environmental analysis, policy and process evolution.
Current projects include:
- National Airspace System-wide Environmental Impact Model (NASEIM) is capable of computing associated noise and emissions impacts with geographic coverage for the entire National Airspace System (NAS), through regional and local levels.
- Noise Integrated Routing System/NIRS Screening Tool (NIRS/NST) allows for a higher level assessment of potential noise impacts for a study area, requiring less commitment of time and resources to determine significant noise impacts.
- Modeling Environmental Factors in Surface Traffic Optimization (MEFISTO) directly addresses the needs of the NASA Airportal Project, to create tools and methods to assess environmental constraints in the noise, emissions and fuel-efficiency domains.
- Airspace Design Environmental Prototyping Tool (ADEPT) is a highly configurable framework for visualization and simulation tools.
With the realization that understanding and quantifying aviation's impact on our environment is the first step in formulating meaningful approaches for mitigating that impact, Metron Aviation is committed to continue to provide new and innovative environmental analysis tools that support government policy, focused alternatives analysis and stakeholder needs, to ensure a level of protection that will support environmentally sustainable growth. Metron Aviation understands that improving environmental protection and addressing energy challenges are vital elements to facilitate a more globally harmonized approach to these critical issues which will ensure continued air transportation viability worldwide.