[ { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2554888148", "doi": "10.1111/trf.13900", "title": "Drone transportation of blood products", "year": 2016, "publication_date": "2016-11-11", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Timothy K. Amukele", "Paul M. Ness", "Aaron A.R. Tobian", "Joan S. Boyd", "Jeff Street" ], "first_author": "Timothy K. Amukele", "venue": "Transfusion", "publisher": "Wiley", "abstract": "BACKGROUND: Small civilian unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are a novel way to transport small goods. To the best of our knowledge there are no studies examining the impact of drone transport on blood products, describing approaches to maintaining temperature control, or component physical characteristics during drone transport. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Six leukoreduced red blood cell (RBC) and six apheresis platelet (PLT) units were split using sterile techniques. The larger parent RBC and PLT units, as well as six unthawed plasma units frozen within 24 hours of collection (FP24), were placed in a cooler, attached to the drone, and flown for up to 26.5 minutes with temperature logging. Ambient temperatures during the experimental window ranged between -1 and 18°C across 2 days. The difference between the ambient and unit temperatures was approximately 20°C for PLT and FP24 units. After flight, the RBC parent units were centrifuged and visually checked for hemolysis; the PLTs were checked for changes in mean PLT volumes (MPVs), pH, and PLT count; and the frozen air bubbles on the back of the FP24 units were examined for any changes in size or shape, as evidence of thawing. RESULTS: There was no evidence of RBC hemolysis; no significant changes in PLT count, pH, or MPVs; and no changes in the FP24 bubbles. The temperature of all units was maintained during transport and flight. CONCLUSION: There was no adverse impact of drone transport on RBC, PLT, or FP24 units. These findings suggest that drone transportation systems are a viable option for the transportation of blood products.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Hemolysis", "Blood collection", "Significant difference", "Apheresis", "Platelet", "Environmental science", "Medicine", "Biology", "Immunology", "Emergency medicine", "Botany" ], "cited_by_count": 194, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.13900" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2793736108", "doi": "10.3390/su10030888", "title": "A Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Benefits of Drone-Based Delivery Services in Urban and Rural Areas", "year": 2018, "publication_date": "2018-03-20", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jiyoon Park", "Solhee Kim", "Kyo Suh" ], "first_author": "Jiyoon Park", "venue": "Sustainability", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV, drones) used as delivery vehicles have received increasing attention due to their mobility and accessibility to remote areas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental impacts of drone versus motorcycle delivery and to compare the expected environmental improvements due to drone delivery in urban and rural areas. In addition, the potential environmental contributions of electric motorcycles were assessed to determine the effects of introducing this new type of vehicle. Changes in the national electricity generation plan were also examined. The results showed that global warming potential (GWP) per 1 km delivery by drone was one-sixth that of motorcycle delivery, and the particulates produced by drone delivery were half that of motorcycle delivery. The actual environmental impact reduction in consideration of the delivery distance was 13 times higher in a rural area than in an urban area. Increasing the use of environmentally friendly electricity systems, such as solar and wind power, would further enhance the environmental effects of a drone delivery system.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Electricity", "Food delivery", "Environmental science", "Environmental impact assessment", "Rural area", "Business", "Engineering", "Advertising", "Ecology" ], "cited_by_count": 167, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/3/888/pdf?version=1525344506" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3047219565", "doi": "10.1016/j.jairtraman.2020.101862", "title": "Estimation of traffic density from drone-based delivery in very low level urban airspace", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-08-05", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Malik Doole", "Joost Ellerbroek", "Jacco M. Hoekstra" ], "first_author": "Malik Doole", "venue": "Journal of Air Transport Management", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "Driven by rising consumer demand, interest is growing in the application of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for the last-mile delivery of small express packages and fast-food meals in cities. To be realised, this would require the Very Low Level (VLL) urban airspace to be able to cope with high traffic densities of commercial delivery drones. The potential benefits of such novel drone-based applications are a reduction of traffic congestion in cities, lower greenhouse gas emissions and more efficient transportation operations. To help realise this concept, programs such as U-Space, the unmanned traffic management system for Europe, are developing important services such as deconfliction management and dynamic capacity management. However, for several of these services, design choices will depend on how, and how extensive they will be used. It therefore becomes important to estimate how many delivery drones would operate in a typical city. This paper aims to provide an estimate by establishing a framework to determine the traffic demand for express drone-based package delivery of five European countries. In addition, a detailed case-study is presented for determining traffic density of express package drone delivery for Paris metropolitan area in order to assess the feasibility from a user's perspective. The paper also discusses the potential of fast-food meal delivery drones compared to traditional delivery modes for Paris. Results suggest that hourly traffic densities culminating from express package and fast-food meal delivery drones will exceed today's global commercial aircraft traffic of 10,000 per day by more than six-fold for just one potential metropolitan city.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Metropolitan area", "Transport engineering", "Traffic congestion", "Air traffic control", "Order (exchange)", "Air traffic management", "Computer science", "Engineering", "Business", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 130, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969699719304004/pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3135653208", "doi": "10.1016/j.ejor.2021.02.039", "title": "Improved delivery policies for future drone-based delivery systems", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-03-02", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Heng Chen", "Zhangchen Hu", "Senay Solak" ], "first_author": "Heng Chen", "venue": "European Journal of Operational Research", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Drone", "Markov decision process", "Profit (economics)", "Computer science", "Order (exchange)", "Operations research", "Business", "Service (business)", "Service delivery framework", "Risk analysis (engineering)", "Operations management", "Markov process" ], "cited_by_count": 82, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.02.039" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4200506244", "doi": "10.1016/j.trc.2021.103506", "title": "Point-to-point drone-based delivery network design with intermediate charging stations", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-12-20", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Roberto Pinto", "Alexandra Lagorio" ], "first_author": "Roberto Pinto", "venue": "Transportation Research Part C Emerging Technologies", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Drone", "Last mile (transportation)", "Computer science", "Heuristic", "Process (computing)", "Operations research", "Network planning and design", "Point (geometry)", "Perspective (graphical)", "Transport engineering", "Mile", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 86, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2021.103506" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4318464221", "doi": "10.3390/s23031463", "title": "Drone Routing for Drone-Based Delivery Systems: A Review of Trajectory Planning, Charging, and Security", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-28", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Asif Mahmud Raivi", "S. M. Asiful Huda", "Muhammad Morshed Alam", "Sangman Moh" ], "first_author": "Asif Mahmud Raivi", "venue": "Sensors", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Recently, owing to the high mobility and low cost of drones, drone-based delivery systems have shown considerable potential for ensuring flexible and reliable parcel delivery. Several crucial design issues must be considered to design such systems, including route planning, payload weight consideration, distance measurement, and customer location. In this paper, we present a survey of emerging drone routing algorithms for drone-based delivery systems, emphasizing three major drone routing aspects: trajectory planning, charging, and security. We focus on practical design considerations to ensure efficient, flexible, and reliable parcel delivery. We first discuss the potential issues arising when designing such systems. Next, we present a novel taxonomy based on the above-mentioned three aspects. We extensively review each algorithm for drone routing in terms of key features and operational characteristics. Furthermore, we compare the algorithms in terms of their main idea, advantages, limitations, and performance aspects. Finally, we present open research challenges to motivate further research in this field. In particular, we focus on the major aspects that researchers and engineers need to consider in order to design effective and reliable drone routing algorithms for drone-based delivery systems.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Payload (computing)", "Computer science", "Routing (electronic design automation)", "Key (lock)", "Focus (optics)", "Systems engineering", "Risk analysis (engineering)", "Computer security", "Engineering", "Computer network" ], "cited_by_count": 83, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/3/1463/pdf?version=1674896807" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2907636752", "doi": "10.1007/s42405-018-0117-0", "title": "The Selection of Vertiport Location for On-Demand Mobility and Its Application to Seoul Metro Area", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-01-02", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lim Eunha", "Ho-Yon Hwang" ], "first_author": "Lim Eunha", "venue": "International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "Centroid", "Public transport", "Silhouette", "Longitude", "Geographic coordinate system", "Transport engineering", "Population", "Capital city", "Geography", "Cluster (spacecraft)", "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 139, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s42405-018-0117-0" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4286213418", "doi": "10.3390/drones6070179", "title": "Urban Air Mobility: Systematic Review of Scientific Publications and Regulations for Vertiport Design and Operations", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-07-19", "type": "review", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Karolin Schweiger", "Lukas Preis" ], "first_author": "Karolin Schweiger", "venue": "Drones", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Novel electric aircraft designs coupled with intense efforts from academia, government and industry led to a paradigm shift in urban transportation by introducing UAM. While UAM promises to introduce a new mode of transport, it depends on ground infrastructure to operate safely and efficiently in a highly constrained urban environment. Due to its novelty, the research of UAM ground infrastructure is widely scattered. Therefore, this paper selects, categorizes and summarizes existing literature in a systematic fashion and strives to support the harmonization process of contributions made by industry, research and regulatory authorities. Through a document term matrix approach, we identified 49 Scopus-listed scientific publications (2016–2021) addressing the topic of UAM ground infrastructure with respect to airspace operation followed by design, location and network, throughput and capacity, ground operations, cost, safety, regulation, weather and lastly noise and security. Last listed topics from cost onwards appear to be substantially under-represented, but will be influencing current developments and challenges. This manuscript further presents regulatory considerations (Europe, U.S., international) and introduces additional noteworthy scientific publications and industry contributions. Initial uncertainties in naming UAM ground infrastructure seem to be overcome; vertiport is now being predominantly used when speaking about vertical take-off and landing UAM operations.", "keywords": [ "Harmonization", "Government (linguistics)", "Process (computing)", "Novelty", "Scopus", "Computer science", "Transport engineering", "Ground transportation", "Common ground", "Risk analysis (engineering)", "Business", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 159, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/7/179/pdf?version=1658392569" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2291745973", "doi": "10.2514/4.101960", "title": "Precision Aerial Delivery Systems: Modeling, Dynamics, and Control", "year": 2015, "publication_date": "2015-01-01", "type": "book", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Yakimenko, Oleg A." ], "first_author": "Yakimenko, Oleg A.", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Precision Aerial Delivery Systems: Modeling, Dynamics, and Control provides an overview of the recent developments in precision aerial cargo delivery from the standpoint of developing guidance, navigation and control (GNC) algorithms for the self-guided parafoil and parachute-based aerial delivery systems (PADS). Developing a robust GNC system involves aerodynamics modeling, structural and parametric system identification, understanding the environment PADS glides through developing and testing suitable navigation solutions, guidance strategies, and controllers. Introduction of ram-air gliding parachutes in Sportive sky diving in the early 1970s ended the era of round canopies. Availability of GPS in the late 1990s opened an era of autonomous vehicles, which boosted an interest in self-guided PADS. A substantial improvement in achieving a better landing accuracy demonstrated by the different-weight PADS during the last decade expanded the area of their potential usage. Miniaturization and availability of sensors allowed developing micro-light PADS that not only have their own market niche, but make it possible for universities to utilize these systems in their curricula and research along with other unmanned vehicles. Thus the intended audience for this book is not only professionals and researchers, but graduate and postgraduate students working in the areas of aerial systems modeling and GNC algorithms design as well. The book is coauthored by eleven experts and addresses the following topics: PADS and measures of their effectiveness; Basic analysis of the ram-air parachute; Key factors affecting PADS landing accuracy; Aerodynamic characterization of parafoils; Equations of motion; Stability and steady-state performance; Guidance, navigation, and control; Glide-angle control; Control of nonglidlng parachute systems; Flight test instrumentation; Parametrical identification of PADS.", "keywords": [ "Dynamics (music)", "Computer science", "System dynamics", "Control (management)", "Artificial intelligence", "Psychology" ], "cited_by_count": 82, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/4.101960" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3127762812", "doi": "10.3390/aerospace8020038", "title": "Constrained Urban Airspace Design for Large-Scale Drone-Based Delivery Traffic", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-02-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Malik Doole", "Joost Ellerbroek", "Victor L. Knoop", "Jacco M. Hoekstra" ], "first_author": "Malik Doole", "venue": "Aerospace", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Large-scale adoption of drone-based delivery in urban areas promise societal benefits with respect to emissions and on-ground traffic congestion, as well as potential cost savings for drone-based logistic companies. However, for this to materialise, the ability of accommodating high volumes of drone traffic in an urban airspace is one of the biggest challenges. For unconstrained airspace, it has been shown that traffic alignment and segmentation can be used to mitigate conflict probability. The current study investigates the application of these principles to a highly constrained airspace. We propose two urban airspace concepts, applying road-based analogies of two-way and one-way streets by imposing horizontal structure. Both of the airspace concepts employ heading-altitude rules to vertically segment cruising traffic according to their travel direction. These airspace configurations also feature transition altitudes to accommodate turning flights that need to decrease the flight speed in order to make safe turns at intersections. While using fast-time simulation experiments, the performance of these airspace concepts is compared and evaluated for multiple traffic demand densities in terms of safety, stability, and efficiency. The results reveal that an effective way to structure drone traffic in a constrained urban area is to have vertically segmented altitude layers with respect to travel direction as well as horizontal constraints imposed to the flow of traffic. The study also makes recommendations for areas of future research, which are aimed at supporting dynamic traffic demand patterns.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Transport engineering", "Air traffic control", "Separation (statistics)", "Scale (ratio)", "Traffic congestion", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 56, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/8/2/38/pdf?version=1612169969" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4388286362", "doi": "10.1109/access.2023.3329195", "title": "Drone-Based Delivery Systems: A Survey on Route Planning", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Giulio Attenni", "Viviana Arrigoni", "Novella Bartolini", "Gaia Maselli" ], "first_author": "Giulio Attenni", "venue": "IEEE Access", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "The ever-increasing demand for urban delivery services significantly exacerbates the traffic conditions on our already overly congested urban streets. The problem is even worsened by the dearth of appropriate parking facilities available for efficient offloading operations. As a result, there has been a surge of interest in exploring eco-friendly alternatives to traditional truck-based logistics. Drone technology has significant potential to enable widespread home delivery services and reduce the reliance on trucks within urban areas. Both the academy and the industry have shown interest in developing swiftly deployable and cost-effective delivery systems that rely on drones. This work provides a comprehensive review of the current state of Drone-based Delivery Systems. It explores the latest advancements, methodologies, and employed techniques with a specific emphasis on optimizing task scheduling and designing efficient routes for drone deliveries. It critically analyzes the advantages and drawbacks of existing solutions, contributing a thorough classification based on crucial system features, such as fleet composition, degree of device cooperation, and underlying infrastructure.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Truck", "Scheduling (production processes)", "Transport engineering", "Work (physics)", "Risk analysis (engineering)", "Computer security", "Business", "Engineering", "Operations management" ], "cited_by_count": 40, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/ielx7/6287639/6514899/10308587.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4220774469", "doi": "10.1016/j.clscn.2022.100041", "title": "The electric vehicle routing problem with drones: An energy minimization approach for aerial deliveries", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-03-15", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Nikolaos A. Kyriakakis", "Themistoklis Stamadianos", "Magdalene Marinaki", "Yannis Marinakis" ], "first_author": "Nikolaos A. Kyriakakis", "venue": "Cleaner Logistics and Supply Chain", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "This paper introduces the Electric Vehicle Routing Problem with Drones (EVRPD), the first VRP combining electric ground vehicles (EVs) with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, in order to deliver packages to customers. The problem’s objective is to minimize the total energy consumption, focusing on the main non-constant and controllable factor of energy consumption on a delivery vehicle, the payload weight. The problem considers same-sized packages, belonging to different weight classes. EVs serve as motherships, from which drones are deployed to deliver the packages. Drones can carry multiple packages, up to a certain weight limit and their range is depended on their payload weight. For solving the EVRPD, four algorithms of the Ant Colony Optimization framework are implemented, two versions of the Ant Colony System and the Min–Max Ant System. A Variable Neighborhood Descent algorithm is utilized in all variants as a local search procedure. Instances for the EVRPD are created based on the two-echelon VRP literature and are used to test the proposed algorithms. Their computational results are compared and discussed. Practical, real-life scenarios of the EVRPD application are also presented and solved.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Payload (computing)", "Ant colony optimization algorithms", "Minification", "Vehicle routing problem", "Computer science", "Energy consumption", "Routing (electronic design automation)", "Electric vehicle", "Mathematical optimization", "Range (aeronautics)", "Ant colony" ], "cited_by_count": 100, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772390922000142/pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4296712539", "doi": "10.1287/msom.2022.1148", "title": "Vertiport Planning for Urban Aerial Mobility: An Adaptive Discretization Approach", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-09-21", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kai Wang", "Alexandre Jacquillat", "Vikrant Vaze" ], "first_author": "Kai Wang", "venue": "Manufacturing & Service Operations Management", "publisher": "Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences", "abstract": "Problem definition: Electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicles enable urban aerial mobility (UAM). This paper optimizes the number, locations, and capacities of vertiports in UAM systems while capturing interdependencies between strategic vertiport deployment, tactical operations, and passenger demand. Academic/practical relevance: The model includes a “tractable part” (based on mixed-integer second-order conic optimization) and also a nonconvex demand function. Methodology: We develop an exact algorithm that approximates nonconvex functions with piecewise constant segments, iterating between a conservative model (which yields a feasible solution) and a relaxed model (which yields a solution guarantee). We propose an adaptive discretization scheme that converges to a global optimum—because of the relaxed model. Results: Our algorithm converges to a 1% optimality gap, dominating static discretization benchmarks in terms of solution quality, runtimes, and solution guarantee. Managerial implications: We find that the most attractive structure for UAM is one that uses a few high-capacity vertiports, consolidating operations primarily to serve long-distance trips. Moreover, UAM profitability is highly sensitive to network planning optimization and to customer expectations, perhaps even more so than to vehicle specifications. Therefore, the success of UAM operations requires not only mature eVTOL technologies but also tailored analytics-based capabilities to optimize strategic planning and market-based efforts to drive customer demand. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.1148 .", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Discretization", "Mathematical optimization", "Profitability index", "Operations research", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 90, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.1148" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4365790159", "doi": "10.1109/jiot.2023.3266843", "title": "Drone Transportation System: Systematic Review of Security Dynamics for Smart Mobility", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-04-13", "type": "review", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Simeon Okechukwu Ajakwe", "Dong‐Seong Kim", "Jae‐Min Lee" ], "first_author": "Simeon Okechukwu Ajakwe", "venue": "IEEE Internet of Things Journal", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "The intelligence and integrity of a real-time cyber–physical system depend on how trustworthy the data’s legitimacy, appropriation, and authorization are during end-to-end communication between the participating nodes in its network. With the recurrent repugnant global violations of the airspace by drones and their derivatives, there is an urgent need to empirically evaluate the underlying security architectures that govern drone usage operations for priority logistics. This review examines the significant contribution of artificial intelligence models and blockchain to the development of trustworthy and reliable intelligent and secure autonomous systems by integrating cyberspace, intelligence space, and airspace security. PRISMA-SPIDER methodology was adopted for the systematic review of 133 articles based on the inclusion criteria consisting of 91 (68.4%) quantitative studies, 19 qualitative studies (14.2%), and 23 (17.3%) mixed method studies to balance article selection sensitivity and specificity. The review outcome shows a significant disconnect between model proposals and actual implementation. Through the incorporation of zero-trust architecture into the existing blockchain technology and the convergence of newer AI models, dynamic security issues like drone ownership authentication, drone package delivery verification, drone operation authorization, and drone jurisdiction accountability, can be achieved seamlessly for secure smart mobility via drone transportation systems.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Computer security", "Authentication (law)" ], "cited_by_count": 65, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/jiot.2023.3266843" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4385341181", "doi": "10.1016/j.jairtraman.2023.102460", "title": "New infrastructures for Urban Air Mobility systems: A systematic review on vertiport location and capacity", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-07-28", "type": "review", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Matteo Brunelli", "Chiara Caterina Ditta", "Maria Nadia Postorino" ], "first_author": "Matteo Brunelli", "venue": "Journal of Air Transport Management", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Transport engineering", "Order (exchange)", "Position (finance)", "Computer science", "Dimension (graph theory)", "Public transport", "Risk analysis (engineering)", "Business", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 119, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2023.102460" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2031707715", "doi": "10.2514/6.2009-2980", "title": "Development and Testing of the Miniature Aerial Delivery System Snowflake", "year": 2009, "publication_date": "2009-05-04", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Oleg A. Yakimenko", "Nathan J. Slegers", "Robyn Tiaden" ], "first_author": "Oleg A. Yakimenko", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "This paper discusses the current status of the development of the miniature aerial delivery system to be further employed in a variety of different research projects. It starts from the overall description of the system and proceeds with the discussion of the test results performed so far. Specifically, it addresses the effects of the changing ground winds on touchdown accuracy. The paper ends with conclusions and recommendations.", "keywords": [ "Snowflake", "Computer science", "System testing", "Physics", "Software engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 57, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2009-2980" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3215960726", "doi": "10.1287/ijoc.2021.1109", "title": "Scalable Vertiport Hub Location Selection for Air Taxi Operations in a Metropolitan Region", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-11-29", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Liting Chen", "Sebastian Wandelt", "Weibin Dai", "Xiaoqian Sun" ], "first_author": "Liting Chen", "venue": "INFORMS journal on computing", "publisher": "Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences", "abstract": "On-demand air mobility services, often called air taxis, are on the way to revolutionize our urban/regional transportation sector by lifting transportation to the third dimension and thus possibly contribute to solving the congestion-induced transportation deadlock many metropolitan regions face today. Although existing research mainly focuses on the design of efficient vehicles and specifically battery technology, in the near future, a new question will arise: Where to locate the vertiports/landing pads for such air taxis? In this study, we propose a vertiport location selection problem. In contrast to existing studies, we allow the demand to be distributed over the whole metropolitan area, modeled as a grid, and exclude certain grid cells from becoming hubs, for example, because of safety/geographical constraints. The combination of these two contributions makes the problem intriguingly difficult to solve with standard solution techniques. We propose a novel variable neighborhood search heuristic, which is able to solve 12 × 12 grid instances within a few seconds of computation time and zero gaps in our experiments, whereas CPLEX needs up to 10 hours. We believe that our study contributes toward the scalable selection of vertiport locations for air taxis. Summary of Contribution: The increasing interest in opening the third dimension, that is, altitude, to transportation inside metropolitan regions raises new research challenges. Existing research mainly focuses on the design of efficient vehicles and control problems. In the near future, however, the actual operation of air taxis will lead to new set of operations research problems for so-called air taxi operations. Our contribution focuses on the optimization of vertiports for air taxi operations in a metropolitan region. We choose to model the problem over a grid-like demand structure, with a novel side constraint: selected grid cells are unavailable as hubs, for example, because of environmental, technical, cultural, or other reasons. This makes our model a special case in between the two traditional models: discrete location and continuous location. Our model is inherently difficult to solve for exact methods; for instance, solving a grid of 12 × 12 grid cells needs more than 10 hours with CPLEX, when modeled as a discrete location problem. We show that a straightforward application of existing neighborhood search heuristics is not suitable to solve this problem well. Therefore, we design an own variant of mixed variable neighborhood search, which consists of novel local search steps, tailored toward our grid structure. Our evaluation shows that by using our novel heuristic, almost all instances can be solved toward optimality.", "keywords": [ "Taxis", "Computer science", "Metropolitan area", "Heuristic", "Scalability", "Grid", "Dimension (graph theory)", "Transport engineering", "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Operations research", "Distributed computing", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 80, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2021.1109" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4235628215", "doi": "10.2514/6.2019-0526", "title": "Development of Vertiport Capacity Envelopes and Analysis of Their Sensitivity to Topological and Operational Factors", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-01-06", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Parker D. Vascik", "Robert John Hansman" ], "first_author": "Parker D. Vascik", "venue": "AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "This study develops an Integer Programming (IP) approach to analytically estimate vertiport capacity envelopes. The approach is used to determine the sensitivity of vertiport capacity to the number and layout of touchdown and liftoff pads, taxiways, gates, and parking pads (i.e. the vertiport topology). The study also assesses the sensitivity of vertiport capacity to operational parameters including taxi time, turnaround time, pre-staged aircraft, and approach/departure procedure independence, among others. Findings indicate the importance of balancing the number of touchdown and liftoff pads with the number of gates to achieve maximum aircraft throughput per vertiport footprint. Furthermore, simultaneous paired arrivals or departures provide significant throughput gains without the need for fully independent approach and departure procedures. The methodology and findings introduced in this paper support the development of concepts of operation to maximize throughput for a given vertiport footprint and demand scenario. While throughput has been extensively researched for fixed-wing operations, little research has been dedicated to the operation of infrastructure for Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. The emergence of new VTOL aircraft to conduct a potentially large number of urban air mobility operations creates a need to better understand the operation and throughput capacity of vertiports, especially in space constrained inner-city locations. This paper reviews numerous existing heliport designs to derive four topology classes of vertiport layouts. The IP formulation of vertiport operations is readily adapted to represent the infrastructure and operations of these layouts.", "keywords": [ "Throughput", "Touchdown", "Footprint", "Sensitivity (control systems)", "Takeoff", "Computer science", "Turnaround time", "Topology (electrical circuits)", "Engineering", "Automotive engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 77, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/137978/2/ICAT-2019-01_Parker_Dev.%20of%20Vertiport.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4379232034", "doi": "10.3389/fpubh.2023.1128886", "title": "Implementation of drone based delivery of medical supplies in North-East India: experiences, challenges and adopted strategies", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-06-02", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Sumit Suresh Aggarwal", "Prakamya Gupta", "Nupur Mahajan", "Sivaraman Balaji", "Khangembam Jitenkumar Singh", "Balram Bhargava", "Samiran Panda" ], "first_author": "Sumit Suresh Aggarwal", "venue": "Frontiers in Public Health", "publisher": "Frontiers Media", "abstract": "Timely delivery of medical supplies is essential in the healthcare sector, which is hampered by factors such as poor transportation network, traffic and adverse environmental conditions. Alternatively, drone operations can leapfrog the last mile logistic solutions in hard-to-reach terrains. The present paper elucidates the implementation process of drone-based delivery of medical supplies, operational challenges and innovations adopted by scientists in Manipur and Nagaland. Three districts, Bishnupur, Imphal West and Churachandpur from Manipur and two districts, Mokokchung and Tuensang from Nagaland, were selected for the study. Regulatory and ethical approvals and coordination with state health and administrative authorities were accorded. Implementation and operational challenges faced by the research team were recorded elaborately in the field diaries and assessed qualitatively. The experiences encountered by the team for case-to-case based permission and coordination with the central and state aviation authorities, district administration and health authorities were observed. The drone-related technical and logistic challenges were identified as the deployment of suitable drones, payload capacity, time management for operations, and transportation of drones. The officials adopted mitigation strategies to overcome field-based challenges. Drone-based deliveries of medical supplies are proving to be time efficient, however, overcoming operational challenges could provide an effective long-term deployment strategy.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Software deployment", "Business", "Payload (computing)", "Operations management", "Process management", "Computer science", "Computer security", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 48, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1128886/pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2811494776", "doi": "10.2514/6.2018-2884", "title": "Progress in Vertiport Placement and Estimating Aircraft Range Requirements for eVTOL Daily Commuting", "year": 2018, "publication_date": "2018-06-24", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Matthew J. Daskilewicz", "Brian German", "Matthew Warren", "Laurie A. Garrow", "Sreekar-Shashank Boddupalli", "Thomas H. Douthat" ], "first_author": "Matthew J. Daskilewicz", "venue": "2018 Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference", "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Range (aeronautics)", "Computer science", "Aeronautics", "Transport engineering", "Environmental science", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 83, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2018-2884" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3034700289", "doi": "10.2514/6.2020-2903", "title": "Capacity and Throughput of Urban Air Mobility Vertiports with a First-Come, First-Served Vertiport Scheduling Algorithm", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-06-08", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Nelson Guerreiro", "George E. Hagen", "Jeffrey M. Maddalon", "Ricky W. Butler" ], "first_author": "Nelson Guerreiro", "venue": "AIAA AVIATION 2020 FORUM", "publisher": null, "abstract": "In this paper, a first-come, first-served vertiport scheduling algorithm for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) was exercised to assess and compare the capacity and throughput of various vertiport configurations. The scheduler models each vertiport by the number of vertipads and parking spaces, and manages reservations on timelines for those vertiport resources, at a level of fidelity suitable for fast-time and system-level analyses of UAM concepts and other airspace studies. The paper defines the theoretical model that can be used to estimate the capacity of various vertiport configurations. The theoretical model provides an understanding of the conditions that can lead to either a parking space-limited or a vertipad-limited vertiport. Examples of potential throughput for some vertiport configurations are provided using both a queueing approach as well as a simulated UAM demand scenario. The study demonstrated that a first-come, first-served scheduling approach can have inefficiencies in the use of the vertiport resources. The inefficiencies can increase as the number of resources increases. Nonetheless, 80% or better peak throughput to capacity ratio was observed for most vertiport configurations.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Scheduling (production processes)", "Queueing theory", "Throughput", "Timeline", "Distributed computing", "Mathematical optimization", "Real-time computing", "Computer network", "Wireless", "Telecommunications", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 43, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2020-2903" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3103847337", "doi": "10.1109/dasc50938.2020.9256794", "title": "Operational Analysis of Vertiport Surface Topology", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-10-11", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Shannon J. Zelinski" ], "first_author": "Shannon J. Zelinski", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concepts and technologies are being developed to safely enable operations of small, electric-powered or hybrid, pilot-optional, vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) passenger and cargo aircraft at vertiport facilities in urban and suburban environments. It is likely that many of the highest demand locations for vertiports will be in space constrained urban environments, requiring vertiport designs to maximize throughput within a compact surface footprint. This paper presents several generic vertiport topology design approaches and evaluates their relative surface area utilization and operational efficiency under different wind constrained configurations while meeting safety driven spacing constraints derived from heliport design standards and subject matter expert interviews.", "keywords": [ "Footprint", "Takeoff", "Computer science", "Network topology", "Topology (electrical circuits)", "Takeoff and landing", "Throughput", "Automotive engineering", "Simulation", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering", "Computer network" ], "cited_by_count": 43, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/dasc50938.2020.9256794" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3094448351", "doi": "10.1109/icns50378.2020.9222989", "title": "Design of a Vertiport Design Tool", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-09-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Taylor Megan", "Saldanli Asya", "Andy Park" ], "first_author": "Taylor Megan", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Advances in technology enable the deployment of an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) transportation system for congested metropolitan areas. A key element of UAM are vertiports, the infrastructure that electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) use to land and take-off. A Vertiport Design Tool (VDT) was developed for use by architecture firms designing vertiports to evaluate operational trade-offs between vertiport surface area and vehicle throughput. A stochastic Monte Carlo simulation was developed to calculate vehicle throughput for different vertiport design alternatives, safety risk, and noise constraints. Results show that for every 420 m2increase in vertiport surface area, the throughput increases by one vehicle per hour. For this, the time between vehicle arrivals also needs to decrease by 5 minutes for more arrivals to occur.", "keywords": [ "Throughput", "Software deployment", "Metropolitan area", "Computer science", "Takeoff", "Architecture", "Key (lock)", "Monte Carlo method", "Simulation", "Automotive engineering", "Transport engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 29, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/icns50378.2020.9222989" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4324075736", "doi": "10.1016/j.trip.2023.100795", "title": "Addressing the emergence of drones – A policy development framework for regional drone transportation systems", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-03-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Aishwarya Raghunatha", "Patrik Thollander", "Stephan Barthel" ], "first_author": "Aishwarya Raghunatha", "venue": "Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "The climate crisis demands an energy transition away from fossil fuels, and for the transport sector, this implies finding more electric or hydrogen-fuelled solutions. An emerging disruptive solution with high potential for improved sustainability is using drones as a mode of transport, i.e., Advanced Air Mobility for passenger and freight transport in urban and rural areas,fuelled by electricity or green hydrogen. As drones are being rapidly commercialized, there is a need for a policy framework for local and regional actors to address this in decision-making. This paper aims to develop a policy framework through a systematic literature review where findings have been validated by experts from industry and appropriate governance bodies. The results reveal three conceptual elements in the Advanced Air Mobility system where policy actions are needed: 1) primary technology, including vehicle-related aspects; 2) functionality, including infrastructure and operations; and 3) adoption, including the environment, market, and society. The overall lack of a multi-level governance model for Advanced Air Mobility and the scarcity of knowledge of the topic within vital fields such as energy systems and regional planning are also addressed. The findings are discussed in light of regulatory frameworks for drone transportation in Europe. The paper concludes with a policy development framework for regional Advanced Air Mobility deployment and provides policy implications.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Software deployment", "Corporate governance", "Business", "Scarcity", "Sustainability", "Environmental economics", "Electricity", "Conceptual framework", "Environmental planning", "Industrial organization", "Economics" ], "cited_by_count": 37, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100795" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4377137956", "doi": "10.1016/j.ast.2023.108410", "title": "Efficient prediction of urban air mobility noise in a vertiport environment", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-05-19", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Furkat Yunus", "Damiano Casalino", "Francesco Avallone", "Daniele Ragni" ], "first_author": "Furkat Yunus", "venue": "Aerospace Science and Technology", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "Efficient calculation of urban air mobility noise footprint in a vertiport environment, considering acoustic effects of various designs, operational conditions, and environmental factors, is essential to limit the noise impact on the community at an early stage. To this purpose, the computationally efficient low-fidelity approach presented by the authors in Fuerkaiti et al. (2022) [11] is extended to calculate the noise footprint of an aircraft in a generic 3D environment. The straight-ray propagator is replaced with a Gaussian beam tracer that accounts for complex source directivity, 3D varying terrain topology, and wind profiles. The reliability of the Gaussian beam tracer has been verified in previous studies by the authors. In this work, it is further extended to include complex source directivity in the presence of a moving medium. Noise sources, obtained using a low-fidelity toolchain, are stored on a sphere surrounding the aircraft and are propagated through an inhomogeneous anisotropic atmosphere. Noise footprints, predicted for different terrain topologies, source directivities, and wind flow conditions, are compared. It is shown that, compared to flat terrain, for the case under investigation, the building blocks increase on-ground noise levels by 5 dB in the illuminated zone due to multiple reflections; they also shield the incoming sound field by creating shadow zones behind the building. The shielding increases with increasing frequency in a quiescent atmosphere. The change between the source directivities, corresponding to the first and second harmonics of the blade passing frequency, results in a difference of up to 40 dB in the noise footprint. The presence of the wind flow can contribute a significant variation in the acoustic footprint by changing the lobes of the footprint pattern and intensifying the noise levels; the variation increases with increasing frequency. Compared to the straight-ray propagator, the present approach reduces the prediction error by 5 dB in the illuminated zones and 35 dB in the terrain shadow zones.", "keywords": [ "Directivity", "Noise (video)", "Footprint", "Ambient noise level", "Acoustics", "Terrain", "Line source", "Environmental science", "Computer science", "Physics", "Telecommunications", "Geology" ], "cited_by_count": 51, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2023.108410" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3025932170", "doi": "10.1109/lra.2020.2993768", "title": "Downside Up:Rethinking Parcel Position for Aerial Delivery", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-05-12", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Przemyslaw Kornatowski", "Mir Feroskhan", "William J. Stewart", "Dario Floreano" ], "first_author": "Przemyslaw Kornatowski", "venue": "IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "The conventional approach to parcel placement in most delivery drone designs today is to place the parcel centrally beneath the drone's rotor plane. However, if the parcel is too large, this will result in an obstruction of the propeller slipstream, incurring significant drag. As such, the parcel's location below the rotor plane limits the size of parcels that can be delivered, specifically super-sized parcels that protrude beyond the bounds of the four rotors. Delivering these large parcels requires bigger drone platforms, which consequently consume more energy, necessitate large storage spaces, and are less portable. In this letter, we propose an alternative approach, placing the parcel above the rotor plane. However, placing a parcel above a quadcopter encounters two main challenges. The first is the optimal position of the CG to maintain stability of the drone. Second is the aerodynamic influence on the lift of the drone with a parcel is placed above the propellers. To address these challenges, aerodynamic characterization experiments were performed and a new drone design was proposed. This letter presents a prototype quadcopter design solution that places the parcel above the propellers to enable delivery of super-sized parcels, as well as a compact rotor design configuration for lower storage cost and increased portability. The new approach of placing an over-sized parcel above propellers provides the 82% increase in thrust over putting the parcel below the propellers.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Quadcopter", "Propeller", "Marine engineering", "Lift (data mining)", "Software portability", "Rotor (electric)", "Computer science", "Aerodynamics", "Aerospace engineering", "Thrust", "Position (finance)" ], "cited_by_count": 32, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/ielx7/7083369/9059055/09091085.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4408343994", "doi": "10.3390/cleantechnol7010024", "title": "Environmental Implications of Drone-Based Delivery Systems: A Structured Literature Review", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-03-12", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kumar Abhijeet", "Victor R. Prybutok", "Vikas Kumar Reddy Sangana" ], "first_author": "Kumar Abhijeet", "venue": "Clean Technologies", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "This study presents a structured review of 59 academic articles, identified through an extensive literature survey, focused on the environmental implications of drone-based delivery systems within the broader fields of transportation, logistics, and sustainability. The reviewed journals cover a multidisciplinary range of topics, reflecting the intersection of drone technology with environmental science, logistics management, and operational research. Key journals, such as Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, Computers and Industrial Engineering, and Applied Mathematical Modelling, offer critical insights into how drone technology can reshape logistics systems, reduce environmental impacts, and contribute to intelligent transportation solutions. In addition, niche publications in areas like artificial intelligence, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable transportation further enhance the breadth of this review. By identifying and categorizing these publications, this review provides a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners aiming to explore the environmental and operational challenges of drone-based delivery systems, while also offering a foundation for future research on their sustainability and integration into existing logistics frameworks.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Engineering", "Aeronautics", "Biology" ], "cited_by_count": 20, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol7010024" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4285818751", "doi": "10.1109/tits.2022.3189948", "title": "On the Evaluation of a Drone-Based Delivery System on a Mixed Euclidean-Manhattan Grid", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-07-18", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Francesco Betti Sorbelli", "Cristina Maria Pinotti", "Giulio Rigoni" ], "first_author": "Francesco Betti Sorbelli", "venue": "IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "In this work, we investigate the use of drones in a delivery scenario formed by two contiguous areas. In one area the drones can freely fly on straight lines between any two locations (Euclidean metric), while in the other one the drones must follow the open space above the roads (Manhattan metric). We model this delivery scenario as a Euclidean-Manhattan-Grid (EM-grid). Given a set of customers to be served in an EM-grid, the objective is to find the distribution point (DP) for the drone that minimizes the overall traveled distance, considering that the drone has to do multiple round trips to/from the DP. In our view, the DP is optimized with respect to the set of customers and its computation must be light because it needs to be recomputed every time the set of customers varies. Accordingly, we define the Single Distribution Point Problem (SDPP) and devise sub-optimal time-efficient algorithms for solving it. We numerically compare the cost of our sub-optimal solutions with that of an optimal solution computed with a brute-force approach. Finally, using the BlueSky open air simulator, we compare the cost of our best solution with the cost of a solution that serves the costumers from a fixed DP, like the location of a delivery company’s depot. The fixed DP can perform very poorly for some customer instances, while our solution is highly adaptive and reduces the time and the distance covered by the drone.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Grid", "Computer science", "Euclidean geometry", "Grid system", "Delivery system", "Engineering", "Mathematics", "Geometry" ], "cited_by_count": 20, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/ielx7/6979/10026638/09832016.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3168813454", "doi": "10.1109/icns52807.2021.9441631", "title": "Urban Air Mobility: Factors Affecting Vertiport Capacity", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-04-20", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Mihir Rimjha", "Antonio A. Trani" ], "first_author": "Mihir Rimjha", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "This study aims at analyzing critical factors impacting vertiport capacity in urban areas. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) or Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is a concept transportation mode being designed for intracity transport of passengers and cargo utilizing autonomous electric vehicles capable of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) from dense and congested areas. The vertiports are expected to be placed on rooftops in Central Business Districts (CBD), limiting vertiports' size and suggesting high infrastructure costs. Therefore, vertiport capacity analysis is critical for an efficient UAM network as operations could be tailored for maximum efficiency. This analysis uses the vertiport designs developed for a previous study using current guidelines for heliports by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The minimum area of all designs was estimated for single and dual taxi-lanes configurations.From a preliminary geospatial analysis of San Francisco CBD, the rooftops' sizes are less likely to accommodate vertiports with more than three landing pads, even with tailored modifications. Therefore, this capacity analysis only considers vertiports with 1, 2, and 3 landing pads. A Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model is developed in MATLAB to simulate UAM operations and determine vertiport capacity. A high-demand vertiport in San Francisco Financial District is selected to understand the impact of unidirectional flows on a vertiport's passenger serving capacity. The analysis focuses on the utilization of various elements of vertiport, as they comprise the overall efficiency of the vertiport operations. Moreover, vertiport capacity sensitivity against elements such as the charging rate, service times at landing pads, and parking stalls are included in the findings.", "keywords": [ "Limiting", "Transport engineering", "Geospatial analysis", "Aviation", "Service (business)", "Computer science", "Level of service", "Environmental science", "Business", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 40, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/icns52807.2021.9441631" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3175998939", "doi": "10.3390/app11125729", "title": "Selection of Vertiports Using K-Means Algorithm and Noise Analyses for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in the Seoul Metropolitan Area", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-06-21", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Junyoung Jeong", "Min-Jun So", "Ho-Yon Hwang" ], "first_author": "Junyoung Jeong", "venue": "Applied Sciences", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "In this study, a combination of well-established algorithms and real-world data was implemented for the forward-looking problem of future vertiport network design in a large metropolitan city. The locations of vertiports were selected to operate urban air mobility (UAM) in the Seoul metropolitan area based on the population of commuters, and a noise priority route was created to minimize the number of people affected by noise using Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) software. Demand data were analyzed using survey data from the commuting population and were marked on a map using MATLAB. To cluster the data, the K-means algorithm function built in MATLAB was used to select the center of the cluster as the location of the vertiports, and the accuracy and reliability of the clustering were evaluated using silhouette techniques. The locations of the selected vertiports were also identified using satellite image maps to ensure that the location of the selected vertiports were suitable for the actual vertiport location, and if the location was not appropriate, final vertiports were selected through the repositioning process. A helicopter model was then used to analyze the amount of noise reduction achieved by the noise priority route, which is the route between the selected K-UAM vertiports compared to the shortest distance route. As a result, it was shown that the noise priority route that minimized the amount of noise exposure was more efficient than the business priority routes.", "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "Computer science", "Noise (video)", "MATLAB", "Cluster analysis", "Population", "Transport engineering", "Algorithm", "Data mining", "Real-time computing", "Geography", "Simulation" ], "cited_by_count": 69, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5729/pdf?version=1624264582" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4407893716", "doi": "10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102760", "title": "Vertiport location selection criteria for urban air mobility", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-02-24", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Tülin MERCAN", "Volkan YAVAŞ", "Dilek CAN", "Yasin Mercan" ], "first_author": "Tülin MERCAN", "venue": "Journal of Air Transport Management", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Transport engineering", "Air transport", "Computer science", "Operations research", "Business", "Engineering", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 32, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102760" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4283218631", "doi": "10.2514/6.2022-4073", "title": "Advanced Air Mobility Vertiport Considerations: A List and Overview", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-06-20", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Nancy Mendonca", "James R. Murphy", "Michael D. Patterson", "Rex Alexander", "Gabriela Juarex", "Clint Harper" ], "first_author": "Nancy Mendonca", "venue": "AIAA AVIATION 2022 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-4073.vid Advanced air mobility (AAM) is an emerging field in aeronautics that involves utilizing small aircraft for everyday transportation and other services, and many AAM aircraft are envisioned to take off and land at new infrastructure termed vertiports. This paper describes a variety of considerations related to AAM vertiports that need to be considered in the planning for and deployment of vertiports in practice. The factors include siting, design, regulations, safety, environmental impact, social acceptance, equity, and operational integration factors. Over 450 considerations were compiled from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) participating in NASA’s AAM Ecosystem Working Groups (AEWGs) in October 2021. This paper consolidates these considerations and broadly disseminates the valuable knowledge of these SMEs. These considerations can be used by researchers to conduct demand and network analysis, local transportation planners to develop AAM networks for their community, and the AAM ecosystem members to identify policy, standards, and research gaps.", "keywords": [ "Software deployment", "Variety (cybernetics)", "Subject matter", "Computer science", "Subject-matter expert", "Transport engineering", "Business", "Engineering", "Political science" ], "cited_by_count": 33, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-4073" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2051209569", "doi": "10.1007/s11590-015-0888-1", "title": "Multi-criteria logistics modeling for military humanitarian assistance and disaster relief aerial delivery operations", "year": 2015, "publication_date": "2015-04-10", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Nathaniel D. Bastian", "Paul M. Griffin", "Eric Spero", "Lawrence V. Fulton" ], "first_author": "Nathaniel D. Bastian", "venue": "Optimization Letters", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Humanitarian aid", "Supply chain", "Multiple-criteria decision analysis", "Procurement", "Population", "Operations research", "Humanitarian Logistics", "Natural disaster", "Integer programming", "Emergency management", "Supply chain management", "Supply chain network" ], "cited_by_count": 44, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11590-015-0888-1" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4210503244", "doi": "10.1016/j.cstp.2022.01.010", "title": "Vertiport and air taxi features valued by consumers in the United States and India", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-01-31", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Stephen C. Rice", "Scott R. Winter", "Sean R. Crouse", "Keith Jonathan Ruskin" ], "first_author": "Stephen C. Rice", "venue": "Case Studies on Transport Policy", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Business", "Transport engineering", "Agricultural economics", "Geography", "Advertising", "Engineering", "Economics" ], "cited_by_count": 37, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2022.01.010" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4317727251", "doi": "10.3390/s23031233", "title": "ALIEN: Assisted Learning Invasive Encroachment Neutralization for Secured Drone Transportation System", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-20", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Simeon Okechukwu Ajakwe", "Vivian Ukamaka Ihekoronye", "Dong‐Seong Kim", "Jae‐Min Lee" ], "first_author": "Simeon Okechukwu Ajakwe", "venue": "Sensors", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Priority-based logistics and the polarization of drones in civil aviation will cause an extraordinary disturbance in the ecosystem of future airborne intelligent transportation networks. A dynamic invention needs dynamic sophistication for sustainability and security to prevent abusive use. Trustworthy and dependable designs can provide accurate risk assessment of autonomous aerial vehicles. Using deep neural networks and related technologies, this study proposes an artificial intelligence (AI) collaborative surveillance strategy for identifying, verifying, validating, and responding to malicious use of drones in a drone transportation network. The dataset for simulation consists of 3600 samples of 9 distinct conveyed objects and 7200 samples of the visioDECT dataset obtained from 6 different drone types flown under 3 different climatic circumstances (evening, cloudy, and sunny) at different locations, altitudes, and distance. The ALIEN model clearly demonstrates high rationality across all metrics, with an F1-score of 99.8%, efficiency with the lowest noise/error value of 0.037, throughput of 16.4 Gbps, latency of 0.021, and reliability of 99.9% better than other SOTA models, making it a suitable, proactive, and real-time avionic vehicular technology enabler for sustainable and secured DTS.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Computer security", "Avionics", "Artificial intelligence", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 26, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/3/1233/pdf?version=1675323887" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4220922484", "doi": "10.3390/electronics11071071", "title": "Vertiport Operations Modeling, Agent-Based Simulation and Parameter Value Specification", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-03-29", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis", "Mirko Hornung" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "Electronics", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Urban air mobility (UAM) is the idea of creating a future mobility market through the introduction of a new mode of aerial transport with substantial travel time advantages. A key factor diminishing travel time savings is vertiport processes. So far, vertiport throughput capacity has only been studied in a static manner using analytical methods, which has been found to be insufficient. This paper wants to increase the level of understanding of operational dynamics on vertiport airfields by being the first to apply agent-based simulation. For this purpose, an existing vertiport model consisting of pads, gates and stands was refined through two means. First, a sensitivity study with over 100 simulations was executed shedding light on the driving processes on a vertiport airfield. Second, an expert interview series with 17 participants was conducted, letting the experts evaluate the model and specify relevant parameter values. Three main results should find mention here: (1) Pad operations were identified to be most impactful on passenger delays. (2) Pad and gate processes have a threshold capacity beyond which delays increase exponentially. (3) A refined vertiport model is presented, including the 27 most relevant parameters and their value specification. In conclusion, this paper finds that optimized vertiport airfield design is crucial to UAM operations, and dynamic passenger and vehicle interactions cannot be neglected.", "keywords": [ "Key (lock)", "Computer science", "Sensitivity (control systems)", "Mode (computer interface)", "Simulation", "Value (mathematics)", "Throughput", "Operations research", "Industrial engineering", "Engineering", "Computer security", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 38, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/11/7/1071/pdf?version=1648603970" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2301197528", "doi": "10.4271/965523", "title": "The Vertiport as an Urban Design Problem", "year": 1996, "publication_date": "1996-10-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Marc Maurice Cohen" ], "first_author": "Marc Maurice Cohen", "venue": "SAE technical papers on CD-ROM/SAE technical paper series", "publisher": null, "abstract": "This paper explores the urban design problem that the Vertiport poses for integration into the urban fabric and transportation systems. It discusses the complex challenges of site selection, intermodalism, and community acceptance. The paper presents a generic design prototype of a Vertiport for urban harbors as a solution for the land use, site selection, and community acceptance issues.", "keywords": [ "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 18, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.4271/965523" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4400016285", "doi": "10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142988", "title": "Strategic integration of vertiport planning in multimodal transportation for urban air mobility: A case study in Beijing, China", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-06-24", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Ying Zhao", "Tao Feng" ], "first_author": "Ying Zhao", "venue": "Journal of Cleaner Production", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Beijing", "China", "Business", "Transport engineering", "Strategic planning", "Urban planning", "Environmental planning", "Geography", "Engineering", "Civil engineering", "Marketing" ], "cited_by_count": 52, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://ir.lib.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/00055848" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3199273862", "doi": "10.1016/j.trc.2021.103385", "title": "Terminal area control rules and eVTOL adaptive scheduling model for multi-vertiport system in urban air Mobility", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-09-22", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Quan Min Shao", "Mengxue Shao", "Yang Lu" ], "first_author": "Quan Min Shao", "venue": "Transportation Research Part C Emerging Technologies", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Scheduling (production processes)", "Air traffic control", "Computer science", "Operating cost", "Engineering", "Real-time computing", "Automotive engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 54, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2021.103385" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3212961858", "doi": "10.1109/mass52906.2021.00061", "title": "Efficient Route Selection for Drone-based Delivery Under Time-varying Dynamics", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-10-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Arindam Khanda", "Federico Corò", "Francesco Betti Sorbelli", "Cristina Maria Pinotti", "Sajal Kumar Das" ], "first_author": "Arindam Khanda", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The use of drones can be a valuable solution for the problem of delivering goods for many reasons. In fact, they can be efficiently employed in time-critical situations when there is a traffic jam on the roads, to serve customers in hard-to-reach places, or simply to expand the business. However, due to limited battery capacities and the fact that drones can serve a single customer at a time, a drone-based delivery system (DBDS) aims to minimize the drones’ energy usage for completing a route from the depot to the customer and go back to the depot for new deliveries. In general, the shortest delivery route could not be the optimal choice since external factors like the wind (which varies with time) can affect energy consumption. Previous work has mainly considered simplified DBDSs assuming architectures with a single drone and with static costs on paths. Moreover, in these non-centralized architectures, the drones themselves compute the routes on the fly employing their onboard processing resources, making this choice costly. In this paper we develop a centralized system for computing energy-efficient time-varying routes for drones in a multi-depot multi-drone delivery system. Specifically, we propose a novel centralized parallel algorithm called Parallel Shortest Route Update (PSRU) that, over time, updates the drones’ delivery routes avoiding the whole recomputation from scratch. A comprehensive evaluation proves that PSRU is up to 4. 5x faster than the state-of-the-art algorithms.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Distributed computing", "Real-time computing" ], "cited_by_count": 15, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/mass52906.2021.00061" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4388666595", "doi": "10.1109/tits.2023.3329029", "title": "Drones in the Big City: Autonomous Collision Avoidance for Aerial Delivery Services", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-11-14", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Fabíola Martins Campos de Oliveira", "Luiz F. Bittencourt", "Reinaldo A. C. Bianchi", "Carlos Kamienski" ], "first_author": "Fabíola Martins Campos de Oliveira", "venue": "IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "As delivery companies continue to explore the use of drones, the need for efficient and safe operation in urban environments becomes increasingly critical. Market-wide versions of drone delivery services will necessarily spread many drones, especially in big cities. In this scenario, avoiding collisions with other drones or typical obstacles in urban spaces is fundamental. This paper proposes and evaluates, via simulation and analytical modeling, an aerial delivery service scenario and three autonomous geometric approaches for collision avoidance. We compare our approaches with three simple methods – DoNothing (not detouring), Random, and aviation-like Rightward – and two state-of-the-art geometric approaches. Simulation experiments consider different fleet sizes with constant and Poisson drone arrival rates and drones randomly choosing one of different altitudes for the cruise flight. Contrary to our expectations, the Random and Rightward approaches increase the collisions compared with DoNothing, making the latter our baseline. Our approaches significantly reduce collisions in all experiments and deal with more drones within the detection radius, showing that collisions are more complex to avoid. Comparing the collision rate, successful trips, and the number of flying drones reveals that the efficiency in avoiding collisions reduces the number of successful trips by increasing the number of active drones. Regardless of the expected reduction in collisions, more altitudes do not eliminate them. These results indicate the need for more sophisticated approaches to reduce or eliminate collisions. The analytical modeling using Markov Chains corroborates the simulation results by shedding some light on and helping explain the simulation results.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Collision avoidance", "Markov chain", "TRIPS architecture", "Trajectory", "Simulation", "Aeronautics", "Collision", "Aerospace engineering", "Computer security", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 27, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/tits.2023.3329029" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3111951640", "doi": "10.1109/tits.2020.3040549", "title": "Optimized Landing of Drones in the Context of Congested Air Traffic and Limited Vertiports", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-12-11", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Zhenyu Zhou", "Jun Chen", "Yanchao Liu" ], "first_author": "Zhenyu Zhou", "venue": "IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "Drone fleet operators must be able to land the whole fleet in short notice. In practical operations, landing spots are usually much fewer than airborne drones. When many drones gravitate toward the limited landing spots simultaneously, congestion management becomes a challenge. This paper characterizes the fleet landing problem using mixed integer programming techniques and proposes a series of computational enhancements to reduce the solution time from hours to seconds. The solution algorithms are implemented in a software prototype for traffic management, and are thoroughly validated via extensive numerical examples and field simulations. For a fleet of 18 drones navigating at the same altitude layer within a 4-square kilometer area, all routing and trajectory computations can be completed in less than 5 seconds, and the entire fleet is able to complete landing at three pre-planned landing spots within about 3 minutes. Therefore, the models and algorithms are suitable for practical use.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Context (archaeology)", "Computer science", "Fleet management", "Trajectory", "Computation", "Integer programming", "Notice", "Air traffic control", "Aeronautics", "Real-time computing", "Operations research" ], "cited_by_count": 28, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/tits.2020.3040549" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4405350657", "doi": "10.1016/j.tra.2024.104353", "title": "Vertiport location for eVTOL considering multidimensional demand of urban air mobility: An application in Beijing", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-12-13", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jiang Yu", "Zhichao Li", "Yasha Wang", "Qingwen Xue" ], "first_author": "Jiang Yu", "venue": "Transportation Research Part A Policy and Practice", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Beijing", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Environmental science", "Geography", "Engineering", "China" ], "cited_by_count": 36, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2024.104353" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4372279241", "doi": "10.3390/drones7050300", "title": "Drone High-Rise Aerial Delivery with Vertical Grid Screening", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-05-04", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Avishkar Seth", "Alice James", "Endrowednes Kuantama", "Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay", "Richard Y. Han" ], "first_author": "Avishkar Seth", "venue": "Drones", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Delivery drones typically perform delivery by suspending the parcel vertically or landing the drone to drop off the package. However, because of the constrained landing area and the requirement for precise navigation, delivering items to customers who reside in multi-story apartment complexes poses a unique challenge. This research paper proposes a novel drone delivery system for multi-story apartment buildings with balconies that employ two methods for Vertical Grid Screening (VGS), i.e., Grid Screening (GS) and Square Screening (SS), to detect unique markers to identify the precise balcony that needs to receive the product. The developed drone has a frame size of 295 mm and is equipped with a stereo camera and a ranging sensor. The research paper also explores the scanning and trajectory methods required for autonomous flight to accurately approach the marker location. The proposed machine learning system is trained on a YOLOv5 model for image recognition of the marker, and four different models and batch sizes are compared. The 32-batch size with a 960 × 1280 resolution model provides an average of 0.97 confidence for an extended range. This system is tested outdoors and shows an accuracy of 95% for a planned trajectory with 398 ms detection time as a solution for last-mile delivery in urban areas.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Grid", "Computer science", "Real-time computing", "Trajectory", "Frame (networking)", "Artificial intelligence", "Range (aeronautics)", "Simulation", "Computer vision", "Geography", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 23, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/5/300/pdf?version=1683283556" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3134788002", "doi": "10.1007/s42405-020-00345-9", "title": "Approach Control Concepts and Optimal Vertiport Airspace Design for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Operation", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-03-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kyowon Song", "Hwasoo Yeo", "Jung-Ho Moon" ], "first_author": "Kyowon Song", "venue": "International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "SAFER", "Queueing theory", "Control (management)", "RADIUS", "Terminal (telecommunication)", "Air traffic control", "Simulation", "Engineering", "Computer science", "Aerospace engineering", "Computer network", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 43, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s42405-020-00345-9" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3186938688", "doi": "10.2514/6.2021-2372", "title": "Quick Sizing, Throughput Estimating and Layout Planning for VTOL Aerodromes – A Methodology for Vertiport Design", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-07-28", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "AIAA AVIATION 2021 FORUM", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-2372.vid In recent years there has been a growing interest in introducing air travel into cities as an alternative mode of transport with substantially shorter travel times than conventional transportation. For this vision to become available for the general public a high volume of operations will need to take place on limited space in highly constrained inner-city areas. This paper introduces a method to find suitable areas for vertiports, estimate possible throughput and aid the layout planning process. It seeks to shed light on the question which magnitudes of throughput are possible in inner-city environments under a variety of processing times, vehicle sizes and vertiport topologies. This Vertiport Sizing Method enables the user to quickly select a location from street maps, calculate the optimal composition of vertiport elements and design a concrete layout for the vertiport – all within a few minutes – and therefore aims to pave the way for enhanced vertiport network studies.", "keywords": [ "Sizing", "Throughput", "Computer science", "Process (computing)", "Variety (cybernetics)", "Network planning and design", "Network topology", "Transport engineering", "Simulation", "Engineering", "Computer network", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 37, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-2372" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4290467230", "doi": "10.3390/drones6080195", "title": "Preliminary Clinical Validation of a Drone-Based Delivery System in Urban Scenarios Using a Smart Capsule for Blood", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-08-05", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Fabrizio Niglio", "Paola Comite", "Andrea Cannas", "Angela Pirri", "Giuseppe Tortora" ], "first_author": "Fabrizio Niglio", "venue": "Drones", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "In this paper, we report on the validation of an autonomous drone-based delivery system equipped with a smart capsule for the transportation of blood products in urban areas. The influence of some thermo-mechanical parameters, such as altitude, acceleration/deceleration, external temperature and humidity, on the specimens’ integrity were analyzed. The comparison of the results carried out by hemolytic tests, performed systematically on samples before and after each drone flight, clearly demonstrated that the integrity of blood is preserved and no adverse effects took place during the transport; these results can be addressed to the smart-capsule properties, which allows integrating real-time quality monitoring and control of the temperature experienced by blood products and mechanical vibrations. In addition, we demonstrated this transport system reduces the delivery time considerably. A risk analysis (i.e., HFMEA) was applied to all delivery processes to assess possible criticalities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a drone-based delivery system of blood products in an urban area has been validated to be employed in a future clinical scenario.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Environmental science", "Automotive engineering", "Simulation", "Engineering", "Biology" ], "cited_by_count": 19, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/8/195/pdf?version=1659954870" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2998457544", "doi": "10.2514/6.2020-1958", "title": "Aerodynamic design of a tactical Blended-Wing-Body UAV for the aerial delivery of cargo and lifesaving supplies", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-01-05", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Pericles Panagiotou", "Dimitrios Mitridis", "Thomas Dimopoulos", "Stavros Kapsalis", "Stylianos Dimitriou", "Kyriakos Yakinthos" ], "first_author": "Pericles Panagiotou", "venue": "AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "The current study presents the aerodynamic design procedure of a tactical UAV, whose mission is to swiftly deliver several kilograms of cargo and lifesaving supplies at isolated territories and dispersed islands via airlift methods. The UAV is based on the Blended-Wing-Body configuration, since it combines a large available internal volume with high aerodynamic efficiency. The requirements of the system are briefly presented and a presentation of the design procedures and sizing tools is made, emphasizing on the preliminary design phase. A custom, integrated 3D aerodynamic analysis method is presented, as well as the CFD methodology that is employed to calculate the aerodynamic and stability coefficients. The configuration layout, aerodynamic optimization, internal layout, stability and control, airdrop, thermal management, performance assessment and proof of concept studies are all described, along with the corresponding low- and high-fidelity analysis tools. The unique aspects of the BWB cargo UAV configuration are discussed throughout the paper, which concludes with the results of the aerodynamic design and the corresponding conclusions.", "keywords": [ "Aerodynamics", "Sizing", "Aerospace engineering", "Computer science", "Configuration design", "Engineering", "Simulation", "Systems engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 32, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2020-1958" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4384037065", "doi": "10.3390/drones7070464", "title": "Impact of Wind on eVTOL Operations and Implications for Vertiport Airside Traffic Flows: A Case Study of Hamburg and Munich", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-07-11", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Karolin Schweiger", "Reinhard Schmitz", "Franz Knabe" ], "first_author": "Karolin Schweiger", "venue": "Drones", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "This study examines the impact of wind/gust speed conditions on airside traffic flows at vertiports in the context of on-demand urban air mobility based on the Vertidrome Airside Level of Service Framework. A wind-dependent operational concept introducing four wind speed categories with corresponding wind-dependent separation values is developed and applied in simulation. A decade (2011–2020) of historical METAR wind/gust speed reports are analyzed for a potential vertiport location at Hamburg and Munich airport, and a representative year of wind speed data is selected for each location as simulation input. Both locations experience performance degradation during the first quarter of the simulated year, which contains over 50% of the annual flight cancellations, and exceed wind-operating conditions, especially during midday and early afternoon hours. This study discusses the importance of wind-dependent coordination of flight schedules and analyzes the challenge of determining appropriate wind speed category thresholds. Lower thresholds result in an increased frequency of operationally unfavorable wind/gust conditions. Additional sensitivity analyses are performed to study the effects of wind-dependent separation deltas and wind-(in)dependent scheduling approaches. In conclusion, the presented approach enables planners and operators to make informed decisions about vertiport traffic flow characteristics and performance, vertiport location, and business cases.", "keywords": [ "Wind speed", "Environmental science", "Meteorology", "Context (archaeology)", "Separation (statistics)", "Wind direction", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Engineering", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 37, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/7/464/pdf?version=1689171456" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W1603776518", "doi": "10.23919/ecc.2009.7074760", "title": "Using direct methods for terminal guidance of autonomous aerial delivery systems", "year": 2009, "publication_date": "2009-08-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Oleg A. Yakimenko", "Nathan J. Slegers" ], "first_author": "Oleg A. Yakimenko", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "This paper discusses the usage of direct methods of calculus of variations for real-time optimization of a final turn-into-the-wind maneuver for autonomous guided parafoil-based delivery systems. It reviews several approaches that are currently being pursued by different developers of such systems and discusses the necessity of usage and applicability of a direct method to optimize the final turn. The proposed approach seeks for an optimal solution within a certain class of parameterized inertial trajectories and further employs inverse dynamics to find the corresponding control. This approach has been successfully used in a variety of real-time applications already and proved to work well in a developed miniature aerial delivery system, Snowflake, as well. The paper presents the results of the most recent real drops and ends with a discussion of the developed algorithm as compared to another one, pursued by Draper Laboratory, where instead of parameterizing a reference trajectory the control itself is being parameterized. The paper ends with conclusions.", "keywords": [ "Parameterized complexity", "Computer science", "Trajectory", "Inertial frame of reference", "Terminal (telecommunication)", "Control engineering", "Heading (navigation)", "Class (philosophy)", "Artificial intelligence", "Algorithm", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 22, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.23919/ecc.2009.7074760" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4400132859", "doi": "10.4103/pmrr.pmrr_73_24", "title": "Enhancing Healthcare Access: Drone-based Delivery of Medicines and Vaccines in hard-to-Reach Terrains of Northeastern India", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-06-28", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Sumit Suresh Aggarwal", "Sivarman Balaji", "Prakamya Gupta", "Nupur Mahajan", "Kuldeep Nigam", "Khangembam Jitenkumar Singh", "Balram Bhargava", "Samiran Panda" ], "first_author": "Sumit Suresh Aggarwal", "venue": "Preventive Medicine Research & Reviews", "publisher": null, "abstract": "Background: Ensuring efficient healthcare access in a geographically diverse country like India poses significant challenges, particularly in challenging terrains. Conventional transportation methods often encounter difficulties due to inadequate infrastructure and adverse climatic conditions, resulting in delays in medical supplies. This study aimed to assess the viability of drones for transporting various types of medical supplies across diverse geographical landscapes, also evaluating their impact on transportation time, covered distance, weight carrying capacities and safety of medical supplies. Materials and Methods: The study spanned 4 months across 19 healthcare centres across Manipur and Nagaland. Different types of drones were used for the transportation of vaccines, medications and surgical items across these centres covering terrains such as flatlands, valleys, foothills, islands and hills. Results: Drones were able to successfully transport the medical supplies maintaining the essential temperatures and integrity of the samples. Further, drone-based supplies significantly reduce the delivery time compared to conventional road-based delivery mechanisms. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates the potential application of drones for the delivery of healthcare supplies in remote areas. Despite the logistical challenges, drones offer a time-efficient alternative for medical supply delivery. However, there is a need for further research and logistical infrastructure development in the current field.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Healthcare delivery", "Terrain", "Health care", "Business", "Medicine", "Geography", "Cartography", "Economic growth", "Biology", "Economics" ], "cited_by_count": 16, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.4103/pmrr.pmrr_73_24" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4382766441", "doi": "10.1007/s13272-023-00650-5", "title": "Estimating vertiport passenger throughput capacity for prominent eVTOL designs", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-03-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "CEAS Aeronautical Journal", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": "Abstract Urban Air Mobility has the potential to substantially reduce travel times in some cases of urban-related transportation. Travel time savings strongly depend on fast processing at vertiports, which presents a key challenge considering demand levels’ vertiports would experience when becoming an established mode of transport. This article sheds light on the passenger throughput vertiport airfields can manage and how the operations are sensitive to changes. One main contribution of this article is the introduction of hourly passenger throughput per area as a performance indicator that allows to compare vertiports of different sizes. VoloCity is studied as a reference vehicle and the resulting space requirement of the carefully specified baseline scenario is 188 square-meters per passenger per hour. A total of 13 prominent eVTOL designs are included in the study from which the current design space between maximum vehicle dimension and number of seats is deducted. The study shows that vehicles with a small maximum dimension yield the highest passenger throughput capacity. CityAirbus performs best (46.3 m2/PAX/h) with a diameter of 7.92 m and Archer Maker performs worst (221 m2/PAX/h) with a diameter of 12.2 m. How the performance indicators can be used as rules-of-thumb in the first-order estimations of vertiport throughput capacity or space requirement is described by means of illustrative examples. The insights presented in this paper might be useful for researches, vehicle developers, and municipalities alike.", "keywords": [ "Throughput", "Rule of thumb", "Dimension (graph theory)", "Transport engineering", "Mode (computer interface)", "Computer science", "Space (punctuation)", "Baseline (sea)", "Key (lock)", "Operations research", "Automotive engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 18, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13272-023-00650-5.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4398181220", "doi": "10.1016/j.jatrs.2024.100006", "title": "Robust optimisation for vertiport location problem considering travel mode choice behaviour in urban air mobility systems", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-05-20", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Zhongyi Jin", "Kam K.H. Ng", "Chenliang Zhang" ], "first_author": "Zhongyi Jin", "venue": "Journal of the Air Transport Research Society", "publisher": null, "abstract": "With the rapid development of novel vehicle technologies, air taxis are becoming a new transport servicing model to achieve better urban air mobility (UAM) systems. The UAM system can mitigate severe traffic congestion problems on the ground in many metropolitan areas effectively. This research aims to design a robust UAM network to serve broader mobility needs in the future. In this study, we consider the two main competition transportation modes of air taxis (luxury ground taxis and ordinary ground taxis) and establish a travel mode choice behaviour model based on the multinomial logit choice approach to determine the aggregate air taxi demand flow. Furthermore, we account for the varying temporal preferences of different UAM passengers by incorporating different time values for heterogeneous passengers, such as leisure and business passengers, into the travel mode choice behaviour model. Additionally, to address uncertainties in user demand, we introduce a robust optimisation model for vertiport location under a budget uncertainty set. This model is then reformulated as a mixed-integer linear programming model to address computational challenges. Ultimately, we conduct a series of numerical experiments to showcase the effectiveness of our proposed mathematical model. The outcomes of this research offer valuable managerial insights and implications, aiding governments and UAM operators in scientifically designing UAM networks and making strategic decisions regarding infrastructure investments.", "keywords": [ "Mode (computer interface)", "Computer science", "Transport engineering", "Environmental science", "Mathematical optimization", "Engineering", "Mathematics", "Human–computer interaction" ], "cited_by_count": 40, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jatrs.2024.100006" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2320762735", "doi": "10.2514/6.2005-1651", "title": "Flight-Testing of a Low-Cost Precision Aerial Delivery System", "year": 2005, "publication_date": "2005-05-23", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Brian Gilles", "M. P. Hickey", "Walter Krainski" ], "first_author": "Brian Gilles", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The Affordable Guided Airdrop System is essentially an enhancement for a Container Delivery System (CDS) payload that allows the payload to be deployed over a drop zone from high altitude (10,000'+ MSL), while maintaining or even dramatically improving upon the accuracy achievable with low-altitude deployments. The ability of an aircraft to deliver payloads from these high altitudes greatly enhances the survivability of the aircraft when re- supplying units in hostile areas of operation. To achieve accurate payload delivery with the round parachutes used with CDS payloads, we have developed an autonomously guided actuator system that uses knowledge of the wind intensity and direction over the drop zone to guide these low-performance round parachutes to an accurate landing. The effectiveness of this method of aerial re-supply was demonstrated at the Precision Airdrop Technology Conference and Demonstration (PATCAD) 2003 using early prototype Airborne Guidance Units (AGUs). After demonstrating with proof-of-concept prototype AGAS units that riser slips can be used to effectively control the descent of a round parachute system, we set out to design an actuator system that would provide effective control while reducing the weight and complexity of the control unit. We also needed to answer questions about the best method of parachute rigging, what actuation stroke length would provide the best drive performance, expected system response times, what the upper and lower practical payload limits for the system would be, and what factors would have the greatest impact on system accuracy. Instrumented drop tests of the AGAS prototype systems provided data about loads in the parachute risers during actuations, the performance of the parachutes using various actuation stroke lengths, and electrical current-draw requirements of the actuators during operation. The data were analyzed and used to identify the ideal operating characteristics of an AGAS-equipped payload. In a joint effort between Capewell Components and Vertigo Inc., these characteristics were used to refine the design of the guidance system and to develop the design into a mature product. The result of this effort was a lighter, more compact, and more reliable actuator system, and better integration of the subsystems that support AGAS deployments. Five redesigned Airborne Guidance Units (AGUs), two windpacks, and a mission computer were then fabricated. Six separate test missions have been conducted with the new systems, with multiple payloads being deployed on each mission. The payloads were all of similar weight and configuration, were programmed for the same target coordinates, and were deployed on the same pass. This near simultaneous deployment of multiple systems with the same rate of descent and the same target resulted in close formation flying of the systems, and frequent collisions between the systems, but the overall accuracy results were excellent. System development and testing is ongoing, with the", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "System testing", "Software engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 18, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2005-1651" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4383558915", "doi": "10.1016/j.apm.2023.07.009", "title": "A heuristic approach for scheduling advanced air mobility aircraft at vertiports", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-07-07", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Julián Alberto Espejo-Díaz", "Edgar H. Alfonso-Lizarazo", "Jairo R. Montoya‐Torres" ], "first_author": "Julián Alberto Espejo-Díaz", "venue": "Applied Mathematical Modelling", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Scheduling (production processes)", "Heuristic", "Computer science", "Mathematical optimization", "Aerospace engineering", "Operations research", "Engineering", "Mathematics", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 22, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apm.2023.07.009" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4391051785", "doi": "10.1177/03611981231216977", "title": "Fleet and Vertiport Sizing for an Urban Air Mobility Commuting Service", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-01-20", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Mark T. Kotwicz Herniczek", "Brian German", "Lukas Preis" ], "first_author": "Mark T. Kotwicz Herniczek", "venue": "Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board", "publisher": "SAGE Publishing", "abstract": "An understanding of fleet size and vertiport size sensitivity to demand and operational parameters is necessary to quantify the scalability of urban air mobility (UAM) services. In this work, we implement a bilevel rolling window fleet scheduling formulation that includes vertiport area as a secondary objective. We also present a simple vertiport area estimation methodology that leverages the fleet scheduling results and provides a lower bound on vertiport infrastructure area requirements. Lastly, we explore the sensitivity of fleet size and vertiport infrastructure requirements to several vehicle and operational parameters, including geographical demand distribution, daily passenger volume, vehicle passenger capacity, passenger aggregation window, battery charge rate, pad separation, and pad size. We find that, although the fleet size is reasonable for a UAM commuting service scaled to serve 10,000 passengers per day, vertiport area requirements are likely problematic under current sizing guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration, particularly area requirements for vertiports that serve as workplace hubs located in dense urban centers.", "keywords": [ "Sizing", "Transport engineering", "Scheduling (production processes)", "Aviation", "Level of service", "Fleet management", "Computer science", "Service (business)", "Vehicle miles of travel", "Urban area", "Automotive engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 18, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231216977" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4386819434", "doi": "10.1016/j.jairtraman.2023.102486", "title": "An integrated vertiport placement model considering vehicle sizing and queuing: A case study in London", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-09-18", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jose Javier Escribano Macias", "Carl Khalife", "Joseph Slim", "Panagiotis Angeloudis" ], "first_author": "Jose Javier Escribano Macias", "venue": "Journal of Air Transport Management", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "The increasing level of congestion and infrastructure costs in cities have created a need for more intelligent and flexible transport systems. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) introduces the third dimension to intra-urban transport at a minimal infrastructure cost, bypassing congestion and providing reliable travel times to users through the provision of air passenger transportation. The performance of UAM systems is highly dependent on vertiport locations, vehicle sizing and infrastructure specifications, which themselves are intrinsically linked. This study takes a holistic approach to UAM network optimisation by considering the inter-relatedness of these decisions in a three-stage algorithm. In the first stage, a linear vertiport placement model with vehicle sizing constraints is developed to determine the optimal vertiport configuration while considering eVTOL performance. The vertiport configuration serves to determine the operational requirements of the aircraft and are incorporated in the vehicle sizing models. The resulting network configuration and vehicle sizing constraints are used as inputs in the infrastructure model, which utilises open network theory to determine the service rate requirements and the allowed loiter and waiting times based on the number of take-off, landing, and charging pads at each vertiport. These stages are executed sequentially through a feedback mechanism, which balances the infrastructure, operational costs as well as passenger waiting times. The algorithm optimises the profitability of the UAM network ensuring all operational constraints are satisfied. A case study based on the hypothetical implementation of UAM in the city of London is presented using Rolling Origin and Destination Survey data to estimate demand patterns. Our results suggest that ignoring vehicle sizing and infrastructure modelling in the network optimisation stage results in infeasible UAM networks. Furthermore, reducing waiting times and loiter times are critical to reduce operational costs of the UAM network, with all optimal configurations yielding waiting times below 5% of the total flight time. The proposed method can be used to plan future UAM developments whilst ensuring operational viability.", "keywords": [ "Sizing", "Queueing theory", "Profitability index", "Computer science", "Service (business)", "Operations research", "Transport engineering", "Simulation", "Engineering", "Computer network" ], "cited_by_count": 27, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2023.102486" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4221167373", "doi": "10.1109/tcns.2023.3262192", "title": "Vertiport Selection in Hybrid Air–Ground Transportation Networks via Mathematical Programs With Equilibrium Constraints", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-03-27", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Yue Yu", "Mengyuan Wang", "Mehran Mesbahi", "Ufuk Topcu" ], "first_author": "Yue Yu", "venue": "IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "Urban air mobility is a concept that promotes aerial modes of transport in urban areas. In these areas, the location and capacity of the vertiports—where the travelers embark and disembark the aircraft—not only affect flight delays, but can also aggravate the congestion of ground vehicles by creating extra ground travel demands. In this article, we introduce a mathematical model for selecting the location and capacity of the vertiports that minimizes traffic congestion in hybrid air–ground transportation networks. Our model is based on a mathematical program with bilinear equilibrium constraints. Furthermore, we show how to compute a global optimal solution to this mathematical program by solving a mixed-integer linear program. We demonstrate our results via the Anaheim transportation network model, which contains more than 400 nodes and 900 links.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Bilinear interpolation", "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Mathematical optimization", "Ground transportation", "Mathematical model", "Integer (computer science)", "Traffic congestion", "Transport engineering", "Engineering", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 30, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2203.05702" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4410069460", "doi": "10.3390/eng6050093", "title": "Vertiports: The Infrastructure Backbone of Advanced Air Mobility—A Review", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-04-30", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Paola Di Mascio", "Giulia Del Serrone", "Laura Moretti" ], "first_author": "Paola Di Mascio", "venue": "Eng—Advances in Engineering", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Technological innovation toward electrification and digitalization is revolutionizing aviation, paving the way for new aeronautical paradigms and novel modes to transport goods and people in urban and regional environments. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) leverages vertical and digital mobility, driven by safe, quiet, sustainable, and cost-effective electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. A key enabler of this transformation is the development of vertiports—dedicated infrastructure designed for VTOL operations. Vertiports are pivotal in integrating AAM into multimodal transport networks, ensuring seamless connectivity with existing urban and regional transportation systems. Their design, placement, and operational framework are central to the success of AAM, influencing urban accessibility, safety, and public acceptance. These facilities should accommodate passenger and cargo operations, incorporating charging stations, takeoff and landing areas, and optimized traffic management systems. Public and private sectors are investing in vertiports, shaping the regulatory and technological landscape for widespread adoption. As cities prepare for the future of aerial mobility, vertiports will be the cornerstone of sustainable, efficient, and scalable air transportation.", "keywords": [ "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 15, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4117/6/5/93/pdf?version=1746011463" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4384157077", "doi": "10.1016/j.scs.2023.104797", "title": "Repurposing urban air mobility infrastructure for sustainable transportation in metropolitan cities: A case study of vertiports in São Paulo, Brazil", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-07-13", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jussan Knupp Ribeiro", "Giovanna Miceli Ronzani Borille", "Mauro Caetano", "Evandro José da Silva" ], "first_author": "Jussan Knupp Ribeiro", "venue": "Sustainable Cities and Society", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "Transport engineering", "Sustainable transport", "Transportation infrastructure", "Repurposing", "Environmental planning", "Environmental science", "Sustainability", "Geography", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 36, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104797" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4313413970", "doi": "10.3390/su15010437", "title": "Optimal Vertiport Airspace and Approach Control Strategy for Urban Air Mobility (UAM)", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-12-27", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kyowon Song" ], "first_author": "Kyowon Song", "venue": "Sustainability", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Recently, urban air mobility (UAM), a new transportation system that can expand urban mobility from 2D to 3D, has been in the spotlight all over the world. For successful implementation of UAM, not only eVTOL aircraft development but also various systems such as UAM traffic management are required; however, research on these areas is still insufficient. Based on the BQA model, in this study, we introduce the balanced branch queuing approach (BBQA) model as a new approach control model that can improve operational efficiency by enabling the landing order to be changed more easily. Through simulation, its effectiveness was verified. The proposed BBQA achieved the identical airspace safety as the BQA model, in addition to showing a superior result to the SBA model in on-time performance (OTP). The vertiport airspace blueprint concept and approach control model proposed in this study are expected to play an important role in future studies in the area of air traffic management in UAM.", "keywords": [ "Air traffic control", "Queueing theory", "Blueprint", "Control (management)", "Computer science", "Transport engineering", "Air traffic management", "Operations research", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering", "Computer network" ], "cited_by_count": 25, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/437/pdf?version=1672137872" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2906774680", "doi": "10.1109/icapr.2017.8593145", "title": "A heuristics based approach for optimizing delivery schedule of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone) based delivery system", "year": 2017, "publication_date": "2017-12-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Vivek H Yadav", "Anand M. Narasimhamurthy" ], "first_author": "Vivek H Yadav", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "In this work we address the problem of computing a delivery schedule for drones in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle delivery system. The problem specification consists of a set of orders (each order contains a list of items with quantity) to be delivered to customers whose locations are known, also specified are locations of warehouses and drones. The aim is to minimize the time for completing a batch of order deliveries. The problem has some of the features of the Vehicle Routing Problem (as well as the Travelling Salesman Problem), however the increased number of constraints and dynamic nature of the problem are the distinguishing features in this setting. As most versions of the problem are NP-hard we employ a heuristics based approach since such an approach would be more suitable to solve large scale instances of the problem that might be encountered by a commercial delivery service. The proposed heuristics are compared with regard to the quality of solution and computation overhead.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Heuristics", "Computer science", "Travelling salesman problem", "Schedule", "Routing (electronic design automation)", "Overhead (engineering)", "Vehicle routing problem", "Set (abstract data type)", "Mathematical optimization", "Distributed computing", "Real-time computing" ], "cited_by_count": 13, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/icapr.2017.8593145" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W1595799814", "doi": "10.14429/dsj.60.326", "title": "Aerial Delivery Systems and Technologies", "year": 2010, "publication_date": "2010-03-25", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Balraj Gupta" ], "first_author": "Balraj Gupta", "venue": "Defence Science Journal", "publisher": "Defence Scientific Information and Documentation Centre", "abstract": "Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE) was started at Kanpur during latter part of 1950's consisting of two Aerial Delivery Sections primarily for the indigenisation of Parachutes and related equipment for Para-dropping of men and materials. Today, the charter of ADRDE includes design & development of parachutes, Aerostat Systems, Aircraft Arrester Barrier Systems and Heavy-Drop Systems for both military and civilian applications. The technological competence built in Aeronautical, Textile, Mechanical and Electronics engineering has imparted ADRDE, a unique combination of know-how and capabilities to evolve new solutions in these fields, with emphasis on quality assurance. This paper highlights the design and development of technologies developed by ADRDE to stengthen the India's aerial delivery system and its future plans. Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(2), pp.124-136 , DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.326", "keywords": [ "Systems engineering", "Engineering", "Computer science", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.326" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2315587933", "doi": "10.2514/6.1967-891", "title": "Vertiport design and operations", "year": 1967, "publication_date": "1967-08-16", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "E. CHEYNO" ], "first_author": "E. CHEYNO", "venue": "4th Annual Meeting and Technical Display", "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.1967-891" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4405720265", "doi": "10.3390/infrastructures9120239", "title": "Vertiport Infrastructure Location Optimization for Equitable Access to Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-12-23", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Vasileios Volakakis", "Hani S. Mahmassani" ], "first_author": "Vasileios Volakakis", "venue": "Infrastructures", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Urban air mobility (UAM) has recently emerged as a promising new transportation mode, with various potential use cases. Facility location problems are well studied and of significant importance for various transportation modes. This work introduces a vertiport location identification framework, focusing on demand coverage and infrastructure accessibility. An Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) model was utilized for the identification of candidate vertiport locations, along with a k-means algorithm, for comparison and validation purposes, based on an estimated UAM demand pattern. A genetic algorithm (GA) was then formulated, for the solution of the proposed Uncapacitated and Capacitated Vertiport Location Problems (UVLP and CVLP, respectively), variations of the Uncapacitated and Capacitated Facility Location Problems. To evaluate and compare the introduced methodology, different existing facility location problems (FLPs) were considered and solved exactly using integer and linear programming. These are the Location Set Covering Problem (LSCP), the Maximal Coverage Location Problem (MCLP), and the p-median problem. The p-center problem was also considered and solved via a heuristic approach. The proposed framework is illustrated through applications in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, with the demand estimated on the basis of existing taxi and Transportation Network Company (TNC) data.", "keywords": [ "Facility location problem", "Identification (biology)", "Computer science", "Location model", "Heuristic", "Metropolitan area", "Cluster analysis", "Genetic algorithm", "Set (abstract data type)", "Mathematical optimization", "Integer programming", "Hierarchical clustering" ], "cited_by_count": 20, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/9/12/239/pdf?version=1734968280" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W1999345581", "doi": "10.2514/6.2006-6793", "title": "Status and Context of High Altitude Precision Aerial Delivery Systems", "year": 2006, "publication_date": "2006-06-15", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Steve Tavan" ], "first_author": "Steve Tavan", "venue": "AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit", "publisher": null, "abstract": "Abstract : Over the last several years, research funding has been applied to developing autonomously guided parachute systems as one part of the technology to meet the challenges posed by two critical threats: 1) the proliferation of Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) that threaten aircraft conducting low-altitude supply missions; and 2) the parallel proliferation of threats to ground supply lines. This paper will survey the most prominent precision delivery guided airdrop systems in development and/or limited operational use today. User performance requirements and capability goals will be discussed. Flight test and operational experience will be briefly reviewed, as well as future deployment plans. The paper will conclude with a characterization of how well existing systems meet the user needs, and what GN&C-related technical capabilities still need advancement.", "keywords": [ "Context (archaeology)", "Computer science", "Altitude (triangle)", "Remote sensing", "Geography", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 15, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2006-6793" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2335702555", "doi": "10.2514/6.2005-1625", "title": "Status of the Development of an Autonomously Guided Precision Cargo Aerial Delivery System", "year": 2005, "publication_date": "2005-05-23", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Joseph McGrath", "Ted Strong", "Richard Benney" ], "first_author": "Joseph McGrath", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The US Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC) is currently engaged in the development of a family of modified high altitude low opening (HALO) autonomously guided precision cargo aerial delivery systems. In alliance with the US Joint Forces Command and the US Air Force Air Mobility Command, DUSD-AS&C, the NSC including PM-FSS and Strong Enterprises, has engaged in the design and development of an autonomously guided 2000 lbs. and 10,000 lbs capable high glide delivery system, which has been successfully demonstrated in weight ranges 500 lbs. through 10,000 lbs. GRW. This platform known as SCREAMER is currently being tested at system design weight of 10,000 lbs GRW from military C-130/C-17 aircraft at the US Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.", "keywords": [ "Delivery system", "Computer science", "Aeronautics", "Ground station", "Low altitude", "Simulation", "Embedded system", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering", "Altitude (triangle)", "Satellite", "Biomedical engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 17, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2005-1625" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4282967064", "doi": "10.3390/app12126077", "title": "Design Criteria and Accommodating Capacity Analysis of Vertiports for Urban Air Mobility and Its Application at Gimpo Airport in Korea", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-06-15", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Byeongseon Ahn", "Ho-Yon Hwang" ], "first_author": "Byeongseon Ahn", "venue": "Applied Sciences", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "This study establishes design criteria for touchdown and liftoff (TLOF) pads, final approach and takeoff (FATO), safety areas, gates, and taxiways, which are components necessary for the operation of vertiports for urban air mobility (UAM), and analyzed vertiport capacity compliant with the arrangement of the components in a limited space. We used new vertiport design regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the vertiport design criteria. Vertiport components were sized based on Hyundai Motor’s S-A1 aircraft, and the layouts were classified as linear, satellite, and pier according to the arrangement of the TLOF pad and gate. The characteristics of each layout were analyzed for the same area. Based on these layouts, the parking space of Gimpo Airport that will be used for operating airport shuttles in the Seoul metropolitan area was measured and each layout was arranged to validate the characteristics of the layouts. Using the MATLAB program, we selected the most efficient layout among linear, satellite, and pier layouts, and estimated the TLOF pad and gate utilization rate. In addition, we evaluated the capacity of the two-story vertiport proposed by the Korea Airports Corporation for efficient use of space.", "keywords": [ "Aviation", "Metropolitan area", "Takeoff", "Transport engineering", "Runway", "Engineering", "Computer science", "Automotive engineering", "Aerospace engineering", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 35, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/12/6077/pdf?version=1655344787" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3175947059", "doi": "10.1109/mvt.2021.3086081", "title": "Communication, Computing, Caching, and Sensing for Next-Generation Aerial Delivery Networks: Using a High-Altitude Platform Station as an Enabling Technology", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-06-23", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Güneş Karabulut Kurt", "Halim Yanıkömeroğlu" ], "first_author": "Güneş Karabulut Kurt", "venue": "IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine", "publisher": "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers", "abstract": "This article describes the envisioned interactions between information and communication technology (ICT) and the aerospace industries to serve autonomous devices for next-generation aerial parcel delivery networks. The autonomous features of fleet elements of the delivery network are enabled by the increased throughput, improved coverage, and near-user computation capabilities of vertical heterogeneous networks (VHetNets). A high-altitude platform station (HAPS), located around 20 km above the ground level in a quasi-stationary manner, serves as the main enabler of the vision we present. In addition to the sensing potential of the HAPS nodes, the use of communication, computing, and caching capabilities demonstrates the attainability of the ambitious goal of serving a fully autonomous aerial fleet capable of addressing instantaneous user demands and enabling supply chain management interactions with delivery services in low-latency settings.", "keywords": [ "Enabling", "Computer science", "Computer network", "Information and Communications Technology", "Low latency (capital markets)", "Latency (audio)", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 32, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/mvt.2021.3086081" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3113410112", "doi": "10.2139/ssrn.3734801", "title": "Development of Drone Based Delivery System Using Pixhawk Flight Controller", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-01-01", "type": "preprint", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Reshma Gunturu", "Kolusu Navya Durgaa", "Taraks Sri Harshaa", "Shaik Fayaz Ahamed" ], "first_author": "Reshma Gunturu", "venue": "SSRN Electronic Journal", "publisher": "RELX Group (Netherlands)", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Drone", "Aeronautics", "Controller (irrigation)", "Computer science", "Delivery system", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering", "Biology" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3734801" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3119751984", "doi": "10.2514/6.2021-1898", "title": "Ground Operation on Vertiports – Introduction of an Agent-Based Simulation Framework", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-01-04", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis", "Amin Amirzada", "Mirko Hornung" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-1898.vid Urban Air Mobility promises to introduce a fast mode of on-demand transportation that is envisioned to be affordable for a broad public in the future. Personal aerial vehicles have been studied since the dawn of commercial flight, but in recent years, these concepts experienced a revival due to novel technologies such as distributed electric propulsion and automation. Infrastructure has been identified by many institutions independently as being among the key constraints for scaling operations. The central infrastructural units in the system, the vertiports, have been studied substantially in terms of locations and networks. At the same time, ground operations on the airfield have been largely neglected, especially dynamic effects and delays emerging from operational contingencies. This paper attempts to illuminate the processes taking place on a vertiport through introducing an agent-based modeling and simulation framework for vertiport ground operations.", "keywords": [ "Key (lock)", "Computer science", "Automation", "Propulsion", "Common ground", "Mode (computer interface)", "Systems engineering", "Distributed computing", "Transport engineering", "Computer security", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 14, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-1898" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W1604925605", "doi": null, "title": "Vertiport Capacity - Analysis Methods.", "year": 1995, "publication_date": "1995-08-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Yeon-Myung Kim", "Paul M. Schonfeld", "Jasenka Rakas" ], "first_author": "Yeon-Myung Kim", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Abstract : This report presents a methodology for analyzing vertiport capacity and delays. Based on available information, deterministic models were developed to estimate vertiport capacity, analytic queuing models were developed to estimate the delays at vertiports during steady demand periods, and simulation models were developed to estimate delays during peak periods when traffic exceeds capacity. A practical capacity, defined as that traffic volume at which average delays are four minutes per operation, can be determined from a volume versus delay curve. Results show that vertiport capacity is more likely to be limited by airspace separations or gate availability than by touchdown and liftoff area (TThOF) occupancy times. Equations are provided for estimating relations among aircraft arrival rates, required number of gates, and gate occupancy times. These may be used to determine the required number of TLOF's or gates in particular situations.", "keywords": [ "Touchdown", "Queueing theory", "Occupancy", "Computer science", "Traffic volume", "Volume (thermodynamics)", "Simulation", "Control theory (sociology)", "Statistics", "Mathematics", "Engineering", "Transport engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA298361" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2127052038", "doi": "10.2514/6.2005-1645", "title": "Precision Aerial Delivery Systems in a Tactical Environment", "year": 2005, "publication_date": "2005-05-23", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "G. R. Brown", "Richard Benney" ], "first_author": "G. R. Brown", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "A systems level analysis of precision aerial delivery systems provides a basis for comparing the characteristics of different types of systems and the implications that component and control approach selection have on system performance. High-glide and low-glide systems types are described. The effects of glide ratio, control response and sensor selection on terminal accuracy are analyzed. Wind data is necessary for all system types. The paper discusses the use of wind data, the need for an accuracy estimate as part of the wind data and the trade between wind data accuracy and attainable offset. In tactical situations, the concept of operations and the selection of system type and desired offset performance is affected by the threat scenario, and the operator's knowledge of threats and their distribution. Several novel operational concepts are discussed, along with the implications for system performance requirements. As part of the analysis, this paper suggests new nomenclature needed to analyze systems, introduces key operational concepts, and areas for future study.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Systems engineering", "Aeronautics", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 10, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2005-1645" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3185703255", "doi": "10.1017/pds.2021.50", "title": "APPLICATION OF MUNICH AGILE CONCEPTS FOR MBSE AS A HOLISTIC AND SYSTEMATIC DESIGN OF URBAN AIR MOBILITY IN CASE OF DESIGN OF VERTIPORTS AND VERTISTOPS", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-07-27", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Vahid Salehi", "Shirui Wang" ], "first_author": "Vahid Salehi", "venue": "Proceedings of the Design Society", "publisher": "Cambridge University Press", "abstract": "Abstract This paper will adopt the Munich Agile Concepts (MAGIC) on the design of Vertistops and Vertiports (Verti-X) for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Systems. Vertiports and Vertistops are single or multi-landing spaces for air taxis, which are electric-powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOLs) aircraft. The target of this paper is to apply a holistic approach how to design so called Verti-X in a holistic and system of system method from the Requirement-, Function-. Architecture- and the Implementation phase. The MAGIC approach contains all of the requierd phases which are necessary to build up such a complex design of Verti-X. Therefore, based on the literature survey, we have determined the key components of the Verti-X design with a thorough requirement analysis. Then, we have followed the existed criteria and regulations to design a valid and verified Verti-X which fulfills all the requirement. Furthermore, the focus of this paper is to apply the first four phases of MAGIC regarding the requirement, function, architecture and the implementation of such Verti-X Design.", "keywords": [ "Agile software development", "Systems engineering", "Architecture", "Systems architecture", "Computer science", "Systems design", "Function (biology)", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering", "Software engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 30, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/1F0CAA8B83ADEA91541386FFC6387EE4/S2732527X2100050Xa.pdf/div-class-title-application-of-munich-agile-concepts-for-mbse-as-a-holistic-and-systematic-design-of-urban-air-mobility-in-case-of-design-of-vertiports-and-vertistops-div.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4389479201", "doi": "10.3390/vehicles5040097", "title": "Integrating Urban Air Mobility into a Public Transit System: A GIS-Based Approach to Identify Candidate Locations for Vertiports", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-12-08", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Baishali Rahman", "Raj Bridgelall", "Muhammad Faisal Habib", "Diomo Motuba" ], "first_author": "Baishali Rahman", "venue": "Vehicles", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Stakeholders expect emerging urban air mobility (UAM) services that use electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to revolutionize transportation systems. However, to be effective, eVTOL facilities, known as vertiports, must seamlessly integrate with the existing multimodal transportation infrastructure. This research analyzes how to best integrate vertiports with the existing public transit network of a city, with San Francisco in the United States as a case study. This study developed a composite optimization model to identify the locations for an optimum number of vertiports within each of the eleven (11) supervisorial districts of San Francisco that would minimize the network distance to its bus stops. The results revealed that 38 locations for vertiports covered 3245 bus stops with an average walk time close to 10 min. Walking 10 min from each vertiport would cover 41.6% of the total road network length and 49.8% of all bus stop locations. Power-law regressions of the average distances as a function of the number of vertiports will help planners to make informed decisions about the optimal vertiport placements in each district by identifying diminishing returns in travel-time savings, and adjustments that consider income and population as additional demand factors.", "keywords": [ "Transport engineering", "Public transport", "Takeoff", "Transit (satellite)", "Population", "Cover (algebra)", "Computer science", "Geography", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 27, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8921/5/4/97/pdf?version=1702030042" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4285793856", "doi": "10.3390/app12147260", "title": "A Vertiport Design Heuristic to Ensure Efficient Ground Operations for Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-07-19", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis", "Mirko Hornung" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "Applied Sciences", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility is a novel concept of transportation with unknown market potential. Even in conservative estimates, thousands of operations could be expected on a single vertiport. This exceeds known heliport operations, which is the most comparable existing mode of transport—by far. Vertiport operations, in particular the dynamics on the airfield, are not well understood; in the following article, we want to address this research gap. By using means of agent-based simulation, the following design drivers were identified: peaks in demand, imbalance between arrivals and departures, pad operations and gate operations. We calculate a practical hourly capacity of 264 movements for our baseline scenario consisting of 4 pads, 12 gates and 20 stand. We are further able to shown that avoiding this peak and staying below a maximum imbalance between arrivals and departures of less than 33 ensures an average passenger delay of less than 3 min. Lastly, we present a parameter study varying the number of pads and gates, the length of approach/departure and boarding/de-boarding and the level of demand. The results of this study are aggregated into a graphical design heuristic displaying the interchangeability of the mentioned aspects.", "keywords": [ "Interchangeability", "Computer science", "Heuristic", "Baseline (sea)", "Operations research", "Mode (computer interface)", "Mathematical optimization", "Simulation", "Transport engineering", "Engineering", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 20, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/14/7260/pdf?version=1658370473" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4220763957", "doi": "10.1108/aeat-07-2020-0138", "title": "Drone-based delivery: a concurrent heuristic approach using a genetic algorithm", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-04-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Khin Thida San", "Yoon‐Seok Chang" ], "first_author": "Khin Thida San", "venue": "Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology", "publisher": "Emerald Publishing Limited", "abstract": "Purpose The purpose of this study is to solve NP-Hard drone routing problem for the last-mile distribution. This is suitable for the multi-drones parcel delivery for the various items from a warehouse to many locations. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts as a mission assignment of the single location per flight with the constraint satisfactions such as various payloads in weight, drone speeds, flight times and coverage distances. A genetic algorithm is modified as the concurrent heuristics approach (GCH), which has the knapsack problem dealing initialization, gene elitism (crossover) and gene replacement (mutation). Those proposed operators can reduce the execution time consuming and enhance the routing assignment of multiple drones. The evaluation value of the routing assignment can be calculated from the chromosome/individual representation by applying the proposed concurrent fitness. Findings This study optimizes the total traveling time to accomplish the distribution. GCH is flexible and can provide a result according to the first-come-first-served, demanded weight or distance priority. Originality/value GCH is an alternative option, which differs from conventional vehicle routing researches. Such researches (traveling time optimization) attempt to minimize the total traveling time, distance or the number of vehicles by assuming all vehicles have the same traveling speed; therefore, a specific vehicle assignment to a location is neglected. Moreover, the main drawback is those concepts can lead the repeated selection of best quality vehicles concerning the speed without considering the vehicle fleet size and coverage distance while this study defines the various speeds for the vehicles. Unlike those, the concurrent concept ensures a faster delivery accomplishment by sharing the work load with all participant vehicles concerning to their different capabilities. If the concurrent assignment is applied to the drone delivery effectively, the entire delivery can be accomplished relatively faster than the traveling time optimization.", "keywords": [ "Knapsack problem", "Vehicle routing problem", "Drone", "Heuristic", "Computer science", "Mathematical optimization", "Genetic algorithm", "Routing (electronic design automation)", "Crossover", "Heuristics", "Initialization", "Algorithm" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat-07-2020-0138" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2955598123", "doi": "10.1504/ijbcrm.2019.100416", "title": "Drone transportation cost analysis for emergency medical products", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Sushil Raj Poudel", "Sudipta Chowdhury", "Mohammad Marufuzzaman", "Linkan Bian", "Manas Mudbari", "Gaurav N. Pradhan" ], "first_author": "Sushil Raj Poudel", "venue": "International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management", "publisher": "Inderscience Publishers", "abstract": "A faster mode of transportation that carries emergency medical supplies such as blood bags is consequential to saving lives. Although different road vehicles (e.g., ambulances) are used for this, with increasing rate of congestion, it is becoming increasingly challenging to perform this task on time. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the applicability of drones in transporting emergency medical products and investigate how different parameters (technical and environmental) that affect the drone flight, contribute to the cost of transportation. A number of 'to-be scenarios' have been generated by varying different parameters. Similarly, a case study has been conducted to illustrate the use of different drones on different operational conditions. The outcomes of this study have the potential to help concerned officials make decisions on the feasibility of using drones in transporting emergency medical products, assist policy makers on policy decisions, and contribute to saving the life of victims of traffic accidents.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Task (project management)", "Risk analysis (engineering)", "Transport engineering", "Business", "Emergency medical services", "Medical emergency", "Computer science", "Operations research", "Engineering", "Medicine" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1504/ijbcrm.2019.100416" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4290652645", "doi": "10.1007/s42405-022-00505-z", "title": "Vertiport Performance Analysis for On-Demand Urban Air Mobility Operation in Seoul Metropolitan Area", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-08-08", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Byeong Tak Park", "Hyeonmi Kim", "Sang Hyun Kim" ], "first_author": "Byeong Tak Park", "venue": "International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "Queue", "Sensitivity (control systems)", "Queueing theory", "Volume (thermodynamics)", "Transport engineering", "Travel time", "Level of service", "Computer science", "Simulation", "Environmental science", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 19, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s42405-022-00505-z" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2952029919", "doi": "10.2514/6.2019-3122", "title": "Energy and Landing Accuracy Considerations for Urban Air Mobility Vertiport Approach Surfaces", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-06-15", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Emre Yılmaz", "Matthew Warren", "Brian German" ], "first_author": "Emre Yılmaz", "venue": "AIAA Aviation 2019 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Energy (signal processing)", "Computer science", "Environmental science", "Aerospace engineering", "Aeronautics", "Engineering", "Physics" ], "cited_by_count": 16, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2019-3122" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2909744556", "doi": "10.2514/6.2019-0526.c1", "title": "Correction: Development of Vertiport Capacity Envelopes and Analysis of Their Sensitivity to Topological and Operational Factors", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-01-07", "type": "erratum", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Parker D. Vascik", "Robert John Hansman" ], "first_author": "Parker D. Vascik", "venue": "AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Sensitivity (control systems)", "Computer science", "Development (topology)", "Topology (electrical circuits)", "Engineering", "Mathematics", "Electronic engineering", "Electrical engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 16, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2019-0526.c1" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4308092395", "doi": "10.1109/dasc55683.2022.9925782", "title": "Hierarchical Vertiport Network Design for On-Demand Multi-modal Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-09-18", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Xin Peng", "Vishwanath Bulusu", "Raja Sengupta" ], "first_author": "Xin Peng", "venue": "2022 IEEE/AIAA 41st Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC)", "publisher": null, "abstract": "The vertiports that connect ground and air transportation modes play a critical role in enabling Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Parameters like aircraft occupancy and vertiport operational capacity, along with the ground traffic congestion near vertiports have dominant impacts on the vertiport network design and consequently on the total addressable market and value proposition of UAM. We propose a hierarchical method to design a vertiport network for multi-modal UAM with multiple-seat aircraft based on the passenger demand. Our objective is to determine vertiport locations and assign passengers to maximize their travel time benefit from using multi-modal UAM. The proposed hierarchical vertiport network design method consists of two steps: (1) The origins and the destinations of the UAM passengers are clustered by the k-median algorithm, which divides the whole metro region into fully-connected main sectors; (2) The passengers in the main sectors are subdivided into groups whose centers serve as the vertiports. The passenger consolidation time and vertiport operational capacity are constrained in these two steps. We implement the proposed method in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are approximately 2.8 million trips between 5 a.m. and 12 p.m. 163,098 trips are chosen as potential UAM trips and simulated with the rest of the driving trips. The results show that 78% of 163,098 trips saved time through multi-modal UAM with an average saving of 27 minutes compared with driving.", "keywords": [ "TRIPS architecture", "Modal", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Aviation", "Value of time", "Occupancy", "Traffic congestion", "Travel time", "Engineering", "Civil engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 13, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/dasc55683.2022.9925782" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4407182272", "doi": "10.1177/08854122251314481", "title": "Decoding the Vertiport: Planning for Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-02-04", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kerry Rohrmeier", "Wenbin Wei", "David Carl Ison" ], "first_author": "Kerry Rohrmeier", "venue": "Journal of Planning Literature", "publisher": "SAGE Publishing", "abstract": "The potential of advanced air mobility (AAM) has recently been receiving a tremendous amount of attention in both the media and within the research literature. In particular, service in urban environments, referred to as urban air mobility (UAM), has received the overwhelming majority of focus. This nascent field, centered around electric vertical takeoff and landing flying vehicles (eVTOLs), is capturing imaginations and investments at an impressive pace. Yet, guidance on the siting and development of vertiports, the interface between ground transit and UAM, is trailing the pace of the forthcoming service. Vertiports are expected to operate like bus stops, transit stations, helipads, and airports. Still, this new public transportation infrastructure has the potential to dramatically alter the urban landscape due to their space requirements, safety requirements, and pace of low-altitude flight operations. Therefore, current and long-range plans must acknowledge this potential, and planning stakeholders must utilize participatory geographic information systems (GIS) to select safe, efficient, and accessible locations for vertiports to ensure future capital investment. Because of its unique attributes and requirements, the site selection process for UAM infrastructure demands a unique perspective that varies from the planning criteria for traditional transit hubs. This article summarizes the current UAM literature and offers stakeholders an informed yet simple workflow process for urban, suburban, and exurban site suitability selection that can be implemented during preliminary community engagement and early master planning processes. An example case in which this workflow was applied is provided using the San Francisco Bay Area as recent literature has shown this area to be a prime candidate for a UAM transportation network of vertiport locations being integrated into a regional multi-modal transit system.", "keywords": [ "Urban planning", "Decoding methods", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Telecommunications", "Environmental planning", "Environmental science", "Engineering", "Civil engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 10, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1177/08854122251314481" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4390038103", "doi": "10.3390/su16010044", "title": "The Location Problem of Medical Drone Vertiports for Emergency Cardiac Arrest Needs", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-12-20", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Xinhui Ren", "Ruibo Li" ], "first_author": "Xinhui Ren", "venue": "Sustainability", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "The implementation of medical drones can quickly and efficiently expand the coverage range of an area, allowing for a faster response to incidences of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and improving the subsequent survival rate of such incidences, while promoting sustainable health development goals under the configuration standards for automatic external defibrillators in China. In response to the problem of the selection of locations for medical drone vertiports (for take-off and landing) that are equipped with automatic external defibrillation facilities, a survival function was introduced to establish a model for site selection, with the primary optimization objective of maximizing the average survival rate of patients and taking the operating costs of a system into account. At the same time, considering the constraints of drone phase operation time, energy consumption, coverage range, etc., a medical drone vertiport site selection model was established for emergency cardiac arrest needs. An improved immune algorithm was applied to the model’s calculations and the analysis of the results, using the Jinnan District in Tianjin as an example. The results show that the proposed model and algorithm are feasible and applicable. The Jinnan District in the city of Tianjin requires a total of 24 medical drone vertiports in order to achieve full coverage of an area under the “golden 4-minute” rescue time. When the average survival rate of patients is 0.9, the operation results are deemed optimal, and the average survival rate of patients is 64.06%. Compared to ground ambulances currently used in hospitals, the implementation of medical drones could significantly shorten response time, improve the average survival rate of patients by 41.96%, and effectively improve the existing low survival rate and the accessibility of medical services. The results of this study can provide decision-making support for the planning of automatic external defibrillators in public places and the construction of sustainable and efficient emergency medical service systems.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Defibrillation", "Computer science", "Range (aeronautics)", "Operations research", "Function (biology)", "Medical emergency", "Operations management", "Engineering", "Medicine", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 14, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010044" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W45527771", "doi": null, "title": "FLOTATION MATERIALS FOR AERIAL DELIVERY OF ACETAMINOPHEN TOXIC BAITS TO BROWN TREESNAKES", "year": 2007, "publication_date": "2007-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Peter J. Savarie", "Tom Mathies", "Kathleen A. Fagerstone" ], "first_author": "Peter J. Savarie", "venue": "Lincoln (University of Nebraska)", "publisher": "University of Nebraska–Lincoln", "abstract": "Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes are effective bait stations for delivering dead neonatal mice (DNM) treated with the oral toxicant, 80 mg acetaminophen, to brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) in accessible jungle forest on Guam. However, PVC tubes are not practical for delivery of baits to remote areas of jungle or the forest canopy. Further, it is important that baits entangle in the canopy and not fall to the ground where they can be scavenged by non-target animals such as crabs. Data from helicopter aerial deployment of untreated DNM with radio transmitters that landed on the ground in areas of high coconut crab (Birgus latro) and hermit crab (Coenobita spp.) abundance showed that 67% of DNM were taken by crabs and 11% by monitor lizards (Varanus indicus). In contrast, in low crab abundance areas crabs took 24% of the DNM that landed on the ground. It is evident from these data that a flotation system that delivers DNM to the canopy is needed; otherwise non-target animals will remove DNM, making them unavailable for snakes. Seven aerial flotation devices were evaluated. Promising aerial devices are two types of commercial cardboard paper streamers that resulted in 75% - 85% of the DNM becoming entangled in the canopy.", "keywords": [ "Canopy", "Jungle", "Fishery", "Ecology", "Biology" ], "cited_by_count": 11, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1045&context=nwrcinvasive" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4401840939", "doi": "10.1007/s42405-024-00807-4", "title": "Optimal Vertiport Locations for Air Taxi Services in Seoul Metropolitan Area", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-08-24", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Sang Hyun Kim", "Byeong Tak Park", "Munhyun Chae", "Sangho Shim", "Huiyang Kim" ], "first_author": "Sang Hyun Kim", "venue": "International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "Transport engineering", "Profitability index", "Heuristic", "Sensitivity (control systems)", "Operations research", "Computer science", "Probabilistic logic", "Flow network", "Catchment area", "Engineering", "Mathematical optimization" ], "cited_by_count": 13, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s42405-024-00807-4" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2620985013", "doi": "10.2514/6.2017-3539", "title": "Precision Aerial Delivery with a Steerable Cruciform Parachute", "year": 2017, "publication_date": "2017-06-02", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Joseph Haller", "Travis D. Fields", "Oleg A. Yakimenko" ], "first_author": "Joseph Haller", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Cruciform", "Computer science", "Remote sensing", "Aeronautics", "Engineering", "Geology", "Structural engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2017-3539" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4388637896", "doi": "10.3390/drones7110671", "title": "Vertidrome Airside Level of Service: Performance-Based Evaluation of Vertiport Airside Operations", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-11-10", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Karolin Schweiger", "Franz Knabe" ], "first_author": "Karolin Schweiger", "venue": "Drones", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "This paper presents the Vertidrome Airside Level of Service (VALoS) framework, a novel performance metric designed to evaluate airside traffic flow operations at vertidromes in the context of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). As the UAM industry rapidly evolves, the need for a comprehensive evaluation framework becomes increasingly important. The VALoS framework provides a performance-based approach to evaluating vertidrome traffic flow performance, considering metrics like average passenger delay, air taxi in-flight delay, and vertidrome punctuality. Unlike existing Level of Service approaches, the VALoS framework unifies the requirements of various stakeholders, the passenger, the air taxi operator, and the vertidrome operator each with their own performance metric and target. It provides a multi-faceted approach covering airside air and ground traffic flows, arrivals and departures, and performance changes during strategic planning and tactical execution phases. The VALoS is evaluated at 15-min intervals while considering changing stakeholder performance targets and operational uncertainties. For the reference use case, the study demonstrates the significant impact of short-term disruptions, while stochastic deviations can be neglected. Higher traffic volumes due to changing demand/capacity ratios result in higher VALoS variability. The VALoS framework, together with a fast-time simulation, provides a versatile method for exploring future vertidrome traffic flows and supporting strategic vertidrome airside planning and integration. This integrated approach is essential for the evolving UAM vertidrome industry; aligning the interests of different stakeholders and promoting sustainable and efficient vertidrome planning and operation.", "keywords": [ "Punctuality", "Level of service", "Metric (unit)", "Context (archaeology)", "Service (business)", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Stakeholder", "Air traffic control", "Performance measurement", "Operations research", "Traffic flow (computer networking)" ], "cited_by_count": 13, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/11/671/pdf?version=1699631312" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4312471015", "doi": "10.25172/jalc.87.3.6", "title": "Vertiports: Ready for Take-off … And Landing", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Benjamyn I. Scott" ], "first_author": "Benjamyn I. Scott", "venue": "Journal of Air Law and Commerce", "publisher": "Southern Methodist University School of Law", "abstract": "While aviation has been used in transportation for decades, the use of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft for large-scale, low-cost, green, sustainable, and integrated mobility in populated areas is a new phenomenon. Despite the importance of ground infrastructure for embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, cargo, and mail, questions remain on how these “vertiports” are or should be regulated and how they will relate to existing regulated ground infrastructure such as aerodromes, airports, and heliports. Therefore, several questions arise: what is a vertiport; how do vertiports relate to other aviation infrastructure; what are the legal implications of having different terms; what laws apply to vertiports? This Article seeks to address these questions from a European Union (EU) perspective by looking at the rise of civil VTOL aircraft and the need for vertiports. Following this, the Article analyzes the current and pro-posed legal landscapes in the EU. This analysis shows how vertiports are currently regulated and highlights the steps that still need to be taken. An examination of the different terms that exist and their definitions is also undertaken. This highlights the similarities and differences that exist between the different terms, thus allowing the relevant laws to be appropriately identified and their scope understood. Finally, the Article looks at some of the legal consequences of introducing the term “vertiport” by focusing on specific EU aviation-based regulations. Thus, this shows the real-life implications of the questions posed.", "keywords": [ "Scope (computer science)", "Aviation", "Aviation law", "European union", "Civil aviation", "Takeoff", "Business", "Political science", "Law and economics", "Engineering", "Aeronautics", "International trade" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://hdl.handle.net/1887/3514131" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4401919321", "doi": "10.3390/drones8090434", "title": "Cooperative Drone Transportation of a Cable-Suspended Load: Dynamics and Control", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-08-26", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Elia Costantini", "Emanuele L. de Angelis", "Fabrizio Giulietti" ], "first_author": "Elia Costantini", "venue": "Drones", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "The cooperative transportation of a cable-suspended load by two unmanned rotorcraft is analyzed. Initially, the equations describing a system composed of three point masses and two rigid cables are derived. The model is then linearized about the hovering condition, and analytical expressions are derived to describe the eigenstructure of the open-loop system. Thanks to the specific parameterization of the problem, the different dynamic modes are outlined and discussed within an analytical framework. A novel controller is designed to enable the UAVs in the formation to perform trajectory tracking, maintain formation geometry, and stabilize payload swing simultaneously. A preliminary investigation of closed-loop stability is conducted using a linear approach. Validation is performed in a realistic simulation scenario where two drones are modeled as rigid bodies under the effect of external disturbances and rotor-generated forces and moments, as obtained by Blade Element Theory. The proposed method demonstrates relative simplicity and significantly improves the flying qualities of delivery operations while minimizing hazardous payload oscillations and reducing energy demand.", "keywords": [ "Payload (computing)", "Drone", "Controller (irrigation)", "Control theory (sociology)", "Rotor (electric)", "Trajectory", "Swing", "Computer science", "Stability (learning theory)", "Rigid body", "Engineering", "Control (management)" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/8/9/434/pdf?version=1724683886" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4293004650", "doi": "10.1016/j.cja.2022.08.016", "title": "Adaptive vector field based accurate homing control of aerial delivery systems", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-08-24", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Yiming Guo", "Jianguo Yan", "Cihang Wu", "Xiwei Wu", "Bing Xiao" ], "first_author": "Yiming Guo", "venue": "Chinese Journal of Aeronautics", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "This paper investigates the homing control problem of a flexible aerial delivery system with external wind, at-mospheric turbulence, and aerodynamic uncertainties. An accurate homing control strategy is presented, consisting of a trajectory generation algorithm and a lateral tracking controller. A high-altitude trajectory generation is de-veloped with system characteristics explicitly considered to generate the desired trajectory for the aerial delivery control system design. It significantly compensates for the altitude deviation of the existing multiphase theory based trajectory generation methodologies. A novel adaptive vector field control law is then designed to accom-plish the lateral tracking maneuvers. The key feature of the proposed method is that the complete lateral closed-loop control, including position and heading angle loops, is achieved in the presence of disturbances and dynamic uncertainties. The homing control with high landing accuracy is therefore achieved. Simulation and hardware-in-loop testing results are finally presented to validate the proposed method’s effectiveness compared to a conventional homing control scheme.", "keywords": [ "Control theory (sociology)", "Trajectory", "Control system", "Homing (biology)", "Engineering", "Control engineering", "Controller (irrigation)", "Computer science", "Control (management)", "Artificial intelligence", "Physics" ], "cited_by_count": 11, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1000936122001868/pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4413221508", "doi": "10.3390/aerospace12080709", "title": "Vertiport Location Selection and Optimization for Urban Air Mobility in Complex Urban Scenes", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-08-10", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Ying Lu", "Weili Zeng", "Wenbin Wei", "Weiwei Wu", "Hao Jiang" ], "first_author": "Ying Lu", "venue": "Aerospace", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Vertiports, as dedicated facilities for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, are essential to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). However, UAM infrastructure site selection has become increasingly complex due to limited land availability, complex spatial conditions, and the need to balance multiple objectives. Focusing on passenger-carrying UAM operations, this study proposes a systematic framework for vertiport site selection. First, key factors are classified into high, medium, and low levels across the safety, economic, and social dimensions, forming a modular evaluation system. A GIS-based spatial screening process is developed to identify potential vertiport locations. Subsequently, a variable representing the level of demand satisfaction is incorporated into a progressive coverage model specifically designed for vertiport site optimization. A hybrid algorithm is designed to solve the model. Using Shenzhen as a case study, the proposed approach is validated through real-world data. The results show that vertiport size and spatial requirements significantly influence the selection of suitable land types. High economic constraints may cause facility over-concentration, while setting standards aligned with regional functions better supports equitable access. Locating vertiports in high-demand areas enhances demand satisfaction levels, and both service capacity and range strongly influence overall system performance. These findings provide practical insights for future vertiport planning, promoting the efficient use of urban resources and supporting the successful implementation and sustainability of UAM.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Sustainability", "Key (lock)", "Process (computing)", "Site selection", "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Modular design", "Service (business)", "Transport engineering", "Variable (mathematics)", "Range (aeronautics)", "Environmental economics" ], "cited_by_count": 13, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12080709" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3157504882", "doi": "10.12985/ksaa.2021.29.1.074", "title": "A Study on Vertiport Installation Standard of Drone Taxis(UAM)", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-03-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Ja-Seong Choi", "Seok‐Hyun Lee", "Jeong-Seon Baek", "Hwang Ho-won" ], "first_author": "Ja-Seong Choi", "venue": "Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics", "publisher": null, "abstract": "UAM(Urban Air Mobility) systems have evolved in the form of helicopters in the 1960~1970s, tiltrotors in the 1980s, small aircraft transportation systems in the 2000s, and electric-powered Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) in the 2010s; accordingly, the early heliport has evolved to its current form of a Vertiport. Vertical Takeoff and Landing Sites, Vertiports, are important factors for the successful introduction of UAM, along with the resolution of air traffic control (ATC), air security, and noise problems. However, there are no domestic or international installation standards and guidelines yet. Therefore, in this study, installation standards were prepared by referring to domestic and international case studies, ICAO standards, and MIT research papers. The study proposes to establish standards for Final Approach and Takeoff Area (FATO) as 1.5D, 1D for Touchdown and Lift-Off Area (TLOF), and 1.5D for Safety Area (SA). It also proposes to add “UAM Vertiport Installation Standards” to the 「Act on the Promotion and Foundation of Drone Utilization, Drone Act」.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Takeoff", "Takeoff and landing", "Aeronautics", "Transport engineering", "Air traffic control", "Aviation", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 8, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://www.jksaa.org/download/download_pdf?pid=jksaa-29-1-74" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4381662918", "doi": "10.1007/s10479-023-05458-4", "title": "Dispatching point selection for a drone-based delivery system operating in a mixed Euclidean–Manhattan grid", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-06-21", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Francesco Betti Sorbelli", "Federico Corò", "Sajal Kumar Das", "Cristina Maria Pinotti", "Anil M. Shende" ], "first_author": "Francesco Betti Sorbelli", "venue": "Annals of Operations Research", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": "Abstract In this paper, we present a drone-based delivery system that assumes to deal with a mixed-area, i.e., two areas, one rural and one urban, placed side-by-side. In the mixed-areas, called EM-grids, the distances are measured with two different metrics, and the shortest path between two destinations concatenates the Euclidean and Manhattan metrics. Due to payload constraints, the drone serves a single customer at a time returning back to the dispatching point (DP) after each delivery to load a new parcel for the next customer. In this paper, we present the $$1$$ 1 -Median Euclidean–Manhattan grid Problem (MEMP) for EM-grids, whose goal is to determine the drone’s DP position that minimizes the sum of the distances between all the locations to be served and the point itself. We study the MEMP on two different scenarios, i.e., one in which all the customers in the area need to be served (full-grid) and another one where only a subset of these must be served (partial-grid). For the full-grid scenario we devise optimal and approximation algorithms, while for the partial-grid scenario we devise an optimal algorithm.", "keywords": [ "Grid", "Computer science", "Drone", "Euclidean geometry", "Shortest path problem", "Euclidean distance", "Point (geometry)", "Mathematical optimization", "Path (computing)", "Algorithm", "Theory of computation", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10479-023-05458-4.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4313472896", "doi": "10.3390/su15010709", "title": "Method of Vertiport Capacity Assessment Based on Queuing Theory of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-12-30", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Honghai Zhang", "Yuhan Fei", "Jingyu Li", "Bowen Li", "Hao Liu" ], "first_author": "Honghai Zhang", "venue": "Sustainability", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Urban air traffic has gradually attracted attention in recent years, which will bring endless vitality to future urban development. An objective and accurate method of assessing vertiport capacity is the basis for the air traffic flow management of UAVs, which plays an important role in improving the efficiency of urban airspace resources. First of all, this paper establishes a theoretical capacity calculation model for ground facilities such as takeoff and landing platforms, taxiways and aprons, respectively. Next, this paper analyzes the service characteristics of each ground facility and establishes different types of UAV queuing systems to obtain UAV delay curves based on a UAV Poisson flow arrival model. Subsequently, a suitable acceptable delay level is selected to obtain the corresponding UAV flow, which means the actual capacity of UAV operations. Eventually, the validity of the model is verified through actual drone data arithmetic examples. The calculation results show that the combination of “1 landing + 2 takeoffs” can achieve better capacity results and that the landing platform is more prone to congestion than the takeoff platform. Change in average service time has the greatest impact on the apron capacity, and the takeoff platform is the most sensitive to changes in the acceptable delay level.", "keywords": [ "Takeoff", "Takeoff and landing", "Queueing theory", "Computer science", "Service level", "Level of service", "Simulation", "Transport engineering", "Automotive engineering", "Engineering", "Computer network", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 13, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/709/pdf?version=1672906464" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4308093192", "doi": "10.1109/dasc55683.2022.9925753", "title": "Demand Capacity Balancing at Vertiports for Initial Strategic Conflict Management of Urban Air Mobility Operations", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-09-18", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Hanbong Lee", "Kushal A. Moolchandani", "Heather M. Arneson" ], "first_author": "Hanbong Lee", "venue": "2022 IEEE/AIAA 41st Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC)", "publisher": null, "abstract": "Demand Capacity Balancing (DCB) can be applied in strategic conflict management for safe Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations. Even when the operational tempo is low, traffic demand can locally exceed the capacity at airspace resources like vertiports. This paper proposes a DCB algorithm to manage the UAM traffic demand strategically, given the capacity at vertiports. The DCB algorithm is evaluated with traffic scenarios at Dallas/Fort Worth urban area in terms of various metrics such as demand distribution changes, pre- departure delay, and the number of simultaneous operations in the air. With the same experiment setup, more extended studies are also conducted to investigate how the UAM flight scheduling based on the DCB algorithm is affected by various conditions that can occur in a practical UAM environment, including vertiport capacity changes, a slot size parameter in capacity constraint, differences in operational policy between operators like lead time for flight plan submission and cruise flight speed, and uncertainties in actual departure and arrival times.", "keywords": [ "Capacity management", "Cruise", "Scheduling (production processes)", "Air traffic control", "Computer science", "Constraint (computer-aided design)", "Operations research", "Plan (archaeology)", "Transport engineering", "Operations management", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 13, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/dasc55683.2022.9925753" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4386484307", "doi": "10.3390/su151813377", "title": "Capacity Assessment and Analysis of Vertiports Based on Simulation", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-09-06", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Honghai Zhang", "Jingyu Li", "Yuhan Fei", "Cheng Dan Deng", "Yi Jia" ], "first_author": "Honghai Zhang", "venue": "Sustainability", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "City air traffic as a new transportation mode has gradually attracted attention in recent years which will bring endless vitality to future urban development. An objective and accurate assessment of the vertiport capacity for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) is the basis for implementing air traffic flow management for UAVs, which is also a prerequisite for improving the efficiency of urban airspace resources used. Firstly, new topology designs are proposed and named as connected and compact topology designs based on the existing central airport topology design. Subsequently, three modes of operation are summarized for vertiports with multiple TLOF pads: independent operation, dependent operation, and segregated operation. In the next place, the overall traffic flow of the vertiport model is established based on AnyLogic while analyzing the logic of UAV operation in three modes as mentioned above. Eventually, according to the simulation results, the vertiport operation capacity, the UAVs delay, and surface area utilization under different operation modes and topology designs are analyzed. The simulation result shows that the overall average delay time of UAVs for independent operation mode is about 100 s less than that of segregated operation and it also shows that the utilization rate of independent operation mode under central design is as high as 54.42% while the utilization rate of TLOF pads of other design is less than 50%, and its vertiport capacity is the largest, so the independent operational mode under central configuration is the optimal combination.", "keywords": [ "Mode (computer interface)", "Topology (electrical circuits)", "Computer science", "Network topology", "Traffic flow (computer networking)", "Simulation", "Transport engineering", "Engineering", "Computer network", "Electrical engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 8, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13377/pdf?version=1694067702" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4389783658", "doi": "10.58940/2374-6793.1854", "title": "Public Opinion Concerning the Siting of Vertiports", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "David Carl Ison" ], "first_author": "David Carl Ison", "venue": "International Journal of Aviation Aeronautics and Aerospace", "publisher": "Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University", "abstract": "This study sought a better understanding of public opinion about the siting of vertiports to support Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). An online survey was used to collect the necessary data. The survey was divided into seven sections: personal impacts, community impacts, acceptable proximity, benefits and concerns, flight operations, open-ended comments, and demographics. The findings for personal impacts suggested a slightly positive outlook. Community impacts were assessed, and data also indicated a marginally positive outlook. The survey revealed that a tolerable average distance between the home of the respondent and a vertiport was between one to two miles. Opinions about the benefits of a vertiport were found to include saving time, access to transit, reduced congestion, flexibility, and economic impact. Respondent concerns focused on safety, noise, air pollution, light pollution, and visual distractions/disturbances. The majority of respondents indicated that 35-40 daily flights would be acceptable. The survey also revealed that respondents were mostly comfortable with the proximity of eVTOLs to their homes but preferred that eVTOLs were flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet or higher. The demographics of respondents were also outlined. The results of this study provide planners and stakeholders with critical information necessary to consider public concerns and community impacts when selecting sites for vertiports.", "keywords": [ "Public opinion", "Political science", "Law", "Politics" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1854&context=ijaaa" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4411404003", "doi": "10.1016/j.commtr.2025.100186", "title": "A sustainable multi-objective framework for multi-phased, capacitated vertiport siting with land use integration", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-06-18", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Hao Wu", "Shahriar Iqbal Zame", "Tao Guo", "Qing-Long Lu", "Constantinos Antoniou" ], "first_author": "Hao Wu", "venue": "Communications in Transportation Research", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "This research presents a multi-objective optimization framework for incremental siting of capacitated vertiports that integrates real land use data and aims to maximize generalized cost savings while minimizing infrastructure costs and emissions. The multi-phased siting framework uniquely facilitates the gradual evolution of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations from initial electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) to more advanced modular flying vehicles (MFVs). This phased technological progression provides a practical pathway toward fully operational flying cars while ensuring feasible infrastructure adaptability across these transitions. Applied to the Munich metropolitan area, the framework demonstrates that multi-phased siting, particularly a 4-phased strategy, yielding about 1.315 × 10 5 euros higher daily net profits. Specifically, compared to base single-phased approach, the 4-phased strategy delivers substantial marginal improvements across key metrics for an exemplary operating day: 1.3 × 10 4 euros in generalized travel cost savings, 15 ​t in emissions reductions, and a 0.9% increase in UAM mode share. Beyond four phases, the benefits diminish relative to increased complexity. A full factorial analysis examining capacity constraints and infrastructure costs reveals that ignoring either factor leads to impractical outcomes-unconstrained capacity results in demand exceeding 60-fold capacity, while disregarding infrastructure costs generates negative net profits due to overinvestment. The analysis identifies an optimal infrastructure cost subsidy range of 20%–40%, balancing performance gains with economic sustainability. These findings enable integrated planning that effectively balances operational efficiency, system-wide environmental externalities, and economic viability through optimized cost allocation and phased investment strategies.", "keywords": [ "Land use", "Environmental planning", "Computer science", "Environmental resource management", "Environmental science", "Civil engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 16, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commtr.2025.100186" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4400361410", "doi": "10.1007/s13272-024-00749-3", "title": "Vertiport navigation requirements and multisensor architecture considerations for urban air mobility", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-07-05", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Omar García Crespillo", "Chen Zhu", "Maximilian Simonetti", "Daniel Gerbeth", "Young-Hee Lee", "Wenhan Hao" ], "first_author": "Omar García Crespillo", "venue": "CEAS Aeronautical Journal", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": "Abstract Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) technologies are key enablers for future safe operation of drones in urban environments. However, the design of navigation technologies for these new applications is more challenging compared to e.g., civil aviation. On the one hand, the use cases and operations in urban environments are expected to have stringent requirements in terms of accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability. On the other hand, airborne sensors may not be based on high-quality equipment as in civil aviation and solutions need to rely on tighter multisensor solutions, whose safety is difficult to assess. In this work, we first provide some initial navigation requirements related to precision approach operations based on recently proposed vertiport designs. Then, we provide an overview of a possible multisensor navigation architecture solution able to support these types of operations and we comment on the challenges of each of the subsystems. Finally, initial proof of concept for some navigation sensor subsystems is presented based on flight trials performed during the German Aerospace Center (DLR) project HorizonUAM.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Systems engineering", "Architecture", "Aerospace", "Key (lock)", "Avionics", "Computer science", "Civil aviation", "Aviation", "Aeronautics", "Engineering", "Transport engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13272-024-00749-3.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4410288390", "doi": "10.1016/j.urbmob.2025.100117", "title": "Data-driven vertiport siting: A comparative analysis of clustering methods for Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-05-12", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Tao Guo", "Hao Wu", "Shahriar Iqbal Zame", "Constantinos Antoniou" ], "first_author": "Tao Guo", "venue": "Journal of Urban Mobility", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has emerged as a promising solution to enhance metropolitan urban mobility. A critical determinant of UAM’s success is vertiport siting, which directly influences accessibility and travel time benefits. However, existing research lacks a evaluation of different data-driven clustering approaches for vertiport placement. This study systematically compares six clustering-based vertiport allocation strategies against an expert-defined benchmark (OBUAM) in the Munich Metropolitan Region (Ploetner et al., 2020). More specifically, the travel time efficiency improvements, accessibility enhancements, and transport equity impacts are assessed across different allocation scenarios. Results indicate that clustering-based siting significantly outperforms expert-defined siting in all the three perspectives. Notably, the K-means++ approach achieves the highest travel time saving (10.05%), accessibility gains (7.16%) and the lowest Gini coefficient (0.512), demonstrating its advantages in planing vertiport locations. The inferiority of DBSCAN, OBUAM and MS scenarios reveals that neither concentrating vertiports excessively in urban centers nor distributing them too evenly across the region optimizes transport efficiency. All clustering-based methods offer a practical, data-driven alternative that does not rely on domain expertise or excessive computational resources, making them easily adaptable for real-world UAM planning. Sensitivity analyses further explore the influence of key parameters on the indicators. Findings highlight that reducing pre-flight time has a more significant impact on travel time saving, accessibility and equity than increasing UAM cruise speed, while higher fares significantly disproportionately reduce accessibility benefits and equality.", "keywords": [ "Cluster analysis", "Environmental science", "Computer science", "Geography", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 12, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urbmob.2025.100117" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2621365696", "doi": "10.2514/6.2017-3883", "title": "Bleed Air Control: Towards the Complete In-Canopy System for Autonomous Aerial Delivery", "year": 2017, "publication_date": "2017-06-02", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Edward Scheuermann", "Michael Ward", "Mark Costello", "Keith Bergeron", "Greg Noetscher" ], "first_author": "Edward Scheuermann", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Bleed", "Computer science", "Environmental science", "Marine engineering", "Aeronautics", "Engineering", "Business" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2017-3883" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3184252603", "doi": "10.2514/6.2021-2783", "title": "Application and Potential Design of an Amphibious Drone Hub: Water Lily and Bioinspiration Concepts", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-07-28", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Brenden Herkenhoff", "Isabel Morris", "Arvin Ebrahimkhanlou", "Mostafa Hassanalian" ], "first_author": "Brenden Herkenhoff", "venue": "AIAA AVIATION 2021 FORUM", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-2783.vid The ability to remotely operate a collection of aquatic drones for extended periods of time will provide significant improvements to autonomous data collection in marine environments. The implementation of a floating drone hub will allow aquatic and amphibious systems to more closely monitor aquatic species and complete various other long-term missions. In addition, this hub will allow these extended duration missions to operate in remote areas where regular human intervention may be challenging or costly. As an additional design aspect, these hubs could be used as floating solar arrays in remote areas to provide power to small communities near a coast. This paper proposes a novel design for such a floating hub concept and explores bioinspired aspects of its design.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Marine engineering", "Engineering", "Computer science", "Biology", "Botany" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-2783" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4412711990", "doi": "10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.07.028", "title": "Passengers’ vertiport choices for integrated urban air mobility and airline services", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-07-18", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Ying Zhao", "Yan Hu", "Tao Feng", "Anming Zhang" ], "first_author": "Ying Zhao", "venue": "Transport Policy", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "Vertiports are essential hubs for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) airport shuttles, however, passenger choice behavior in vertiports remains underexplored. In this paper, we conducted a stated choice experiment in Beijing and applied a mixed logit model with interaction effects to examine passengers’ heterogeneous choice preferences in the context of synchronized UAM and airline services. Results show passengers generally prefer small, nearby vertiports, integrated with public transport, and equipped with multiple facilities and services. Preferences vary notably among middle-income groups (100,000–200,000 CNY/year), and passengers with helicopter experience prefer less proximate vertiports due to noise and privacy concerns. Elasticity analyses underscore the critical influence of access distance, providing valuable insights for policymakers and UAM service providers in infrastructure planning and development.", "keywords": [ "Transport engineering", "Business", "Air travel", "Air transport", "Aviation", "Environmental planning", "Engineering", "Environmental science" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.07.028" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4402626268", "doi": "10.1177/03611981241277755", "title": "Simulation-Based Optimization for Vertiport Location Selection: A Surrogate Model With Machine Learning Method", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-09-19", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Xuan Jiang", "Shangqing Cao", "Baichuan Mo", "Junzhe Cao", "Hao Yang", "Yuhan Tang", "Mark M. Hansen", "Jinhua Zhao", "Raja Sengupta" ], "first_author": "Xuan Jiang", "venue": "Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board", "publisher": "SAGE Publishing", "abstract": "We present Vertiport-informed Surrogate-Based Optimization with Machine Learning Surrogates (VinS), a novel framework for solving the vertiport location problem for urban air mobility operations. The primary focus of this work is on the optimization of vertiport locations to facilitate efficient urban air transportation. Our framework helps choose not only the optimal vertiport locations but also the optimal number of vertiports. We develop a simulation model to analyze the impacts of various vertiport location configurations on the efficiency of the transportation network. To expedite the simulation process, a surrogate model is trained using machine learning algorithms, effectively reducing the computational time for evaluating a given vertiport location configuration. With the machine learning surrogate models, we apply a genetic algorithm to find the optimal set of vertiport locations. An empirical study was performed in the San Francisco Bay Area, from which we found that given the optimal set of vertiport locations, we further reduced the total travel time in the entire transportation system in the Bay Area compared with the sampled sets by 0.05% (400 h) on average. We release our framework at: https://github.com/Xuan-1998/LPSim .", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Surrogate model", "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Machine learning", "Artificial intelligence", "Model selection" ], "cited_by_count": 12, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://journals.sagepub.com/history/58d2f02d-adcb-4eaf-85cf-db413984a872/03611981241277755.17930810.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W7124150147", "doi": "10.1109/codit66093.2025.11321813", "title": "Drone-Based Delivery in Logistics: Interdisciplinary Challenges", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-07-15", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Mariem Belhor", "Danielle Nyakam Nya" ], "first_author": "Mariem Belhor", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "As urban logistics continue to evolve, there is a growing need for innovative delivery solutions that can meet rising demand while addressing sustainability and cost-effectiveness. To tackle these challenges, ecofriendly transportation methods must be adopted to minimize environmental impact, enhance safety and optimize costs. Drone delivery has emerged as a transformative approach that offers speed, adaptability and reduced emissions compared to conventional logistics. However, its large-scale deployment presents technical and operational challenges that require an interdisciplinary approach. This paper examines these challenges through the integration of control engineering and computer science, identifying how their synergies can enhance efficiency and scalability in drone logistics by developing complementary solutions that address various logistical challenges.", "keywords": [ "Adaptability", "Software deployment", "Drone", "Sustainability", "Flexibility (engineering)", "Transformative learning" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/codit66093.2025.11321813" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2006877760", "doi": "10.1016/j.proeng.2014.12.614", "title": "Nine-degree of Freedom Modeling and Flight Dynamic Analysis of Parafoil Aerial Delivery System", "year": 2015, "publication_date": "2015-01-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Gang Yu" ], "first_author": "Gang Yu", "venue": "Procedia Engineering", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "Because of its good aerodynamic performance and excellent controllability, the PADS which using the parachute like a wing has been widely used. To reach the accurate delivery target, the flight dynamic performance of PADS is very important. It is the foundation of the aerial delivery system's controllability and stability analysis. In this paper, we analyse the PADS’ flight dynamic performance by simplifiedthe system at9-DOFand numerical modeling based on it. The system flight dynamic performance at the station of one side edge deflection and both side edge deflection have been compared. The results indicate that this paper's modeling and dynamic analysis way is viable.", "keywords": [ "Controllability", "Deflection (physics)", "Aerodynamics", "Wing", "Aerospace engineering", "Leading edge", "Engineering", "Flight dynamics", "Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution", "System dynamics", "Structural engineering", "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187770581403728X/pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4391302369", "doi": "10.2514/6.2024-0526", "title": "Vertiport Management from Simulation to Flight: Continued Human Factors Assessment of Vertiport Operations", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-01-04", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "James Unverricht", "Bill K. Buck", "Bryan J. Petty", "Eric T. Chancey", "Michael S. Politowicz", "Louis J. Glaab" ], "first_author": "James Unverricht", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The Urban Air Mobility concept envisions a new future for transportation in urban environments, primarily focused around vertiport operations. A vertiport refers to an identifiable ground or elevated area used for the vertical takeoff and landing of an aircraft. One critical role within vertiport operations that has been proposed but is under-researched is the vertiport manager. The vertiport manager is expected to manage the ground-to-air operations at the vertiport, but their precise responsibilities, tasks, and challenges are currently undefined. The goal of the High Density Vertiplex Subproject at NASA is to develop and test technologies, concepts, and architectures that will support the infrastructure needed for terminal environments around vertiports. Our previous work investigated ground control station operators performing simulated and live flight operations within a remote operations environment. In the current study, we extended from our previous work to explore the role of a vertiport manager. Specifically, we investigated five participants serving as a vertiport manager across both simulated and live flight operations. We performed multiple knowledge elicitation techniques, a thematic content analysis of qualitative data, and naturalistic observations to create a list of insights, design and training recommendations, and a simplified cognitive task diagram of the vertiport manager’s primary task. Findings from this study are discussed within the context of the current debate on the degree to which this role should be automated. A third alternative is suggested to allow a human vertiport manager to be successful by teaming with increasingly autonomous systems, designing the role to improve safety and efficiency of Urban Air Mobility operations.", "keywords": [ "Aeronautics", "Computer science", "Systems engineering", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2024-0526" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W1980818082", "doi": "10.13031/2013.25141", "title": "Evaluation of Aerial Delivery Systems for Spray Deposition and Efficacy against Sweet Potato Whitefly on Cotton", "year": 2008, "publication_date": "2008-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "M. A. Latheef", "I. W. Kirk", "Louis F. Bouse", "James B. Carlton", "Wesley Clint Hoffmann" ], "first_author": "M. A. Latheef", "venue": "Applied Engineering in Agriculture", "publisher": "American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers", "abstract": "Sweet potato whiteflies (SWF), Bemisia argentifolii, live on the bottom surface of cotton leaves. Except crawlers, nymphal stages of the insect will not move about to contact insecticides. Aerial sprays to suppress SWF require improved application techniques designed to increase spray deposition and penetration to the lower layers of cotton canopy. Using Rotary atomizers, Winglets, and Trumpet nozzles with combination of air speed and boom heights, fenpropathrin 2.4E + acephate 90S at 0.22 + 0.56 kg active ingredient/ha, respectively, were applied at 46.7 L/ha on furrow-irrigated cotton near Maricopa, Arizona. Deposition of active ingredients and season long efficacy against SWF were determined and compared with conventional CP-03 nozzle. Neither spray deposit nor percentage coverage of active ingredients significantly varied consistently between aerial delivery systems. Rotary nozzles produced significantly smaller droplet size and higher droplet density compared to Winglets, Trumpet, and CP-03 nozzles. There was no consistent trend favoring one aerial delivery system over the other treatments against suppression of B. argentifolii on cotton. Further improvements in aerial delivery systems are needed to achieve increased control of insects that live and feed on the bottom surface of cotton leaves.", "keywords": [ "Sprayer", "Aerial application", "Horticulture", "Deposition (geology)", "Nozzle", "Whitefly", "Canopy", "Environmental science", "Agronomy", "Botany", "Biology", "Pesticide" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.25141" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4396875829", "doi": "10.1109/aero58975.2024.10521373", "title": "Simulating Enhanced Vertiport Management in a Multimodal Transportation Ecosystem", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-03-02", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Christopher Conrad", "Yan Xu", "Deepak Panda", "Antonios Tsourdos" ], "first_author": "Christopher Conrad", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The advanced air mobility (AAM) industry envisions a transformative transportation ecosystem for passengers and cargo deliveries. Nonetheless, coordinating large volumes of new aerial vehicles necessitates innovative unmanned aircraft system (UAS) traffic management (UTM) solutions, supported by a robust vertiport infrastructure. Moreover, AAM will form part of a broader multimodal ecosystem, posing additional technical, procedural and operational challenges. This work thereby presents a simulation tool in AnyLogic for deploying, training and testing collaborative and intelligent AAM decision-making frameworks within a multimodal transportation system. The platform integrates multiple vertiports with diverse resource constraints, and offers a flexible solution to investigate the impact of different vertiport designs, layouts and procedures. AAM-specific influences are also introduced, including electric vehicle batteries, heterogeneous vehicle specifications, stricter flight envelopes, and hyper-local micro-weather variations. The model further acknowledges the complex inter-dependencies within a multimodal environment to capture fluctuating travel demands and dynamic passenger flows within transportation terminals. This scalable simulation tool thereby enables the development of enhanced vertiport management and AAM traffic coordination solutions, and facilitates exploratory research on multimodal coordination amongst air, ground, rail and sea transportation systems.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Scalability", "Systems engineering", "Multimodal transport", "Transport engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/bitstreams/08e32309-b52c-461f-922c-0b80561cb695/download" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4406661067", "doi": "10.1016/j.ast.2025.109971", "title": "Assessing prominent eVTOLs based on vertiport throughput, noise, and speed using multi-dimensional pareto fronts", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-01-21", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis", "Mark T. Kotwicz Herniczek", "Brian German" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "Aerospace Science and Technology", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Throughput", "Pareto principle", "Noise (video)", "Computer science", "Multi-objective optimization", "Acoustics", "Physics", "Mathematical optimization", "Mathematics", "Artificial intelligence", "Telecommunications", "Machine learning" ], "cited_by_count": 11, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2025.109971" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4391647505", "doi": "10.5302/j.icros.2024.23.0190", "title": "Vision-based Vertiport Marking Detection System for Precision Landing on a Vertiport", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-02-08", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Hyeonjeong Heo", "Kyuman Lee" ], "first_author": "Hyeonjeong Heo", "venue": "Journal of Institute of Control Robotics and Systems", "publisher": "Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems", "abstract": "Contrary to existing airports in the suburbs, a vertiport is located in a complex urban area and has space limitations. Precision landing technology at a vertiport is essential for safe urban air mobility (UAM) operations in limited spaces. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently released a symbol design for vertiport identification. However, research on the precision landing of a UAM vehicle using this symbol is still insufficient. We propose a vision-based system for detecting the FAA vertiport marking to ensure precision landing on a vertiport. After the existing fiducial marker detectors have been benchmarked, we establish a methodology that recognizes the vertiport marking, estimates the relative position and attitude through transformation, and visualizes the pose estimation results to instruments similar to the instrument landing system. Marking detection and pose estimation are validated experimentally by using cameras and drone flight tests. The results show the applicability of the proposed approach under the operating conditions for UAM.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Computer vision", "Artificial intelligence", "Remote sensing", "Geology" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.5302/j.icros.2024.23.0190" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4379877353", "doi": "10.2514/6.2023-3412", "title": "VAMOS! A Regional Modeling and Simulation System for Vertiport Location Assessment", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-06-08", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kapil S. Sheth" ], "first_author": "Kapil S. Sheth", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3412.vid This paper presents an approach to assess the suitability of vertiport locations and evaluate the feasibility of flights between them for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) concept. The motivation for the work comes from the infrastructure challenges to implement the AAM concept. The question of where should the vertiports be placed led to the development of the technology described in this paper. A modeling tool gathers various attributes desired by the local community (city or county planning departments) and aggregates them to create suitable vertiport locations. Site suitability is modeled with a composite suitability metric that is a weighted function of several characteristics of a location, some favorable and some not, all of which are a function of desired proximity to the site being considered. Then, a simulation system conducts a fast-time simulation of origin-to-destination operations in the urban region. The flight of various vehicles, with winds and obstacles, is simulated between the selected vertiport locations to assess feasibility of flight. The noise footprints and the battery depletion are also computed. A prototype system encompassing both, the vertiport location suitability assessment tool and the flight feasibility simulation system, was developed and evaluated with subject-matter experts in regional planning from four metropolitan areas. The outcome of those evaluations suggests the use case is sound and the prototype brings needed consistency to the decision-making process.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Metropolitan area", "Consistency (knowledge bases)", "Metric (unit)", "Process (computing)", "Function (biology)", "Work (physics)", "Simulation", "Systems engineering", "Transport engineering", "Artificial intelligence", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3412" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4403031629", "doi": "10.1007/s12369-024-01169-3", "title": "Through-Window Home Aerial Delivery System with In-Flight Parcel Load and Handover: Design and Validation in Indoor Scenario", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-10-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Alejandro Suárez", "Antonio Gonzalez", "Carlos Alvarez", "Anı́bal Ollero" ], "first_author": "Alejandro Suárez", "venue": "International Journal of Social Robotics", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": "Abstract This paper presents the design, development, and validation in indoor scenario of an aerial delivery system intended to conduct the delivery of light parcels directly to the user through the window of his/her home, motivated by the convenience of facilitating the access to medicines to people with reduced mobility.The system consists of a fully-actuated multi-rotor (FAMR) equipped with a front basket where the parcel to be delivered is loaded by a lightweight and compliant anthropomorphic dual arm system (LiCAS) located at the supply point, using one of the arms to drop the parcel in the basket while the other arm holds its base to support the sudden moment exerted at the FAMR. The paper analyses four types of physical interactions raised during the operation on flight: (1) sudden changes in the mass distribution of the FAMR during the load/unload phase, affecting the multi-rotor position-attitude controllers, (2) impact and impulsive forces exerted by the human on the FAMR to demonstrate the reliability and robustness of conventional cascade controllers, (3) passive accommodation of the LiCAS while holding the FAMR during the parcel load, relying on the mechanical joint compliance, and (4) compliant human–FAMR interaction, interpreting the multi-rotor pose control error as a Cartesian/angular deflection to implement an admittance controller that allows the user guiding the platform. Experimental results allow the identification and characterization of these effects for different payload masses. The execution of the complete operation, involving the parcel load with the LiCAS and handover by the user through a window, is validated in a representative indoor scenario. Graphical Abstract", "keywords": [ "Window (computing)", "Handover", "Computer science", "Real-time computing", "Robotics", "Mechatronics", "Artificial intelligence", "Simulation", "Robot", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 10, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12369-024-01169-3.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3084768135", "doi": "10.3390/s20185227", "title": "Sensor Fusion Algorithm Using a Model-Based Kalman Filter for the Position and Attitude Estimation of Precision Aerial Delivery Systems", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-09-13", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Raúl A. García-Huerta", "Luis E. González-Jiménez", "Iván E. Villalón-Turrubiates" ], "first_author": "Raúl A. García-Huerta", "venue": "Sensors", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "In this research, we focus on the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the delivery of payloads and navigation towards safe-landing zones, specifically on the modeling of flight dynamics of lightweight vehicles denoted Precision Aerial Delivery Systems (PADSs). While a wide range of nonlinear models has been developed and tested on high-end applications considering various degrees of freedom (DOF), linear models suitable for low-cost applications have not been explored thoroughly. In this study, we propose and compare two linear models, a linearized version of a 6-DOF model specifically developed for micro-lightweight systems, and an alternative model based on a double integrator. Both linear models are implemented with a sensor fusion algorithm using a Kalman filter to estimate the position and attitude of PADSs, and their performance is compared to a nonlinear 6-DOF model. Simulation results demonstrate that both models, when incorporated into a Kalman filter estimation scheme, can determine the flight dynamics of PADSs during smooth flights. While it is validated that the double integrator model can adequately operate under the proposed estimation scheme for up to small acceleration changes, the linearized model proves to be capable of reproducing the nonlinear model characteristics even during moderately steep turns.", "keywords": [ "Kalman filter", "Control theory (sociology)", "Nonlinear system", "Integrator", "Acceleration", "Position (finance)", "Extended Kalman filter", "Computer science", "Sensor fusion", "Filter (signal processing)", "Linear model", "Double integrator" ], "cited_by_count": 11, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/18/5227/pdf?version=1600229226" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W77918638", "doi": null, "title": "Potential Flotation Devices for Aerial Delivery of Baits to Brown Treesnakes", "year": 2004, "publication_date": "2004-01-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Peter J. Savarie", "Kenneth L. Tope" ], "first_author": "Peter J. Savarie", "venue": "eScholarship (California Digital Library)", "publisher": "California Digital Library", "abstract": "Brown treesnakes are exotic invasive predators that have extirpated native forest birds and caused drastic reductions of lizards on Guam. Operational management control methods to contain the snake on Guam include the use of live traps, hand capture from fences, and canine detection. Live traps are also used to depopulate small forest plots. Toxicants offer an additional means for reducing snake populations on small plots. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic pipe bait stations containing dead neonatal mice (DNM) treated with 80 mg acetaminophen are placed about 1.5 m above the ground in vegetation to reduce exposure to terrestrial scavengers such as toads, crabs, and feral pigs. Live traps or bait stations are not practical to use in remote, large-scale areas of forest but aerial delivery of baits may have application. Small plastic parachutes have been used for entangling DNM in forest canopy but parachutes are relatively expensive and cumbersome to use. Inconveniences can be tolerated when only a small number are deployed. But it is anticipated that several thousand baits may be delivered per drop, and inconveniences must be kept to a minimum to maintain an efficient aerial drop system. We therefore evaluated 5 types of flotation materials dropped by helicopter, using DNM implanted with radio transmitters to record landing site (canopy or ground) and bait consumption by snakes and non-target animals. The types of material and percentage of baits that became entangled in the canopy were: paper ring – 39%, paper drinking cup – 50%, excelsior (wood shavings) and burlap – each 56%, and commercial paper food cup – 60%. For all devices, bait consumption by snakes ranged from 19-50% and bait consumption by non-target toads and crabs ranged from 0 - 11%. Commercial food cups were the most convenient material to use because they could be nested together prior to deployment.", "keywords": [ "Canopy", "Tree canopy", "Predation", "Environmental science", "Ecology", "Biology" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98f0624s" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3213055133", "doi": "10.1109/dasc52595.2021.9594309", "title": "eVTOL Fleet Selection Method for Vertiport Networks", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-10-03", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jasenka Rakas", "Jeffrey Jeung", "Duston So", "Paul J. Ambrose", "Valeria Chupina" ], "first_author": "Jasenka Rakas", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "To date, there have been over 400 electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) air vehicle designs that vary significantly in terms of design concepts, thrust type, air vehicle size or passenger seating capacity. Our study proposes a method for exploring ranking of passenger eVTOLs for vertiport network routes within large metropolitan regions. The method uses a benchmarking approach to indicate the eVTOLs most suitable to perform in the determined operational envelope. The study includes (i) a database, which was developed from open-source data that contains declared eVTOL performance characteristics, (ii) analysis of performance and limitations of eVTOLs, (iii) a multi-criteria decision analysis method for benchmarking technical specifications of eVTOLs, and (iv) an operational envelope design limited by a certain metropolitan area. To date, this has been the first attempt to map the passenger eVTOL family in its entirety. This research provides the UAM stakeholders with a generic tool that can be utilized in different metropolitan areas that anticipate the UAM deployment.", "keywords": [ "Benchmarking", "Metropolitan area", "Software deployment", "Computer science", "Takeoff", "Transport engineering", "Ranking (information retrieval)", "Envelope (radar)", "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Engineering", "Telecommunications", "Automotive engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/dasc52595.2021.9594309" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4401466299", "doi": "10.1111/bjh.19666", "title": "The effects of drone transportation on blood component quality: A prospective randomised controlled laboratory study", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-08-08", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Michael D. Wiltshire", "Jonathan Boxshall", "James Milne", "Katarzyna Oleniacz", "Katherine Theobald", "Benedict L. Phillips" ], "first_author": "Michael D. Wiltshire", "venue": "British Journal of Haematology", "publisher": "Wiley", "abstract": "The use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (drones) has increased over the last decade. However, their application in healthcare has not been fully examined, in part, due to regulations preventing flight beyond the visual line of sight. This prospective randomised controlled laboratory study aimed to determine whether the in vitro quality of packed red blood cell components is maintained when transported by drone, beyond visual line of sight. Ten identical pairs of packed red blood cell units were randomly allocated to transport by drone or by ground vehicle (1:1, allocation concealment) 68 km between two hospitals in Northumbria, UK. Markers of blood component quality were compared at 8, 14, 28 and 35 days following blood unit manufacture. There was no statistical difference in haemolysis, potassium concentration, total haemoglobin, glucose and lactate, haematocrit and mean cell volume, between the two groups, up to the date of unit expiry. The temperature of the packed red blood cell units did not deviate outside the recommended 2-10°C for transportation, regardless of the allocated group. Blood component transport was faster by drone, but did not reach statistical significance. This study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of flying blood components by drone between hospitals in the United Kingdom.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Haemolysis", "Medicine", "Emergency medicine", "Red blood cell", "Internal medicine", "Biology", "Immunology" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.19666" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W225204522", "doi": null, "title": "Heliport/Vertiport Design Deliberations 1997 - 2000", "year": 2001, "publication_date": "2001-05-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Robert Dean Smith" ], "first_author": "Robert Dean Smith", "venue": "Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)", "publisher": null, "abstract": "During the last several years, the FAA has been working toward the revision of both the Heliport Design advisory circular, AC150/5390-2B, and the Vertiport Design AC, AC150/5390-3. This work has been done in cooperation with Industry via meetings, discussions, and working papers. This report documents some of the some of the more significant issues that have been discussed during the 1997 to 2000 time period. While heliports and vertiports are different, many of the design issues are similar. Indeed, the FAA has previously announced its intentions to combine the two advisory circulars (AC) into one AC. This is why both subjects are addressed in the same report.", "keywords": [ "Work (physics)", "Engineering", "Advisory committee", "Operations research", "Aeronautics", "Management", "Mechanical engineering", "Economics" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA389805" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4388562120", "doi": "10.1109/dasc58513.2023.10311132", "title": "Vertiport Locations Optimization in Discrete Search Space", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-10-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Munhyun Chae", "Sang Hyun Kim", "Sangho Kim", "Migyoung Kim", "Heetae Park" ], "first_author": "Munhyun Chae", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "This paper aims to find optimal vertiport locations for an urban air mobility service in a metropolitan area. This location optimization problem has no specific candidates, so its search space is finely discretized. The optimal locations are defined as the set of locations that maximize the total revenue. To estimate the revenue, actual traffic data and a mode choice model are used to forecast the demand. Since the search space of the location optimization problem is huge, a local search-based algorithm is proposed to find a near-optimal solution in a short computation time. The proposed algorithm is applied to the Seoul metropolitan area, Republic of Korea, and the optimal vertiport network is found. This paper also analyzes the impact of operational parameters, such as the number, distance, and catchment area of vertiports and the fare and speed of aircraft, at the optimal locations. The results of this study can provide insights to stakeholders.", "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "Computer science", "Mathematical optimization", "Computation", "Revenue", "Set (abstract data type)", "Discretization", "Space (punctuation)", "Service (business)", "Mode (computer interface)", "Geography", "Algorithm" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/dasc58513.2023.10311132" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4308092417", "doi": "10.1109/dasc55683.2022.9925809", "title": "Vertiport Design Optimization using Integer Programming", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-09-18", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Byeong Tak Park", "Sang Hyun Kim" ], "first_author": "Byeong Tak Park", "venue": "2022 IEEE/AIAA 41st Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC)", "publisher": null, "abstract": "This study aims to find the optimal vertiport design based on the geometry of the candidate site in terms of maximizing the capacity and net profit of the vertiport operator. This study presents a vertiport design problem (VDP) of a novel mathematical formulation of integer programming. It involves the positioning of vertiport facilities including the final approach and takeoff areas, gates, taxiways, and passenger terminals within a candidate site while ensuring safety requirements for urban air mobility operations. Results of the proposed vertiport design problem can support the decision-making of vertiport operators by providing an optimal design and layout of vertiport facilities. A numerical experiment for the Samseong vertiport in Seoul, Korea is presented, and the impacts of two objective functions on the vertiport design are analyzed.", "keywords": [ "Integer programming", "Computer science", "Mathematical optimization", "Operator (biology)", "Integer (computer science)", "Page layout", "Profit (economics)", "Linear programming", "Optimal design", "Takeoff", "Operations research", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/dasc55683.2022.9925809" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4379878561", "doi": "10.2514/6.2023-3965", "title": "An In-time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) Concept of Operations for Vertiport Design and Operations", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-06-08", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kyle Kent Edward Ellis", "Lawrence J. Prinzel", "Misty Davies", "Jeffrey R. Homola", "Louis J. Glaab", "Paul A. Krois", "Nikunj C. Oza", "Robert W. Mah", "Chad L. Stephens", "Michael J. Vincent", "James Ackerson", "Samantha Indre Infeld" ], "first_author": "Kyle Kent Edward Ellis", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3965.vid The National Airspace System is foreseen to undergo revolutionary change with Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and its use of vertiports to transport passengers and cargo. To assure safety with UAM and more broadly with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), the National Academies recommended an In-time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) that is extensible to the design and operation of vertiports. Vertiport designs will scale in several dimensions including physical size and infrastructure depending upon location and in the Services, Functions, and Capabilities required for assuring safety with increasingly complex vertiport designs and operations. These operations will be enabled by evolving technologies including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for passenger- and cargo-carrying commercial transportation. Within this construct, safety hazards and risk mitigations involving predictive data analytics and modeling will be used. Use cases and future challenges are examined to guide maturation of the IASMS ConOps for vertiports.", "keywords": [ "Aviation", "Takeoff", "National Airspace System", "Takeoff and landing", "Construct (python library)", "Systems engineering", "Analytics", "Transport engineering", "Aeronautics", "Aviation safety", "Air transport", "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 8, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3965" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4312614487", "doi": "10.21447/jusre.2022.13.2.119", "title": "A Study on the Factors affecting UAM Vertiport Location Selection", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-06-30", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Wonjin Kim", "Jae-Hong Park" ], "first_author": "Wonjin Kim", "venue": "The Korean Association of Urban Policies", "publisher": null, "abstract": "UAM vertiport may have a problem constructing on an unnecessary area if the location selection criteria are not prepared at an early stage. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a basic study on the factors affecting the proper location selection of vertiport in preparation for the commercialization of urban air traffic system. This study derived the main variables affecting UAM demand. This study presents the evaluation index when constructing the UAM transfer system in the future, and it is important to quantitatively calculate the weights of each influential factor. The first variable was summarized by examining previous studies related to the location and transfer of UAM vertiport. FGI was conducted for experts in each related field, and the final factors were selected and stratified. To calculate the importance of the factors, a survey was conducted for 15 experts and weights were calculated by AHP. As a result of the analysis, it is necessary to first review the installation of UAM vertiport in urban infrastructure for better railway route linkage. Also, areas that can activate urban space should be considered in priority for the installation of vertiports rather than traffic congestion areas. In terms of social acceptability, it is necessary to review the areas where noise and user safety can be considered at the same time.", "keywords": [ "Selection (genetic algorithm)", "Computer science", "Analytic hierarchy process", "Transport engineering", "Variable (mathematics)", "Linkage (software)", "Operations research", "Traffic congestion", "Site selection", "Field (mathematics)", "Engineering", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.21447/jusre.2022.13.2.119" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4394853090", "doi": "10.1177/03611981241239654", "title": "Scalable Combinatorial Vertiport Placement Method for an Urban Air Mobility Commuting Service", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-04-15", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Mark T. Kotwicz Herniczek", "Brian German" ], "first_author": "Mark T. Kotwicz Herniczek", "venue": "Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board", "publisher": "SAGE Publishing", "abstract": "Vertiport locations have a significant impact on the time savings provided by an urban air mobility (UAM) commuting service relative to ground transportation and, thereby, greatly affect the value proposition and demand for UAM commuting services. In this paper, we present a discrete combinatorial vertiport placement method with a flexible objective function capable of directly optimizing for commuting demand. Preprocessing and postprocessing formulations that effectively reduce problem size and increase solution quality are also described. Demand-maximizing vertiport placement results are provided for Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle. We also present results showing the sensitivity of potential commuting demand to number of vertiports, ticket price, and service delay. Additionally, results that illustrate the impact of limiting vertiport placement to locations with existing airport and helipad infrastructure are presented. Finally, vertiport placement results optimized using a capacitated profitability-maximization objective are outlined.", "keywords": [ "Atlanta", "Ticket", "Metropolitan area", "Transport engineering", "Maximization", "Computer science", "Profitability index", "Service (business)", "Operations research", "Mathematical optimization", "Engineering", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241239654" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4410032726", "doi": "10.3390/futuretransp5020058", "title": "Optimal Location of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Vertiport Using a Three-Stage Geospatial Analysis Framework", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-05-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Sangwan Lee", "Nahye Cho" ], "first_author": "Sangwan Lee", "venue": "Future Transportation", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Recent advancements in aviation and automation technologies have catalyzed the emergence of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), an innovative transportation paradigm involving the use of automated vertical take-off and landing aircraft for intra-city passenger travel. Despite growing global interest, the development and application of integrated geospatial frameworks for UAM infrastructure planning—particularly vertiport siting—remain limited. Thus, this study proposes a three-stage geospatial analysis framework, which consists of (1) Suitability analysis, employing multi-criteria decision-making techniques; (2) Regulation analysis, which screens out parcels restricted by aviation safety standards, land-use policies, and other statutory constraints; and (3) Location-allocation analysis, which spatially optimizes vertiport distribution in accordance with urban master plans and strategic transport priorities. Then, this framework is empirically applied to two South Korean UAM pilot sites—Busan and Jeju. The findings reveal that high-suitability areas are predominantly concentrated in dense urban cores with strong multimodal connectivity and mixed land-use configurations. However, a significant proportion of these zones are rendered infeasible due to regulatory exclusions, such as military flight paths and restricted airspace. Additionally, areas with lower suitability—often home to marginalized populations—raise critical equity concerns. This study contributes to the advancement of urban geospatial analytics by presenting a replicable methodological framework for vertiport site selection, while offering strategic insights to inform early-stage UAM deployment initiatives.", "keywords": [ "Geospatial analysis", "Stage (stratigraphy)", "Environmental science", "Computer science", "Remote sensing", "Geography", "Geology" ], "cited_by_count": 10, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7590/5/2/58/pdf?version=1746082269" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4391328551", "doi": "10.2514/6.2024-2550", "title": "High-Fidelity Analysis of Unsteady Flow Characteristics Around Vertiport Model", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-01-04", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Alireza Maleki", "Bilal Ahmed", "Surabhi Singh", "Vladimir V. Golubev" ], "first_author": "Alireza Maleki", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "This work investigates the unsteady flow characteristics around a wall-mounted rectangular cylinder, serving as a model for a building with a vertiport (e.g., a rooftop landing pad) for future analyses of eVTOL vehicle's vertiport unsteady interaction studies. A high-fidelity analysis involves Large Eddy Simulations (LES) conducted using an open-source OpenFOAM software, and further employs the Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (SPOD) approach to identify coherent vortical structures near the vertiport region, and their frequency content. The key findings include the identification of the near-wake vortex, the primary tip vortex, the von Karman vortex street, and the secondary tip vortex in the flow around the building. The conducted multiple-domain investigation provides insights into the spatial and temporal characteristics of these coherent structures. In particular, the secondary tip vortex dominates the rooftop region's flow dynamics and thus appears as the potentially primary contributor to the eVTOL vehicle's unsteady responses in the vertiport region.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Flow (mathematics)", "Mechanics", "Physics" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2024-2550" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4388001776", "doi": "10.2172/2203520", "title": "Federal Aviation Administration Vertiport Electrical Infrastructure Study", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-10-28", "type": "report", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Bharatkumar V. Solanki", "US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)", "USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)", "Peyton Sanders", "Eric S. Miller", "Priti Paudyal", "Bhavesh A. Rathod", "Sherin Ann Abraham", "Michael Young", "André Fernandes Tomon Avelino", "Harsha Vardhana Padullaparti", "Scott Cary", "Chris Hallock", "Kristi Moriarty", "Grant Ellwood", "Jayaraj Rane", "Francisco Flores-Espino", "Jayaraj Rane", "T. Markel", "Anuj Sanghvi" ], "first_author": "Bharatkumar V. Solanki", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "In this detailed analysis, the authors assess the charging infrastructure needed for the deployment of advanced air mobility involving electrified vertical take-off and landing technologies. The report covers four research areas: (1) Identifying charging infrastructure requirements for existing facilities based on flight operational parameters, potential use cases, charging strategy, and other constraints. (2) Assessing sites on power availability to meet charging demand, the impact on grid infrastructure, potential hazards, and cybersecurity needs, and using technoeconomic analysis to identify opportunities for onsite distributed energy resources, primarily solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage systems. (3) Calculating greenhouse gas emission based on total energy consumption attributable to each site. (4) Analyzing the job and economic development impact for sites adopting new infrastructure.", "keywords": [ "Software deployment", "Aviation", "Photovoltaics", "Greenhouse gas", "Environmental economics", "Transport engineering", "Grid", "Photovoltaic system", "Business", "Computer science", "Engineering", "Electrical engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2203520" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4382050604", "doi": "10.1109/icuas57906.2023.10155914", "title": "Vision-aided approach and landing through AI-based vertiport recognition *", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-06-06", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Paolo Veneruso", "Enrico Miccio", "Roberto Opromolla", "Giancarmine Fasano", "Giacomo Gentile", "Carlo Tiana" ], "first_author": "Paolo Veneruso", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "This paper presents a vision-aided navigation pipeline to support the approach and landing phase of autonomous Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft in Urban Air Mobility scenarios. The proposed filtering scheme is fed by measurements provided by an Inertial Measurement Unit and a GNSS receiver, as well as by pose estimates computed from images collected by onboard cameras. Specifically, the camera frames are processed by a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) trained to detect the vertiport landing marking in urban scenarios. Subsequently, the relevant 2D features of the pattern inside the resulting bounding box are extracted, recognized and used to solve the Perspective-n-Point problem. The performance of the implemented navigation filter is first analyzed using synthetic data collected simulating realistic landing trajectories. Then, two different training strategies are compared to verify the contribution of real data to the detection performance and to check the capability of the CNN to correctly identify the pattern in the tested scenarios. In addition, the entire pipeline for landing pad detection and pose estimation is tested on real images under various pose, illumination and background conditions.", "keywords": [ "Artificial intelligence", "Computer vision", "Computer science", "Convolutional neural network", "Pipeline (software)", "Pose", "Inertial measurement unit", "Object detection", "GNSS applications", "Minimum bounding box", "Inertial navigation system", "Bounding overwatch" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/icuas57906.2023.10155914" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4379792557", "doi": "10.2514/6.2023-3577", "title": "Optimized capacity allocation in a UAM vertiport network utilizing efficient ride matching", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-06-08", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Majed Swaid", "Jan Pertz", "Malte Niklaß", "Florian Linke" ], "first_author": "Majed Swaid", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3577.vid In this study, we present an approach that allows to design efficient UAM fleets and corresponding vertiport networks for specific demand patterns. Therefore, we apply a trajectory-based simulation model that controls the circulation of vehicles in a UAM network. The model allocates vehicles from an unlimited fleet pool to the requested missions, such that the boundary conditions of the optimization are fulfilled. Applying a combination of graph-based optimization and solving integer linear programming problems, a ride matching algorithm is implemented that minimizes empty relocation flights in the network and reduces the fleet size. The results comprise the quantification of a fleet pool, defined by fleet size, fleet mix, and starting positions in the vertiport network. We analyze a set of 20 vertiports in the City of Hamburg, Germany, regarding the local peak loads of parking positions that are needed for battery charging and waiting periods of unoccupied vehicles. The results show that the reduction of battery charging time has a significant impact on fleet size, which affects the minimum ground infrastructure requirements as well. Finally, the fleet analysis shows that average load factors of 45% are feasible at fleet sizes with varying occupancy rates of up to 80%.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Linear programming", "Matching (statistics)", "Occupancy", "Integer programming", "Battery (electricity)", "Fleet management", "Battery capacity", "Mathematical optimization", "Operations research", "Engineering", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 7, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3577" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4399271356", "doi": "10.2514/6.2024-3333", "title": "High-Fidelity Simulations of Vertiport Ground Effects on eVTOL Rotor Noise", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-05-30", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Michael Marques Goncalves", "Vladimir V. Golubev", "Anastasios S. Lyrintzis", "Reda R. Mankbadi" ], "first_author": "Michael Marques Goncalves", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Rotor noise is a significant challenge for e-VTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing), as it impacts the community around it. This study investigates the complex aerodynamic interactions and aeroacoustics of rotor systems in e-VTOL aircraft. The research encompasses three simulations, including an isolated rotor, full ground, and half ground to simulate proximity to a building top. An OpenFOAM solver is utilized to conduct a hybrid Large Eddy Simulation (LES)-Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations, and the noise will be calculated using the FW-H equation. The goal is to assess the impact of full and partial ground-effects and vortical interactions on aerodynamic efficiency and performance of small rotors. Preliminary results have demonstrated promising alignment with experimental thrust values, suggesting the effectiveness of the chosen approaches.", "keywords": [ "Rotor (electric)", "Noise (video)", "Fidelity", "Computer science", "High fidelity", "Acoustics", "Physics", "Engineering", "Electrical engineering", "Artificial intelligence", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2024-3333" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4412486500", "doi": "10.2514/6.2025-3001", "title": "High-Fidelity Simulations of Vertiport Gust Effects on eVTOL Rotor Noise", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-07-16", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Vadim Voropayev", "Michael Marques", "Alireza Maleki", "Sheryl M. Grace", "Anastasios S. Lyrintzis", "Reda R. Mankbadi", "Vladimir V. Golubev" ], "first_author": "Vadim Voropayev", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "This study addresses the impact of gusts on the performance and noise generation of an Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) rotor. Periodic gusts and turbulence modes derived from building flow wall-modeled LES simulations are applied to a scaled version of the propeller in edgewise flight, influencing performance and noise generation at the propeller. The OpenFOAM solver is utilized to conduct a Delayed Detached-Eddy Simulations (DDES), with the gust generated using a previously developed synthetic-disturbance method. The far-field noise is further calculated using PSU-WOPWOP. The simulations reveal that gust disturbances moderately affect rotor performance, while also altering the spectral characteristics of the radiated noise. In particular, gusts contribute to localized amplification of acoustic sources, which results in an increased overall noise level.", "keywords": [ "Noise (video)", "Rotor (electric)", "Computer science", "High fidelity", "Fidelity", "Aerospace engineering", "Acoustics", "Physics", "Engineering", "Electrical engineering", "Telecommunications", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2025-3001" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4414572323", "doi": "10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101142", "title": "City Fly: Modeling demand and vertiport location jointly for urban commuting", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-09-27", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Liyaning Maggie Tang", "Chuanxiang Yue", "Lijing Ma", "Jiahong Zhao", "Yuanqing Zhou" ], "first_author": "Liyaning Maggie Tang", "venue": "Travel Behaviour and Society", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "The rapid development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft presents transformative opportunities for urban air mobility (UAM). As cities globally accelerate infrastructure development, vertiport placement must reconcile demand-driven accessibility with geographic feasibility to address societal needs. However, only a limited number of studies have embedded precise demand analysis into vertiport location selection models, and empirical research using real-world data remains underexplored. This paper proposes a novel three-step demand forecasting and multi-objective optimization model (3DF-MOM) that jointly addresses these challenges. The model predicts UAM commuting demand with minimal prior knowledge, utilizing urban geographic information system (GIS) layers to optimize vertiport location selection under dual societal-geographic criteria: minimizing noise exposure for densely populated neighborhoods, lowering operational expenditures through cost-effective spatial configuration, and maximizing demand coverage across spatially fragmented urban zones. An empirical study was conducted based on urban geographic information data from Chengdu, China, in combination with ArcGIS. The results show that there will be 155 eVTOL aircraft commuting trips per day in Chengdu by 2030. The model optimally balances noise control, efficiency, and demand coverage with six vertiports of different sizes. The 3DF-MOM framework advances sustainable low-altitude infrastructure development by embedding geographic intelligence and social equity metrics into decision-making, offering policymakers a scalable tool to harmonize environmental, economic, and spatially inclusive service quality objectives.", "keywords": [ "Poison control", "Urban planning", "Human factors and ergonomics" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101142" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2928706908", "doi": null, "title": "Drone-based delivery of clinical specimens in a rural enviroment : a feasibility study", "year": 2017, "publication_date": "2017-01-01", "type": "dissertation", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Joshua Shlomo Berman" ], "first_author": "Joshua Shlomo Berman", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering by Research\r\nin the\r\nFaculty of Engineering and the Built Environment School of Electrical and Information Engineering , Private Bag 3, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Engineering", "Engineering management", "Architectural engineering", "Civil engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/24614" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4407953250", "doi": "10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102757", "title": "Multi-objective vertiport location optimization for a middle-mile package delivery framework: Case study in the South Holland Region", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-02-26", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Victor Petit", "Marta Ribeiro" ], "first_author": "Victor Petit", "venue": "Journal of Air Transport Management", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "With the rapidly increasing pace of urbanization and high demand for efficient modes of transport, the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market has seen a remarkable growth in the past years. This is especially the case for the transportation of goods. Using UAM for cargo operations is likely through operating on Middle-Mile Delivery (MMD) missions to transport cargo between facilities or distribution centers in an operator’s network. The efficiency and practicality of such a network are largely affected by the selection of strategic positions for vertiports. As vertiport location optimization is underexplored in current scientific research this paper aims to fill this research gap by developing and analyzing a multi-objective optimization model for the placement of vertiports for a middle-mile package delivery system, considering capacity, available land space, safety and noise impact factors. We develop a novel Multi-Objective Multiple Allocation Capacitated p-Hub Coverage Problem framework for an MMD UAM network and test it using the South Holland region as a case study. Notably, the model can easily be converted to other cities. First, to reduce computational efforts, the K-means clustering algorithm is proposed. This is used to divide 6625 zones into a number of K clusters, with each cluster representing a vertiport candidate location. Furthermore, we present a multi-objective Tabu Search based heuristic optimization algorithm to solve the optimization problem. The impact of different factors such as number of clusters, number of vertiports, drone range, maximum safety distance, and turn around time The presented model provides decision-makers with the ability to assess the suitability of a region for the implementation of a UAM MMD system and aids in the identification of potential good locations to set up vertiports. We demonstrate that an increase in the number of vertiports leads to a higher attainable demand coverage, however, this results in a steep drop-off in terms of safety and noise nuisance performance. Furthermore, the results show that an increase in drone range, maximum safety distance or a decrease in turn around time allow for overall better performing vertiport networks. • Framework for vertiport placement in a middle-mile package delivery system. • Multi-criteria objective: capacity, land space, safety, and noise. • A Pareto front presenting all solutions and offering a balanced trade-off. • Application to South Holland, a dense urban area actively focussing on U-space.", "keywords": [ "Mile", "Last mile (transportation)", "Engineering", "Operations management", "Computer science", "Transport engineering", "Operations research", "Geography", "Geodesy" ], "cited_by_count": 12, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102757" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2155762814", "doi": "10.2514/3.43958", "title": "A realistic assessment of the vertiport/ community noise problem.", "year": 1968, "publication_date": "1968-07-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "NATHAN SHAPIRO", "Gerald J. Healy" ], "first_author": "NATHAN SHAPIRO", "venue": "Journal of Aircraft", "publisher": "American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics", "abstract": "An increase of background noise has accompanied the steady growth of industrial society. Rapid growth of air travel has focused special attention on aircraft noise, and need for abatement. Anticipated growth of short-haul air transport will bring vertiports into established commercial areas and low-altitude flyovers to populated areas. Noise intrusion may be assessed in perceived noise (PNdb) for residential communities, but a more realistic yardstick for commercial/industrial sections might be speech interference level (SIL). Achievement of the ideal goal—no intrusion of noise above ambient levels—requires reduction of powerplant noise but may be limited by aerodynamic noise from the vehicle itself. Consideration of powerplant noise in terms of disk loading, progressing from jets at the high end down through fans, propellers, and rotors, leads to selection of rotors and propellers for shorthaul propulsion. Further noise reduction below current state-of-the-art levels will require intensive long-range development programs. Parallel to concentrated effort by industry to provide aircraft acoustically acceptable to the community, the community should plan for these aircraft by judicious selection of vertiport sites and utilization of zoning and building-code functions for development of surrounding neighborhoods.", "keywords": [ "Noise (video)", "Aircraft noise", "Computer science", "Aerospace engineering", "Acoustics", "Aeronautics", "Environmental science", "Engineering", "Physics", "Noise reduction", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/3.43958" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4406522817", "doi": "10.1109/dasa63652.2024.10836496", "title": "A Maximal Covering Approach for Vertiport Location Problem", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-12-11", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Tayton Hess", "Mümtaz Karataş", "Levent Erişkin" ], "first_author": "Tayton Hess", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) revolutionizes transportation and provides solution to urban congestion by enabling efficient aerial transit within metropolitan areas using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. The successful deployment of UAM systems relies heavily on the optimal placement of vertiports, which serve as critical nodes connecting air and ground transport networks. This study addresses the vertiport location problem by developing optimization models aimed at maximizing the coverage of demand points with a limited number of vertiports. Specifically, we formulate the problem as a maximal coverage location problem (MCLP) and propose two distinct models: (i) a binary coverage model, which assumes full coverage within a predefined range, and (ii) a discrete gradual coverage model, where coverage decreases as the distance from demand points increases. While prior studies have largely focused on binary coverage, this research incorporates a gradual coverage perspective, which may offer greater alignment with real-world UAM demands. We demonstrate the applicability of the approach on a case study of 50 cities selected from counties within OH.", "keywords": [ "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12960/1739" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2949686690", "doi": "10.2514/6.2019-3282", "title": "A Complete In-Canopy System for Autonomous Aerial Delivery", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-06-14", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Benjamin L. Leon", "Jacob Wachlin", "Michael Ward", "Mark Costello" ], "first_author": "Benjamin L. Leon", "venue": "AIAA Aviation 2019 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Canopy", "Remote sensing", "Computer science", "Environmental science", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2019-3282" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4404069280", "doi": "10.51534/tiha.1506936", "title": "Operational Challenges and Prioritization of Potential Solutions for Integrating Vertiports into Airports", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-11-05", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Arif Tuncal" ], "first_author": "Arif Tuncal", "venue": "Türkiye İnsansız Hava Araçları Dergisi", "publisher": null, "abstract": "The integration of vertiports into airports for eVTOL/UAV flights poses operational challenges. The aim of the study was to propose and prioritize solutions to overcome these challenges. A comprehensive literature review identified remote vertiport networks, geofencing technology, dedicated airspace corridors, advanced collision avoidance systems and dynamic airspace management as potential solutions. These solutions were prioritized using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on criteria such as safety, cost, efficiency, feasibility, and sustainability. Dynamic airspace management (=0.396) was the highest priority, followed by remote vertiport networks (=0.385), dedicated airspace corridors (=0.273), geofencing technology (=0.205), and advanced collision avoidance systems (=0.137). The study highlights the importance of dynamic data sharing and real-time planning through integrated ATM/UTM systems, enhanced by AI technologies, to ensure safety and efficiency. In addition, the development of remote vertiport networks and dedicated airspace corridors is essential to manage growing air traffic and ensure the safe coexistence of eVTOL/UAVs and traditional aircraft. Geofencing technology and advanced collision avoidance systems are also essential to maintain safety and operational integrity. It is recommended that future studies focus on the integration of ATM/UTM and the application of artificial intelligence. Continued collaboration between UAM stakeholders is essential to develop effective integration strategies.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Prioritization", "Collision avoidance", "Analytic hierarchy process", "Process (computing)", "Systems engineering", "Air traffic control", "Risk analysis (engineering)", "Process management", "Computer security", "Operations research", "Collision" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4030615" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4412627833", "doi": "10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.07.035", "title": "Integrating vertiports into Australian airports - A comparative literature review of regulatory frameworks from CASA, FAA, and EASA", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-07-24", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Salim Hijazeen", "Tommy King-Yin Cheung", "Zheng Lei", "Jennifer A. Hayward" ], "first_author": "Salim Hijazeen", "venue": "Transport Policy", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "This paper systematically evaluates the regulatory frameworks for integrating vertiport infrastructure to support Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) within Australia's airport ecosystem. Unlike the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which have issued detailed vertiport regulations, including emergency procedures and infrastructure compatibility for battery-powered AAM, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approach remains high-level. It is still largely derived from helicopter regulations. By conducting a comparative analysis of CASA, the FAA, and the EASA, the study identifies specific regulatory gaps in CASA's framework, particularly concerning vertiport design, operational safety, and infrastructure for emerging propulsion technologies like hydrogen power. To address these gaps, the paper recommends that CASA (i) adopt scalable vertiport layout and design standards, (ii) introduce performance-based criteria for infrastructure compatibility with battery-electric and hydrogen propulsion systems, and (iii) establish clearer integration protocols for AAM within existing commercial airport environments. The findings further highlight that, while CASA has expressed a commitment to regulatory innovation, the pace of implementation remains slow in comparison to the urgency of AAM deployment. Accelerating the adoption of international best practices from the FAA and EASA would allow CASA to address the challenges of vertiport integration and position itself as a global leader in aviation regulatory reform.", "keywords": [ "Business", "Aviation", "Transport engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 8, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.07.035" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3208911574", "doi": "10.21014/acta_imeko.v10i3.1036", "title": "A lightweight magnetic gripper for an aerial delivery vehicle: design and applications", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-09-30", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Giuseppe Sutera", "Dario Calogero Guastella", "Giovanni Muscato" ], "first_author": "Giuseppe Sutera", "venue": "ACTA IMEKO", "publisher": null, "abstract": "In recent years, drones have become widely used in many fields. Their vertical flight capability makes these systems suitable for carrying out a variety of tasks. In this paper, the delivery service they provide is analysed. The delivery of goods quickly and to remote areas is a relevant application scenario; however, the systems proposed in the literature use electromagnets, which affect the duration of the flight. In addition, these devices are heavy and suffer from high energy consumption, which reduces the maximum transportable payload. This study proposes a new lightweight magnetic plate composed of permanent magnets, capable of collecting and positioning any object as long as it has a ferromagnetic surface on the top. This plate was developed for the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020, an international robotics competition for multi-robot systems. Challenge two of this competition required a drone capable of picking up different types of bricks and assembling them to build a wall according to an assigned pattern. The bricks were of different colours and sizes, with weights ranging from 1 to 2 kg. In light of this, it was concluded that weight was the most relevant specification to consider in drone design.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Payload (computing)", "Robotics", "Robot", "Electromagnet", "Engineering", "Artificial intelligence", "Computer science", "Simulation", "Magnet", "Mechanical engineering", "Computer security" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://acta.imeko.org/index.php/acta-imeko/article/download/IMEKO-ACTA-10%20%282021%29-03-10/pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W1575215372", "doi": null, "title": "Heliport/Vertiport MLS Precision Approaches", "year": 1994, "publication_date": "1994-07-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Deborah J. Peisen", "Brian M. Sawyer" ], "first_author": "Deborah J. Peisen", "venue": "Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)", "publisher": null, "abstract": "In the early 1990's, the Federal Aviation Administration initiated an effort to answer certain questions on precision approaches to heliports and vertiports. Of particular interest were issues of economic justification and available airspace. Among the tasks included in this effort were the following: (1) Develop a criteria of what is required to establish an instrument approach at a heliport or vertiport. (2) Develop a selection process to qualify potential IFR heliport and vertiport candidates. is effort was focused on MLS. The implementation of GPS instrument approaches has required us to re-focus our thinking. This re-focusing is now well underway as evidenced with the commissioning of the Chattanooga hospital heliport GPS nonprecision approach. The publication of this report is not likely to have broad implications regarding the implementation of GPS instrument approaches. However, some portions of the work may have application to GPS instrument approaches and this document is published with this in mind.", "keywords": [ "Global Positioning System", "Process (computing)", "Focus (optics)", "Aviation", "Work (physics)", "Computer science", "Project commissioning", "Operations research", "Engineering", "Political science", "Publishing", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA283505" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4205650243", "doi": "10.2514/6.2022-0215", "title": "Identification of Driving Processes for Vertiport Operations Using Agent-Based Simulation", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-01-03", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis", "Mirko Hornung" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "AIAA SCITECH 2022 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0215.vid Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is an emerging transportation concept promising to introduce a fast and flexible mode of transport, which may become affordable for the larger public. The anticipated demand coupled with the highly constrained urban environment creates a complex problem for infrastructure. Vertiports, as an interface between air-side and ground-side operations, have garnered some attention, yet the operational dynamics are barely understood today. This paper seeks to shed light on vertiport airfield operations to inform future fields of research and early projects of designing vertiports. Through a customized Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) framework, an entire day of vertiport operations can be simulated. To gain an understanding of the operational dynamics of vertiports this paper will present a sensitivity study looking at variations of (1) demand magnitudes and profiles, (2) pad operations including approach and departure and (3) vehicle turnaround including passenger boarding and de-boarding at gates. One finding is that operations are driven by peaks and asymmetries in demand, which emphasizes the need for high-fidelity analysis of vertiport airfield operations. Another finding is that the threshold between stable and instable operations is narrow and passenger delay increases exponentially beyond this threshold.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Fidelity", "Aviation", "Identification (biology)", "Mode (computer interface)", "Operations research", "Simulation", "Transport engineering", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0215" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4413950266", "doi": "10.3390/drones9090621", "title": "UAV Operations and Vertiport Capacity Evaluation with a Mixed-Reality Digital Twin for Future Urban Air Mobility Viability", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-09-03", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Junjie Zhao", "Zhang Zheng Wen", "Krishnakanth Mohanta", "Stefan Subasu", "Rodolphe Fremond", "Yu Su", "Ruechuda Kallaka", "Antonios Tsourdos" ], "first_author": "Junjie Zhao", "venue": "Drones", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "This study presents a high-fidelity digital twin (DT) framework designed to evaluate and improve vertiport operations for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). By integrating Unreal Engine, AirSim, and Cesium, the framework enables real-time simulation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), including unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) operations under nominal and disrupted conditions, such as adverse weather and engine failures. The DT supports interactive visualisation and risk-free analysis of decision-making protocols, vertiport layouts, and UAV handling strategies across multi-scenarios. To validate system realism, mixed-reality experiments involving physical UAVs, acting as surrogates for eVTOL platforms, demonstrate consistency between simulations and real-world flight behaviours. These UAV-based tests confirm the applicability of the DT environment to AAM. Intelligent algorithms detect Final Approach and Take-Off (FATO) areas and adjust flight paths for seamless take-off and landing. Live environmental data are incorporated for dynamic risk assessment and operational adjustment. A structured capacity evaluation method is proposed, modelling constraints including turnaround time, infrastructure limits, charging requirements, and emergency delays. Mitigation strategies, such as ultra-fast charging and reconfiguring the layout, are introduced to restore throughput. This DT provides a scalable, drone-integrated, and data-driven foundation for vertiport optimisation and regulatory planning, supporting safe and resilient integration into the AAM ecosystem.", "keywords": [ "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 10, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9090621" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4220732349", "doi": "10.21203/rs.3.rs-1458039/v1", "title": "Direction Stabilization and Simulation of an Aerial Delivery System with Ram-Air Parachute", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-03-21", "type": "preprint", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kemal Güven", "Andaç Töre Şamiloğlu" ], "first_author": "Kemal Güven", "venue": "Research Square", "publisher": null, "abstract": "Abstract In this study, a controller system to stabilize the direction of an aerial delivery system with Ram-Air Parachute is developed. First, a simulation platform is prepared in Matlab, Simulink. Simulink 6DOF vehicle model is used for simulations. The aerodynamic forces and moments on the vehicle are mathematically modelled and implemented. Control algorithms for regulation of yaw, yaw rate and descent rate are developed and tested. The roll rate and pitch rate are observed parameters to examine the flight stability.", "keywords": [ "Aerospace engineering", "Computer science", "Environmental science", "Simulation", "Aeronautics", "Marine engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1458039/latest.pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3202656109", "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2110.02429", "title": "Autonomous Aerial Delivery Vehicles, a Survey of Techniques on how Aerial Package Delivery is Achieved", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-10-06", "type": "preprint", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jack Saunders", "Sajad Saeedi", "Wenbin Li" ], "first_author": "Jack Saunders", "venue": "arXiv (Cornell University)", "publisher": "Cornell University", "abstract": "Autonomous aerial delivery vehicles have gained significant interest in the last decade. This has been enabled by technological advancements in aerial manipulators and novel grippers with enhanced force to weight ratios. Furthermore, improved control schemes and vehicle dynamics are better able to model the payload and improved perception algorithms to detect key features within the unmanned aerial vehicle's (UAV) environment. In this survey, a systematic review of the technological advancements and open research problems of autonomous aerial delivery vehicles is conducted. First, various types of manipulators and grippers are discussed in detail, along with dynamic modelling and control methods. Then, landing on static and dynamic platforms is discussed. Subsequently, risks such as weather conditions, state estimation and collision avoidance to ensure safe transit is considered. Finally, delivery UAV routing is investigated which categorises the topic into two areas: drone operations and drone-truck collaborative operations.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Payload (computing)", "Grippers", "Computer science", "Truck", "Key (lock)", "Collision avoidance", "Systems engineering", "Simulation", "Engineering", "Automotive engineering", "Collision" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2110.02429" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4403268436", "doi": "10.3397/in_2024_2388", "title": "Noise modeling of UAM around the urban vertiport", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-10-04", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Seung-Min Lee", "Seong-Yong Wie", "Chan-Hoon Haan" ], "first_author": "Seung-Min Lee", "venue": "NOISE-CON proceedings", "publisher": null, "abstract": "The present study aims to investigate the noise distribution around urban vertiport caused by UAM(Multicopter) and helicopter. Noise modelings were carried out using SoundPLAN software at the some vertiports in Seoul, Korea. Sound source model of UAM and helicopter were used as a form of hemisphere. Noise predictions were undertaken with three different operations including depart, level flight and landing. In order to evaluate the noise impact on the buildings around the vertiport, noise levels at the outer wall of nearby buildings were calculated as the three noise units including Leq, Lmax and Lden. Also, noise maps were drawn around the vertiport. As a result, it was found that average noise level of UAM is approximately 12 dB lower than the helicopter noise levels. Regarding the noise frequency distribution, most high noises are made at the mid-frequencies during landing hours while low frequency noise level around 63 Hz was dominant at take-off time.", "keywords": [ "Noise (video)", "Environmental science", "Acoustics", "Geography", "Computer science", "Physics", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.3397/in_2024_2388" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2052757234", "doi": "10.2514/3.44086", "title": "Parawing precision aerial delivery system.", "year": 1969, "publication_date": "1969-09-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "J. Everette Forehand", "HERBERT Q. BAIR" ], "first_author": "J. Everette Forehand", "venue": "Journal of Aircraft", "publisher": "American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Aerospace engineering", "Computer science", "Marine engineering", "Environmental science", "Aeronautics", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/3.44086" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W25048396", "doi": null, "title": "Analysis of Vertiport Studies Funded by the Airport Improvement Program (AIP)", "year": 1994, "publication_date": "1994-05-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Deborah J. Peisen", "William T. Sampson", "Linda J. LaBelle", "Brian M. Sawyer", "J. R. Ludders", "Stephen V. Berardo", "Richard J. Dyment", "Samuel W. Ferguson", "Robert M Winick", "Clifford R. Bragdon" ], "first_author": "Deborah J. Peisen", "venue": "Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)", "publisher": null, "abstract": "It is expected that advanced vertical flight (AVF) aircraft such as the civil tiltrotor (CTR) will become viable, important vehicles for the relief of both ground and airport congestion. Furthermore, it is expected this will lead to expanded use of rotorcraft for scheduled passenger service. To prepare for this eventuality, the FAA in 1988 funded a program of vertiport feasibility studies. Thirteen locations. encompassing a range of cities, states, and regions, applied for and received funds. Canada conducted their own study. The purpose of these studies was to facilitate the use of AVF aircraft by identifying areas in the United States where the potential for missions using these aircraft is greatest so that infrastructure requirements could be identified and implemented in a timely manner. This report evaluates the fourteen studies to portray an overview of the status of potential scheduled passenger service and required vertiport development within the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The report also evaluates the methodologies and assumptions used in these studies to reach conclusions regarding the feasibility of AVF aircraft service in these areas. Most studies concluded that the primary mission would be short-haul passenger service between city centers and major urban areas. Some studies, particularly in the lesser developed areas (Puerto Rico and Alaska), concluded that small package delivery and cargo missions were also feasible. Final conclusions and recommendations include suggestions for planning guidelines specifically for vertiports/large heliports developed primarily for passenger operations. Vertiport Study Intermodal Multi-Use Planning Demand Scheduled Commuter AVF Aircraft Passenger Service.", "keywords": [ "Service (business)", "Aeronautics", "Transport engineering", "Engineering", "Business", "Marketing" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA283249" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4317693646", "doi": "10.2514/6.2023-1848", "title": "Graph Learning based Decision Support for Multi-Aircraft Take-Off and Landing at Urban Air Mobility Vertiports", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-19", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Prajit K. Kumar", "Jhoel Witter", "Steve Paul", "Karthik Dantu", "Souma Chowdhury" ], "first_author": "Prajit K. Kumar", "venue": "AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-1848.vid As city populations continue to rise, urban air mobility (UAM) seeks to provide much needed relief from traffic congestion. UAM is enforced by electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, which operate out of a vertiport, akin to the relationship between planes and airports. The vertiport has an air traffic controller (ATC) tasked with managing each eVTOL, ensuring they reach their destinations on time and safely. This task allocation problem can be difficult due to inadvertent issues such as mechanical failure, inclement weather, collisions, among other uncertainties that may arise. This paper provides a novel solution to this Urban Air Mobility - Vertiport Schedule Management (UAM-VSM) problem through the utilization of graph convolutional networks (GCNs). GCNs allow us to add abstractions of the vertiport space and eVTOL space as graphs, and aggregate information for a centralized ATC agent to help generalize the environment. We use Unreal Engine combined with Airsim for high fidelity simulation. The proposed GRL agent will be trained in an environment without extra uncertainties and then tested with and without those uncertainties. The performance will be examined side by side with a random and first come first serve (FCFS) baseline.", "keywords": [ "Takeoff", "Computer science", "Takeoff and landing", "Air traffic control", "Schedule", "Graph", "Baseline (sea)", "Task (project management)", "Simulation", "Real-time computing", "Engineering", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 9, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-1848" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3110846354", "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2012.09367", "title": "Extending the Range of Drone-based Delivery Services by Exploration", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-12-17", "type": "preprint", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Tsz-Chiu Au" ], "first_author": "Tsz-Chiu Au", "venue": "arXiv (Cornell University)", "publisher": "Cornell University", "abstract": "Drones have a fairly short range due to their limited battery life. We propose an adaptive exploration techniques to extend the range of drones by taking advantage of physical structures such as tall buildings and trees in urban environments. Our goal is to extend the coverage of a drone delivery service by generating paths for a drone to reach its destination while learning about the energy consumption on each edge on its path in order to optimize its range for future missions. We evaluated the performance of our exploration strategy in finding the set of all reachable destinations in a city, and found that exploring locations near the boundary of the reachable sets according to the current energy model can speed up the learning process.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Range (aeronautics)", "Computer science", "Business", "Aeronautics", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering", "Biology" ], "cited_by_count": 1, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2012.09367" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4390671583", "doi": "10.3926/jairm.403", "title": "Analysis of noise distributions at heliports and vertiports: A guide for site selection and land use planning", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-12-30", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "David Carl Ison" ], "first_author": "David Carl Ison", "venue": "Journal of Airline and Airport Management", "publisher": "OmniaScience", "abstract": "Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the noise profiles of helicopters and eVTOLs at heliports and vertiports in order to support site planning and the development of local land-use compatibility guidelines. Design/methodology/approach: This study used existing helicopter and eVTOL sound profiles to develop noise distribution contours for heliports and vertiports. This study collected noise data from available studies on helicopters and eVTOLs. This data was then entered into dBmap noise mapping tool to develop noise maps for helicopters and eVTOLs. Three air transit facility configurations for each aircraft category were analyzed: open (unobstructed), urban, and rooftop. Two additional vertiport configurations were created by overlaying building and noise data with Google Earth imagery. Noise data was entered into dBmap for processing. Noise contours were mapped for three configurations for both aircraft categories.Findings: Key observations from the noise distribution analysis showed that open (unobstructed) facility configurations have even noise distributions for both eVTOLs and helicopters. Noise maps for urban locations showed areas of attenuation and asymmetrical patterns due to the interactions of sound waves with surrounding buildings. An analysis of a rooftop installation of a heliport or vertiport provided some noise mitigation advantages. Noise contour distributions closely matched those outlined in previous research; however, the sound intensities modeled in this study were lower than indicated in exigent research. Assessments were also conducted for real-world sites with potential future use as vertiports in Seattle, Washington, and Chicago, Illinois.Practical Implications: This study suggests that current land use compatibility guidance may be inadequate for rotorcraft and eVTOL operations. Findings suggest the development of symmetrical noise-impact zones centered around heliports and vertiports. Examples of these zones are outlined, and recommendations for future research are provided. Local planners can use the data from this study to make educated choices about the siting of heliports and vertiports. Additionally, the findings can assist planners in the development of zoning and land use compatibility standards.Social Implications: Land use compatibility standards for heliports and vertiports will help ensure a synergistic relationship between local communities and these air transit facilities. The data from this study can also help protect individuals from excessive noise and annoyance.Originality/value: This study is one of the few on this topic and the only known research on noise distributions of helicopters and eVTOLs with a particular focus on land use compatibility", "keywords": [ "Noise (video)", "Aircraft noise", "Noise control", "Computer science", "Environmental noise", "Site selection", "Remote sensing", "Acoustics", "Noise reduction", "Geography", "Sound (geography)", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.jairm.org/index.php/jairm/article/download/403/158" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4290647415", "doi": "10.4108/eai.14-5-2022.2318883", "title": "Automated Drone Transportation System Incorporating Medical Emergency Supplies", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-01-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Dr.R. Uthirasamy", "Shanmuga Priyan", "S. Abishek", "N. Akash" ], "first_author": "Dr.R. Uthirasamy", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "As the medical sector has seen a big advancement the awareness among people and government to have proper infrastructure and a supply chain has increased since Covid-19. The availability of drugs and transportation has a good supply chain but in the emergency, the delay in the availability of treatm", "keywords": [ "Supply chain", "Drone", "Business", "Government (linguistics)", "Computer security", "Medical emergency", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Marketing", "Engineering", "Medicine" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://eudl.eu/pdf/10.4108/eai.14-5-2022.2318883" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W1522386262", "doi": null, "title": "Assessing the flight quality of a large UAV for sensors/ground robots aerial delivery", "year": 2010, "publication_date": "2010-09-01", "type": "dissertation", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Andreas Archontakis" ], "first_author": "Andreas Archontakis", "venue": "Calhoun: The Naval Postgraduate School Institutional Archive (Naval Postgraduate School)", "publisher": "Naval Postgraduate School", "abstract": "The new goal for unmanned aerial systems will be to find creative methods of keeping the cost low and still maintain effectiveness. This thesis discusses the importance of UAVs over the last few years, suggests the development of a low-cost, large UAV, and evaluates the results. We also examine the idea of a platform for deploying multiple aerial-delivery, parafoil-based systems and discuss scenarios for the improvement of the collaboration of the large UAV with the Snowflake project.", "keywords": [ "Remote sensing", "Drone", "Computer science", "Aeronautics", "Robot", "Environmental science", "Engineering", "Artificial intelligence", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://hdl.handle.net/10945/5116" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4409173039", "doi": "10.1007/s42405-025-00932-8", "title": "Noise Modeling of Urban Vertiport Areas Depending on the K-UAM Operation", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-04-02", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Seungmin Lee", "Seong-Yong Wie", "Chan-Hoon Haan" ], "first_author": "Seungmin Lee", "venue": "International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Noise (video)", "Acoustics", "Environmental science", "Computer science", "Physics" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s42405-025-00932-8" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4406630423", "doi": "10.1017/aer.2024.152", "title": "Capacity assessment of vertiports with a scheduling algorithm considering quality of service", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-01-21", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "J. Li", "Honghai Zhang", "J. Yi", "Cheng Dan Deng", "J. Zhou" ], "first_author": "J. Li", "venue": "The Aeronautical Journal", "publisher": "Cambridge University Press", "abstract": "Abstract Urban air mobility (UAM) utilising novel transportation tools is gradually being recognised as a significant means to alleviate ground transportation pressures, vertiports which serve as pivotal nodes in UAM require efficient methods for assessing its operational capacity to develop an appropriate operational strategy and help to design vertiport ground infrastructure scientifically. This study proposes a multi-dimensional assessment method for the capacity of vertiports considering throughput and quality of service based on genetic algorithm (CEGA). The method comprehensively considers constraints such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) safety separation, battery endurance, number of landing vertipads and UAV speed. The experimental results indicate that the vertiport with the scheduling algorithm proposed by this study has a larger capacity and experiences fewer delay than the vertiport with first-come-first-served (FCFS) algorithm when the vertiport has the same limited number of vertipads. Different proportions of UAVs significantly affect the quality of service and the degree of operation delays. The weights of vertiport throughput and customer satisfaction are the parameters that represent the importance of throughput and customer satisfaction in the objective function of the capacity assessment model. When the weights of throughput and customer satisfaction are set to 0.8 and 0.2 respectively, the performance of this optimisation model is optimal. This study provides a novel solution for capacity assessment and operation scheduling of vertiports, laying the foundation for improving the efficiency of UAM operations.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Throughput", "Customer satisfaction", "Scheduling (production processes)", "Quality of service", "Service quality", "Operational costs", "Algorithm", "Operations research", "Real-time computing", "Service (business)", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1017/aer.2024.152" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4367679143", "doi": "10.7470/jkst.2023.41.2.212", "title": "A Study on the Criterions Affecting UAM Vertiport Location Based on User-Oriented Perspectives", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-04-30", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Wonjin KIM", "Jae‐Hong Park", "Jeong Whon Yu", "Joonho Ko" ], "first_author": "Wonjin KIM", "venue": "대한교통학회지", "publisher": null, "abstract": "대도시권의 지속적인 인구 과밀화 및 인프라의 집적으로 교통혼잡, 탄소 배출량 증가 등 다양한 사회적 문제가 발생하고 있으나 도로, 철도와 같은 기존 지상 교통인프라의 개선은 물리적으로 한계가 있을 것으로 예상되며 이러한 도시교통문제의 해결 차원에서 최근 입체적인 교통체계인 UAM 도입이 추진되고 있다. 특히, UAM 버티포트(vertiport)는 항공교통 개념이 결합된 교통망의 중요한 환승인프라이기 때문에 그 기능과 역할을 발휘하기 위해서는 기술공학적 측면은 물론 이용환경 측면에서 적정 입지를 선정하는 과정이 필수적으로 수반되어야 할 것이다. 본 연구는 UAM 개발의 초기 단계에서 대도시권 지역형 버티포트를 대상으로 이용자들이 생각하는 이용환경 측면의 핵심변수를 조사하여 요인분석 및 회귀분석의 다양한 분석체계를 기반으로 그 입지 요인의 중요도와 영향도를 선제적으로 제시하는데 목적이 있다. UAM 이용환경 측면에서 바라보는 핵심변수의 중요도를 분석하고, UAM 이용증대를 위한 입지 요인을 제시하였다. 연구 결과, 도심지역의 환승접근성이 좋은 입지를 선정하되 이착륙 안전이 가장 중요하다고 생각하였으며, 이용증대에 미치는 입지 요인은 접근성 요인이 가장 중요하다고 인식하고 있다. 본 연구는 UAM 상용화를 위해 연구개발 초기 단계에서 버티포트의 입지요인을 선제적으로 제시하는데 의의가 있으며, 이를 통해 향후 UAM 상용화 시 이용증대를 위한 버티포트 구축 방향 정립은 물론, UAM을 통한 국민들의 이동권 확대에 도움이 될 수 있기를 기대한다. 또한, 본 연구는 학술적인 논의가 거의 이루어지지 못한 UAM 버티포트 입지영향요인을 선정하여 중요도를 산정하였다는 점에서 의의가 있다. 현재 실증사례와 제도적인 기준 자체가 부재한 상황에서 미래에 대비한 UAM 버티포트 입지를 논의해 보는 것은 향후 도시계획 수립 방향에 시사하는 바가 클 것으로 기대된다.", "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "Transport engineering", "Key (lock)", "Order (exchange)", "Computer science", "Business", "Engineering", "Computer security", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.7470/jkst.2023.41.2.212" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2268294662", "doi": "10.4271/965521", "title": "Vertiport Design Characteristics for Advanced Rotorcraft Technology", "year": 1996, "publication_date": "1996-10-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Deborah J. Peisen", "Samuel W. Ferguson" ], "first_author": "Deborah J. Peisen", "venue": "SAE technical papers on CD-ROM/SAE technical paper series", "publisher": null, "abstract": "The relationships between rotorcraft physical dimensions and their performance characteristics to vertiport/heliport design criteria have recently been critically evaluated. These evaluations have been conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and by representatives from the vertical flight industry and academia. These efforts were prompted by the anticipated ability of advanced rotorcraft to provide airport and ground traffic congestion relief through commercial air transportation services on some short-haul routes after the year 2000. This paper discusses the results of these investigations and their impact on vertiport design issues, criteria, and future research and development (R&D) requirements.", "keywords": [ "Engineering", "Computer science", "Aerospace engineering", "Automotive engineering", "Aeronautics" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.4271/965521" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4322717153", "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2302.13552", "title": "Dispatching Point Selection for a Drone-Based Delivery System Operating in a Mixed Euclidean-Manhattan Grid", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-02-27", "type": "preprint", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Francesco Betti Sorbelli", "Federico Corò", "Sajal Kumar Das", "Cristina Maria Pinotti", "Anil M. Shende" ], "first_author": "Francesco Betti Sorbelli", "venue": "arXiv (Cornell University)", "publisher": "Cornell University", "abstract": "In this paper, we present a drone-based delivery system that assumes to deal with two different mixed-areas, i.e., rural and urban. In these mixed-areas, called EM-grids, the distances are measured with two different metrics, and the shortest path between two destinations concatenates the Euclidean and Manhattan metrics. Due to payload constraints, the drone serves a single customer at a time returning back to the dispatching point (DP) after each delivery to load a new parcel for the next customer. In this paper, we present the 1-Median Euclidean-Manhattan grid Problem (MEMP) for EM-grids, whose goal is to determine the drone's DP position that minimizes the sum of the distances between all the locations to be served and the point itself. We study the MEMP on two different scenarios, i.e., one in which all the customers in the area need to be served (full-grid) and another one where only a subset of these must be served (partial-grid). For the full-grid scenario we devise optimal, approximation, and heuristic algorithms, while for the partial-grid scenario we devise optimal and heuristic algorithms. Eventually, we comprehensively evaluate our algorithms on generated synthetic and quasi-real data.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Grid", "Computer science", "Heuristic", "Shortest path problem", "Euclidean geometry", "Mathematical optimization", "Point (geometry)", "Euclidean distance", "Payload (computing)", "Path (computing)", "Real-time computing" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2302.13552" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4403978666", "doi": "10.1109/icite59717.2023.10733892", "title": "Vertiport Design of Urban Air Mobility for eVTOL Aircraft", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-10-28", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Zhiguo Xiong", "Xiaobo Xiao", "Yilian Cao", "Quanshan Chen" ], "first_author": "Zhiguo Xiong", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The success of urban air mobility (UAM) heavily depends on the presence of vertiports, which are essential infrastructure. The design of vertiports undergoes a continuous optimization process based on the relevant design specifications of civil aviation authorities. This article proposes appropriate design suggestions for the vertiport design of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operating in UAM, whether manned or unmanned. The article summarizes the general process of vertiport design, analyzes factors influencing vertiport design, and proposes principles for vertiport design. It also analyzes vertiport facilities' design from four aspects: airside facilities, clearance zone, flight support facilities, and landside service facilities. The article aims to provide new concepts for designing UAM vertiports operating eVTOL aircraft in the future based on existing FAA and EASA specifications.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Aeronautics", "Aerospace engineering", "Environmental science", "Transport engineering", "Automotive engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/icite59717.2023.10733892" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4388561569", "doi": "10.1109/dasc58513.2023.10311299", "title": "Intelligent Vertiport Traffic Flow Management for Scalable Advanced Air Mobility Operations", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-10-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Christopher Conrad", "Yan Xu", "Deepak Kumar Panda", "Antonios Tsourdos" ], "first_author": "Christopher Conrad", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Advanced air mobility (AAM) operations will pose new challenges that require innovative air traffic management (ATM) and uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) traffic management (UTM) solutions. Notably, emerging vertiports must support vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles, on-demand AAM services, denser airspace volumes, and dynamic airspace structures. Additionally, traffic flow management systems must cater for stricter flight envelopes, micro-weather variations, small uncooperative aerial objects, limited vertiport occupancy, and battery restrictions of electric vehicles. This requires large volumes of unlabelled data that conventional algorithms cannot effectively process in a timely manner. This work thereby proposes a data model for vertiport traffic management, and investigates intelligent solutions to leverage this vast data infrastructure. It considers on-demand vertiport flight authorisation as a demonstrative use-case of emerging AAM requirements, and proposes a data model aligned with safety-layers and corridor-based airspace proposals in several global AAM concept of operations (ConOps). On-demand scheduling of electric VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft is first formulated as a constrained optimisation problem, and solved using mixed-integer linear programming techniques. The limitations of this approach are subsequently addressed through a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) solution that is quicker and more robust to system uncertainty. This investigation thereby proposes a pathway towards scalable, intelligent and multi-agent systems for AAM resource management and optimisation.", "keywords": [ "Scalability", "Computer science", "Air traffic management", "Leverage (statistics)", "Reinforcement learning", "Scheduling (production processes)", "Air traffic control", "Distributed computing", "Engineering", "Artificial intelligence", "Aerospace engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/bitstreams/a7b5398c-4cb9-41e3-9c4f-ca34388d0fd6/download" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4405221748", "doi": "10.1016/j.dam.2024.11.033", "title": "Games restricted by simplicial complexes and an application to vertiport cooperation", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-12-10", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "A. Jiménez-Losada", "M. Ordóñez", "J.C. Rodríguez-Gómez" ], "first_author": "A. Jiménez-Losada", "venue": "Discrete Applied Mathematics", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Mathematics", "Combinatorics", "Abstract simplicial complex", "Simplicial complex", "Simplicial approximation theorem", "Mathematical economics", "Simplicial set", "Pure mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dam.2024.11.033" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4389665360", "doi": "10.1109/iros55552.2023.10341398", "title": "Fast Decision Support for Air Traffic Management at Urban Air Mobility Vertiports Using Graph Learning", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-10-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Prajit KrisshnaKumar", "Jhoel Witter", "Steve M. Paul", "Hanvit Cho", "Karthik Dantu", "Souma Chowdhury" ], "first_author": "Prajit KrisshnaKumar", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) promises a new dimension to decongested, safe, and fast travel in urban and suburban hubs. These UAM aircraft are conceived to operate from small airports called vertiports each comprising multiple take-offllanding and battery-recharging spots. Since they might be situated in dense urban areas and need to handle many aircraft landings and take-offs each hour, managing this schedule in real-time becomes challenging for a traditional air-traffic controller but instead calls for an automated solution. This paper provides a novel approach to this problem of Urban Air Mobility - Vertiport Schedule Management (UAM-VSM), which leverages graph reinforcement learning to generate decision-support policies. Here the designated physical spots within the vertiport's airspace and the vehicles being managed are represented as two separate graphs, with feature extraction performed through a graph convolutional network (GCN). Extracted features are passed onto perceptron layers to decide actions such as continue to hover or cruise, continue idling or take-off, or land on an allocated vertiport spot. Performance is measured based on delays, safety (no. of collisions) and battery consumption. Through realistic simulations in AirSim applied to scaled down multi-rotor vehicles, our results demonstrate the suitability of using graph reinforcement learning to solve the UAM-VSM problem and its superiority to basic reinforcement learning (with graph embed dings) or random choice baselines.", "keywords": [ "Reinforcement learning", "Computer science", "Graph", "Schedule", "Artificial intelligence", "Real-time computing", "Theoretical computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1109/iros55552.2023.10341398" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4309554543", "doi": "10.1007/978-3-031-21333-5_52", "title": "Open-Source, Decentralized Autonomous Drone-Based Delivery System", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-11-20", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Priyanshu Sachdeva", "Jasveer Kaur", "Alexander Huhn", "Thomas Schwotzer" ], "first_author": "Priyanshu Sachdeva", "venue": "Lecture notes in networks and systems", "publisher": "Springer International Publishing", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Drone", "Quadcopter", "Computer security", "Work (physics)", "Population", "Computer science", "Trustworthiness", "Authentication (law)", "Commodity", "Business", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 1, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21333-5_52" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4283210345", "doi": "10.2514/6.2022-4074", "title": "Simulation of Individual Aircraft and Passenger Behaviour and Study of Impact on Vertiport Operations", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-06-20", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Lukas Preis", "Susan C. Cheng" ], "first_author": "Lukas Preis", "venue": "AIAA AVIATION 2022 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-4074.vid Vertiport operations will be a key factor in creating an efficient system for Advanced Air Mobility. Yet, the operational dynamics on vertiport airfields are not well understood. This paper uses a high-fidelity agent-based modeling framework to shed light on vertiport airfield operations. Passenger and vehicle characteristics are modeled individually by means of random sampling from skew normal distributions. The parameter values defining the stochastic distributions were specified through an expert interview series encompassing 17 experts. Through a sensitivity study the effects on overall vertiport operations of both individual passenger/vehicle behavior and local time-variations in the demand profile were studied. The main insight from this paper is that individual modeling of passengers and vehicles has no significant impact on operations and is therefore an unnecessary level of detail. In contrast, local time-variations in the demand profile have substantial impact and cannot be neglected.", "keywords": [ "Aeronautics", "Computer science", "Aerospace engineering", "Automotive engineering", "Transport engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-4074" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4291414309", "doi": "10.3390/aerospace9080443", "title": "System Identification of an Aerial Delivery System with a Ram-Air Parachute Using a NARX Network", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-08-12", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kemal Güven", "Andaç Töre Şamiloğlu" ], "first_author": "Kemal Güven", "venue": "Aerospace", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Neural networks are one of the methods used in system identification problems. In this study, a NARX network with a serial-parallel structure was used to identify an unknown aerial delivery system with a ram-air parachute. The dataset was created using the software-in-the-loop method (Software in the loop). Gazebo was used as the simulator and PX4 was used as the autopilot software. The performance of the NARX network differed according to parameters used, such as the selected training algorithm, input and output delays, the hidden layer, and the number of neurons. Within the scope of this study, each parameter was examined independently. Models were trained using MATLAB 2020a. The results demonstrated that the model with one hidden layer and five neurons, which was trained using the Bayesian regularization algorithm, was sufficient for this problem.", "keywords": [ "Nonlinear autoregressive exogenous model", "Computer science", "Artificial neural network", "MATLAB", "Software", "Identification (biology)", "Autopilot", "System identification", "Simulation", "Artificial intelligence", "Real-time computing", "Control engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/8/443/pdf?version=1660808996" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4415775398", "doi": "10.3390/systems13070607", "title": "UAM Vertiport Network Design Considering Connectivity", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-07-18", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Wentao Zhang", "Taesung Hwang" ], "first_author": "Wentao Zhang", "venue": "Systems", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is envisioned to revolutionize urban transportation by improving traffic efficiency and mitigating surface-level congestion. One of the fundamental challenges in implementing UAM systems lies in the optimal siting of vertiports, which requires a delicate balance among infrastructure construction costs, passenger access costs to their assigned vertiports, and the operational connectivity of the resulting vertiport network. This study develops an integrated mathematical model for vertiport location decision, aiming to minimize total system cost while ensuring UAM network connectivity among the selected vertiport locations. To efficiently solve the problem and improve solution quality, a hybrid genetic algorithm is developed by incorporating a Minimum Spanning Tree (MST)-based connectivity enforcement mechanism, a fundamental concept in graph theory that connects all nodes in a given network with minimal total link cost, enhanced by a greedy initialization strategy. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through numerical experiments conducted on both synthetic datasets and the real-world transportation network of New York City. The results show that the proposed hybrid methodology not only yields high-quality solutions but also significantly reduces computational time, enabling faster convergence. Overall, this study provides practical insights for UAM infrastructure planning by emphasizing demand-oriented vertiport siting and inter-vertiport connectivity, thereby contributing to both theoretical development and large-scale implementation in complex urban environments.", "keywords": [ "Initialization", "Graph theory", "Network planning and design", "Greedy algorithm", "Graph", "Flow network", "Traffic congestion", "Tree (set theory)" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/13/7/607/pdf?version=1753092358" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4405515433", "doi": "10.1063/5.0242007", "title": "Machine-learned flow estimation with sparse data—Exemplified for the rooftop of an unmanned aerial vehicle vertiport", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-12-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Chang Hou", "Luigi Marra", "Guy Y. Cornejo Maceda", "Peng Jiang", "Jingguo Chen", "Yutong Liu", "Gang Hu", "Jialong Chen", "Andrea Ianiro", "Stefano Discetti", "Andrea Meilán-Vila", "Bernd R. Noack" ], "first_author": "Chang Hou", "venue": "Physics of Fluids", "publisher": "American Institute of Physics", "abstract": "We propose a physics-informed data-driven framework for urban wind estimation. This framework validates and incorporates the Reynolds number independence for flows under various working conditions, thus allowing the extrapolation for wind conditions far beyond the training data. Another key enabler is a machine-learned non-dimensionalized manifold from snapshot data. The velocity field is modeled using a double encoder–decoder approach. The first encoder normalizes data using the oncoming wind speed, while the second encoder projects this normalized data onto the isometric feature mapping manifold. The decoders reverse this process, with k-nearest neighbor performing the first decoding and the second undoing the normalization. The manifold is coarse-grained by clustering to reduce the computational load for de- and encoding. The sensor-based flow estimation is based on the estimate of the oncoming wind speed and a mapping from sensor signal to the manifold latent variables. The proposed machine-learned flow estimation framework is exemplified for the flow above an unmanned aerial vehicle vertiport. The wind estimation is shown to generalize well for rare wind conditions, not included in the original database.", "keywords": [ "Physics", "Aerospace engineering", "Flow (mathematics)", "Remote sensing", "Aeronautics", "Mechanics" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0242007" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2799476149", "doi": "10.1093/milmed/131.9.796", "title": "Aerial Delivery of Blood", "year": 1966, "publication_date": "1966-09-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "John M. Lukeman", "Michael J. Skvorak", "Arthur B. Papineau" ], "first_author": "John M. Lukeman", "venue": "Military Medicine", "publisher": "Oxford University Press", "abstract": "John M. Lukeman, MC, Michael J. Skvorak, MSC, Arthur B. Papineau, III, MSC; Aerial Delivery of Blood, Military Medicine, Volume 131, Issue 9, 1 September 1", "keywords": [ "Medicine" ], "cited_by_count": 1, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/131.9.796" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4407416150", "doi": "10.2514/6.2025-0346", "title": "Vision-Based Distributed Sensing at Vertiports for Advanced Air Mobility and Urban Air Mobility Approach and Landing", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-01-03", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Evan Kawamura", "Keerthana Kannan", "Thomas Lombaerts", "Vahram Stepanyan", "Chester V. Dolph", "Nelson Brown", "Corey A. Ippolito" ], "first_author": "Evan Kawamura", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) encompasses a broad vision for air transportation, including Urban Air Mobility (UAM) as a subset. AAM aims to create a more connected and efficient transportation network across various geographical settings. However, navigating AAM aircraft in GPS-denied or degraded environments during approach and landing is challenging. Traditional vision aids like glideslopes and localizers are limited in vertiport environments due to narrow beam constraints and reduced landing angle options. This paper addresses the need for accurate navigation solutions at vertiports by proposing a vision-based distributed sensing (VIDIS) system utilizing cameras with bundle adjustment to assist incoming AAM aircraft during approach and landing while monitoring surface movements to enhance safety and efficiency. Key focus areas for current and future vertiport developers include identifying suitable sensor types and infrastructure standards to support AAM operations and including vertiport markings as vision-based navigation aids. The proposed system offers a novel approach to overcoming navigation challenges in AAM operations, particularly in urban settings where traditional aids may be insufficient. Preliminary simulation results with distributed cameras demonstrate promising outcomes for implementing bundle adjustment techniques to enhance vision-based navigation solutions at vertiports. Generating waypoint-based trajectories via waypoint integration using explicit guidance synthesis (WINGS) creates smooth AAM trajectories for landing at vertiports by using the current waypoint's terminal conditions as the initial conditions for the next waypoint. Combining bundle adjustment's ground-based solution of vertiport features with WINGS, Coplanar Pose from Orthography and Scaling with Iterations (COPOSIT), and an extended Kalman filter (EKF) estimates the state of an incoming aircraft during approach and landing at vertiports. Future work includes testing VIDIS in a high-fidelity simulation and with real-world data.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Environmental science" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2025-0346" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2978760908", "doi": "10.4050/f-0075-2019-14655", "title": "Numerical study and optimization of a novel architecture of Vertiport and Vertistop for Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-05-13", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Edoardo Cacciavillani", "Francesco Ielmini" ], "first_author": "Edoardo Cacciavillani", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Currently the VTOL world sees a high number of players investing in electrification, especially coming from the lower end of the market: like commercial drones and startups. Electric engines allow for new architectures and configurations, and partially simplify the design. Simplifying design, lowering cost of development and maintenance, has led to imagine the use of the eVTOL in the passengers' air transportation market, currently reserved to VIP and high net worth individuals. The shift is potentially so radical that a new name has been coined: Urban Air Mobility. This new market is widely imagined as a radical change compared to the current situation: with more traffic, simplified procedures for boarding and in some cases the use of unmanned or remotely piloted vehicles. This leads to the conclusion that the whole transportation system architecture will have to be upgraded or modified to allow for this to happen. Many projects are already running in this direction regarding specific topics, like SESAR JU [1] for Air Traffic Management. This paper treats the Ground Infrastructure, what is commonly referred as Heliport. In the paper a novel architecture envisioned for Urban Air Mobility is proposed and analyzed.", "keywords": [ "Electrification", "Architecture", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Drone", "Telecommunications", "Architectural engineering", "Simulation", "Engineering", "Electrical engineering", "Electricity" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.4050/F-0075-2019-14655" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4406080076", "doi": "10.1016/j.rineng.2025.103968", "title": "Optimal vertiport design for urban air mobility: A performance-based approach for urban air mobility in the UAE", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-01-05", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Aref Mohamad Maksoud", "Aseel Ali Hussien", "Yasameen Safaa Adnan", "Hend Hussein Hassan Alhousani", "Sarah Isam Abdul-Rahman Alawneh" ], "first_author": "Aref Mohamad Maksoud", "venue": "Results in Engineering", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Environmental science", "Urban design", "Computer science", "Transport engineering", "Urban planning", "Civil engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2025.103968" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4415117051", "doi": "10.3390/app152010961", "title": "Urban Air Mobility Vertiports: A Bibliometric Analysis of Applications, Challenges, and Emerging Directions", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-10-12", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Ying Lu", "Weili Zeng", "Wenbin Wei", "Weiwei Wu", "Hao Jiang" ], "first_author": "Ying Lu", "venue": "Applied Sciences", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Vertiports, as the foundational ground infrastructure for Urban Air Mobility (UAM), have garnered increasing scholarly attention in recent years. To examine how the existing literature has reviewed and summarized vertiport-related knowledge, this study conducts a bibliometric analysis of publications (2000–2024) from four major databases, including Web of Science and Scopus, using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. By analyzing co-citation and keyword co-occurrence patterns, the results suggest that vertiport research frontiers are shifting toward facility location, network planning, airspace and scheduling management, scalable infrastructure, and integration with ground transport systems. Scholars and institutions in the United States, China, Europe, and South Korea have taken leading roles in advancing this field, though collaboration among research organizations still requires strengthening. Overall, the findings reveal future research pathways and provide support for the planning and integration of vertiport infrastructure in UAM operations.", "keywords": [ "Web of science", "Bibliometrics", "Urban sustainability", "Big data", "Air transport", "Ground transportation" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/app152010961" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W7155540546", "doi": "10.1016/j.tra.2026.105027", "title": "Integrated planning of vertiports and vertipads infrastructure for Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2026, "publication_date": "2026-04-25", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Ning Lyu", "Tao Feng" ], "first_author": "Ning Lyu", "venue": "Transportation Research Part A Policy and Practice", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has emerged as a promising mobility option for intra-city, inter-city, and regional trips. However, studies on its critical infrastructure planning (i.e., vertiport and vertipad) often ignore demand heterogeneity and rely on uniform configurations that risk overinvestment. To address this limitation, we develop an integrated optimization framework that jointly determines vertiport locations and vertipad capacities under infrastructure cost, capacity, and demand constraints. The model integrates a multinomial logit formulation to estimate UAM demand with multi-server queuing theory to capture passenger waiting times at vertiports. To solve the resulting nonlinear programming problem, we employ a Lagrangian relaxation approach combined with Benders decomposition. Empirical results from a high-density area in Shanghai show that UAM adoption is driven more by service quality than by network size. Average waiting time and ground access disutility are the dominant determinants: overly strict vertiport service-distance requirements can render deployment infeasible, whereas relaxing them reduces investment but lowers adoption. Sensitivity analyses further indicate that demand-side uncertainty (value of time and public acceptance) primarily affects required vertipad capacity rather than vertiport locations. In addition, flight demand peaks around 20 km, and expanding per-site vertipad limits yields diminishing returns beyond 2–3 vertipads. Overall, these findings suggest that effective UAM planning depends more on meeting passenger expectations than on large-scale infrastructure expansion. The proposed approach offers planners a scalable and practical tool for balancing service quality and cost, ensuring that early-stage UAM deployment avoids overbuilding and remains financially sustainable.", "keywords": [ "Integrated business planning", "Urban planning", "Infrastructure planning", "Air pollution", "Transportation planning", "Urban infrastructure" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2026.105027" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4324006973", "doi": "10.2139/ssrn.4385974", "title": "A Hierarchical Optimization Method (Home) for Vertiport Siting", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-01", "type": "preprint", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Mingyi He", "Bingrong Sun", "Zhaocai Liu", "Venu M. Garikapati", "Qichao Wang", "Yanbo Ge", "Joshua Hoshiko" ], "first_author": "Mingyi He", "venue": "SSRN Electronic Journal", "publisher": "RELX Group (Netherlands)", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Heuristic", "Mathematical optimization", "Computer science", "Integer programming", "Workflow", "Genetic algorithm", "Set (abstract data type)", "Operations research", "Linear programming", "Integer (computer science)", "Engineering", "Mathematics" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4385974" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4283756522", "doi": "10.3926/jairm.207", "title": "Management of urban air mobility for sustainable and smart cities: Vertiport networks using a user-centred design", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-06-27", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Marta Gouveia", "Veruska Mazza Rodrigues Dias", "Jorge Miguel Reis Silva" ], "first_author": "Marta Gouveia", "venue": "Journal of Airline and Airport Management", "publisher": "OmniaScience", "abstract": "Purpose: Urban mobility is all about people as well as the climate change issue is a human issue. Thus, this research envisions to provide conditions and practical tools through the innovation in urban mobility by bringing urban air mobility (UAM) to cities worldwide, contributing to change lives for the better and reversing the global issue of climate change.Design/methodology/approach: This study goes through two phases: social feasibility and technical feasibility. Moreover, it incorporates a user-centred design based on the systematic engagement of people in the decision-making process alongside a parallel interaction with several stakeholders. An innovative roadmap based on real data and feedback is obtained to implement a vertiport network in Lisbon, Portugal.Findings: By tackling people and stakeholders’ concerns related to vertiport networks implementation (e.g., safety, security, environmental, travel costs, and noise pollution concerns), the people’s needs (e.g., time savings, contribution to less air pollution, enjoyment, and sending and purchasing merchandise) and stakeholders' needs (e.g., adaptation related to airspace and ground integration and capacity, enabling technology, and real-time update and share of data) might be addressed, as by-products. Plus, we could minimize concerns by maximizing opportunities, like optimizing the airspace architecture and enhancing current airspace operations, a chance for businesses to develop on-demand, innovative, and green technologies, and higher employment opportunities. Finally, we have discovered that driving positive global change requires inspiring others by addressing people’s needs and concerns and, by then, calling them to action.Originality/value: UAM’s market reveals a gap in engaging this technology with the people, which is the key enabler to success in the long run. Empathic communication is, therefore, an integral tool to bring urban air mobility to our lives and our world. So, this investigation thrives on humanizing technology to narrow the gap between the science community, public authorities, the industry, and consumers.", "keywords": [ "Originality", "Purchasing", "Business", "Environmental economics", "Computer science", "Marketing", "Economics" ], "cited_by_count": 6, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://www.jairm.org/index.php/jairm/article/download/207/150" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2332835415", "doi": "10.2514/6.2003-2154", "title": "Safe and Rapid Aerial Delivery of Cargo: The SCREAMER Concept", "year": 2003, "publication_date": "2003-05-19", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "E. Bradley Strong" ], "first_author": "E. Bradley Strong", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Systems engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2003-2154" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W134125323", "doi": "10.37099/mtu.dc.etds/401", "title": "Dynamic modeling, simulation and control design of a parafoil-payload system for ship launched aerial delivery system (SLADS)", "year": 2011, "publication_date": "2011-01-01", "type": "dissertation", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Anand Puranik" ], "first_author": "Anand Puranik", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The objective of this research was to develop a high-fidelity dynamic model of a parafoilpayload system with respect to its application for the Ship Launched Aerial Delivery System (SLADS). SLADS is a concept in which cargo can be transfered from ship to shore using a parafoil-payload system. It is accomplished in two phases: An initial towing phase when the glider follows the towing vessel in a passive lift mode and an autonomous gliding phase when the system is guided to the desired point. While many previous researchers have analyzed the parafoil-payload system when it is released from another airborne vehicle, limited work has been done in the area of towing up the system from ground or sea. One of the main contributions of this research was the development of a nonlinear dynamic model of a towed parafoil-payload system. After performing an extensive literature review of the existing methods of modeling a parafoil-payload system, a five degree-of-freedom model was developed. The inertial and geometric properties of the system were investigated to predict accurate results in the simulation environment. Since extensive research has been done in determining the aerodynamic characteristics of a paraglider, an existing aerodynamic model was chosen to incorporate the effects of air flow around the flexible paraglider wing. During the towing phase, it is essential that the parafoil-payload system follow the line of the towing vessel path to prevent an unstable flight condition called ‘lockout’. A detailed study of the causes of lockout, its mathematical representation and the flight conditions and the parameters related to lockout, constitute another contribution of this work. A linearized model of the parafoil-payload system was developed and used to analyze the stability of the system about equilibrium conditions. The relationship between the control surface inputs and the stability was investigated. In addition to stability of flight, one more important objective of SLADS is to tow up the parafoil-payload system as fast as possible. The tension in the tow cable is directly proportional to the rate of ascent of the parafoil-payload system. Lockout instability is more favorable when tow tensions are large. Thus there is a tradeoff between susceptibility to lockout and rapid deployment. Control strategies were also developed for optimal tow up and to maintain stability in the event of disturbances.", "keywords": [ "Towing", "Payload (computing)", "Engineering", "Guidance system", "Aerospace engineering", "Marine engineering", "Simulation", "Lift (data mining)", "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1400&context=etds" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4401585776", "doi": "10.1515/cclm-2024-0420", "title": "The effects of drone transportation on routine laboratory, immunohematology, flow cytometry and molecular analyses", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-08-14", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Steven Weekx", "Philippe Van Lint", "Sam Jacobs" ], "first_author": "Steven Weekx", "venue": "Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)", "publisher": "De Gruyter", "abstract": "OBJECTIVES: Transportation of medical samples between laboratories or hospital sites is typically performed by motorized ground transport. Due to the increased traffic congestions in urban environments, drone transportation has become an attractive alternative for fast shipping of samples. In accordance with the CLSI guidelines and the ISO 15189 standard, the impact of this transportation type on sample integrity and performance of laboratory tests must be thoroughly validated. METHODS: Blood samples from 36 healthy volunteers and bacterial spiked urine samples were subjected to a 20-40 min drone flight before they were analyzed and compared with their counterparts that stayed on the ground. Effects on stability of 30 routine biochemical and hematological parameters, immunohematology tests and flow cytometry and molecular tests were evaluated. RESULTS: ) housekeeping genes in human peripheral blood cells were seen. For three of the 30 biochemistry and hematology parameters a statistically significant difference was found: gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and thrombocyte count. A clinically relevant effect however was only seen for potassium and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). CONCLUSIONS: Multi-rotor drone transportation can be used for medical sample transportation with no effect on the majority of the tested parameters, including flow cytometry and molecular analyses, with the exception of a limited clinical impact on potassium and LDH.", "keywords": [ "Flow cytometry", "Lactate dehydrogenase", "Biology", "Immunology", "Molecular biology", "Medicine", "Biochemistry" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2024-0420" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3137336600", "doi": "10.1016/j.eswa.2021.114854", "title": "Applications and Research avenues for drone-based models in logistics: A classification and review", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-03-14", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Mohammad Moshref‐Javadi", "Matthias Winkenbach" ], "first_author": "Mohammad Moshref‐Javadi", "venue": "Expert Systems with Applications", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Drone", "Computer science", "Extant taxon", "Variety (cybernetics)", "Scalability", "Data science", "Operations research", "Systems engineering", "Management science", "Process management", "Artificial intelligence", "Business" ], "cited_by_count": 396, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2021.114854" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4414180602", "doi": "10.3390/infrastructures10090242", "title": "Strategic Vertiport Placement for Airport Access: Utilizing Urban Air Mobility for Accelerated and Reliable Transportation", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-09-14", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Vasileios Volakakis", "Hani S. Mahmassani" ], "first_author": "Vasileios Volakakis", "venue": "Infrastructures", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Airport-bound access and egress trips comprise a significant portion of total ground transportation trips, especially in regions served by large airports. Connecting urban areas with airports under minimal travel delays can be challenging, with traffic congestion along busy connecting corridors being a common phenomenon. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is a new transportation mode envisioned to reduce travel times using specific aircraft, such as electric (and non-electric) Vertical or Short Take-off and Landing aircraft (e/VTOLs and STOLs, respectively). The operation of these aircraft requires take-off and landing infrastructure known as vertiports. A strategic infrastructure placement framework was introduced, utilizing and adapting the Capacitated Facility Location Problem (a-CFLP) and the Maximal Covering Location Problem (a-MCLP) with capacity constraints. An adapted capacitated k-means algorithm and a greedy heuristic were considered for the solution of the a-CFLP, while the a-MCLP was formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming problem. The proposed framework was applied in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, revealing that various trade-offs regarding coverage and accessibility, versus operational costs (number of facilities, facility capacity, and service radius), exist. The results showed that, depending on vertiport capacity and service radius capabilities, a range of 5 to 12 vertiports can sufficiently address the demand (above 95% demand coverage) and, with respect to accessibility, serve a moderate UAM demand scenario of 6124 daily requests, as identified for this region.", "keywords": [ "Metropolitan area", "TRIPS architecture", "Service (business)", "Range (aeronautics)", "Heuristic", "Traffic congestion", "Plan (archaeology)", "Linear programming", "Service level" ], "cited_by_count": 5, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/10/9/242/pdf?version=1758015469" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2508391326", "doi": "10.1080/23311916.2016.1225879", "title": "The robustness of carbon fibre members bonded to aluminium connectors in aerial delivery systems", "year": 2016, "publication_date": "2016-08-24", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Nada Aldoumani", "Hamed Haddad Khodaparast", "Ian Cameron", "Michael I. Friswell", "David Pierce Jones", "Arun Chandrashaker", "Johann Sienz" ], "first_author": "Nada Aldoumani", "venue": "Cogent Engineering", "publisher": "Cogent OA", "abstract": "In this paper a framework for robust design solution of an adhesively bonded joint between a composite material and an aluminum connector is developed. To this end, an approach has been developed to automate the process of robust design by linking Ansys workbench and an in-house MATLAB code. The model employed in this study investigated the possibility of joining composite materials to aluminum components which is a problematic process in terms of preparation, implementation, etc. Before designing such a join, it is necessary to fully understand the behaviour of the proposed aluminum connector with the carbon fibre member. To achieve this, the investigation of the adhesive layer’s behaviour and the uncertainties involved in such structures was identified. The behaviour of the adhesive between the carbon fibre composite and the aluminum connector was modelled based on the assumption that this layer acts as a “spring system” within a “cohesive” zone. Initially, the properties of Permabond ET5428 BLACK adhesive were used for validating the finite element model using the obtained test data. A robust design method is then employed to identify the right adhesive for the joint which not only maximizes the debonding force and sliding distance but is also robust with respect to the variation in its mechanical properties. A wide range of adhesive properties have been employed and a robust design technique based on uncertainty analysis is proposed.", "keywords": [ "Cable gland", "Adhesive", "Robustness (evolution)", "Composite number", "Finite element method", "Structural engineering", "Materials science", "Workbench", "Aluminium", "Composite material", "Mechanical engineering", "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2016.1225879" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2333434528", "doi": "10.2514/6.2001-2073", "title": "Development of a high glide, autonomous aerial delivery system - 'Pegasus 500 (APADS)'", "year": 2001, "publication_date": "2001-05-21", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kenneth W. Sego" ], "first_author": "Kenneth W. Sego", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Computer science" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2001-2073" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4361766747", "doi": "10.4108/eai.2-12-2022.2327966", "title": "Initial Research on The Vertiport for The Urban Air Mobility", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-01", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jinfeng Li", "Rui Yang", "Chenglong Li", "Yunfan Zhou", "Longyang Huang" ], "first_author": "Jinfeng Li", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The eVTOL (electricic Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircraft provides an important guarantee for the realization of the UAM (Urban Air Mobility) system. The reasonable setting and construction of the eVTOL ground infrastructure usually play important roles to operate UAM system safely, efficiently", "keywords": [ "Realization (probability)", "Computer science", "Aerospace engineering", "Transport engineering", "Environmental science", "Meteorology", "Aeronautics", "Engineering", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://eudl.eu/pdf/10.4108/eai.2-12-2022.2327966" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4400990047", "doi": "10.69554/tcgo6126", "title": "eVTOLs and vertiports: Operations and infrastructure for a new and sustainable way to fly", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-12-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Kevin R. Cox" ], "first_author": "Kevin R. Cox", "venue": "Journal of Airport Management", "publisher": "Routledge", "abstract": "The world is on the cusp of a zero-carbon revolution in urban mobility. Within a few years, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) and vertiports will be operational across the globe. This is new, uncharted territory which needs some guidelines to help airport operators understand the commercial impetus behind vertiport development, and what eVTOL operators believe this new market needs. In particular, airports will want to know how they can connect to, and benefit from, urban air mobility. This paper describes the three main business models that eVTOL operators are working towards. It explains why vertiport designers must accommodate all those approaches and more. It then goes into some detail describing the factors that influence the selection and development of a vertiport location, together with the operational and regulatory requirements. This paper emphasises the importance of working with local communities because a vertiport network can only be effective if it is embedded in the community. Throughout the paper, there is a particular emphasis on the role that airport operators can play in helping to build this new industry. It shows how they can tap into this market to improve their own connectivity, ease local congestion and potentially open up routes to new groups of passengers.", "keywords": [ "Business", "On the fly", "Computer science", "Operating system" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.69554/tcgo6126" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4280567070", "doi": "10.2514/6.2022-2717", "title": "Experimental Flight Tests of an In-Canopy System for Autonomous Aerial Delivery", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-05-13", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Benjamin L. Leon", "Jacob Wachlin", "Michael Ward", "Mark Costello" ], "first_author": "Benjamin L. Leon", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Guided airdrop systems offer the ability to deliver payloads with accuracy and with a high payload to air vehicle weight fraction. Traditionally, these systems use airborne guidance units with trailing edge control to steer ram-air parafoils in the same manner as a human pilot. Trailing edge control only provides lateral (turn rate) and limited airspeed control. Earthly Dynamics, LLC developed an in-canopy precision guided aerial delivery system that offers both lateral steering and longitudinal glide slope control of a ram-air parafoil. This paper will present the feasible mission CONOPS for this technology as a cargo delivery, spacecraft recovery, or personnel autopilot system. This work then details the flight-proven hardware and software architecture implemented in a 116 ft$^2$ ram-air parachute. Scalability of the design up to 2400 lb payloads is presented. Data and configuration for multiple flight test demonstrations as a cargo airdrop system and a spacecraft recovery system are provided. Finally, this paper concludes with future applications and development plans for this technology.", "keywords": [ "Payload (computing)", "Autopilot", "Flight test", "Scalability", "Airspeed", "Cockpit", "Aerospace engineering", "Spacecraft", "Computer science", "Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution", "Control system", "Simulation" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-2717" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4389662325", "doi": "10.1016/j.trpro.2023.11.677", "title": "Preliminary study of nation-wide urban air mobility demand and vertiport network study in Germany", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Katrin Lippoldt", "Lukas Preis", "Klaus Bogenberger" ], "first_author": "Katrin Lippoldt", "venue": "Transportation research procedia", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "This study proposes a vertiport network for eVTOL in Germany. We use empirical travel survey data to estimate demand and calculate service \"supply\" based on the available space. Through a sensitivity study for different mode shares the resulting space requirements are determined. Both the potential travel demand and the potential supply of aircraft movements on the ground are not well known. Connections are evaluated regarding the possible travel time savings and the value of time of the travelers on the corresponding route. The empirical data used for this study was collected and is provided by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Germany. The MiD study is conducted at regular intervals and provides “extensive key values for the year 2017 on day-to-day mobility among Germany's residential population and refers to all trips they made within Germany” (The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, 2017).", "keywords": [ "TRIPS architecture", "Christian ministry", "Ministry of Transport", "Transport engineering", "Service (business)", "Business", "Travel behavior", "Empirical research", "Mode (computer interface)", "Population", "Supply and demand", "Environmental economics" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2023.11.677" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4410359522", "doi": "10.1016/j.trpro.2025.04.079", "title": "Optimal location of vertiports in urban areas: the case study of Bari (Italy)", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Mario Marinelli", "Aleksandra Colovic", "Michele Ottomanelli" ], "first_author": "Mario Marinelli", "venue": "Transportation research procedia", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "New emerging mobility technologies are seen as an adequate solution in urban areas for reducing traffic congestion and emissions, as well as enhancing better connectivity and accessibility of significant zones in urban areas. For instance, recent advancements in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) have opened the possibility of improving transportation services, especially in zones that require higher accessibility or faster inter-city connections. In this context, the design and location of UAM ground infrastructures, namely vertiports, are perceived as one of the main aspects of this novel service. Thus, this work proposes a model based on the Maximum Coverage Location Problem (MCLP) for determining optimal locations for vertiports in urban areas for parcel delivery. The model aims at maximizing the demand coverage of each vertiport within a predefined service/distance range. As a case study, the urban area of the city of Bari was considered to evaluate the outcomes of the proposed model. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis has been carried out by constructing different scenarios associated to different demand attributes and number of vertiports. The obtained results highlight the importance of considering the main practical recommendations and aspects that influence vertiports’ location and potential UAM demand growth in Bari.", "keywords": [ "Geography", "Environmental planning", "Transport engineering", "Regional science", "Socioeconomics", "Engineering", "Sociology" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2025.04.079" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3203424619", "doi": "10.1016/j.trc.2021.103377", "title": "Urban air mobility: A comprehensive review and comparative analysis with autonomous and electric ground transportation for informing future research", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-09-28", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Laurie A. Garrow", "Brian German", "Caroline E. Leonard" ], "first_author": "Laurie A. Garrow", "venue": "Transportation Research Part C Emerging Technologies", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": "Urban air mobility (UAM), if successful, will disrupt urban transportation. UAM is not the first disruptive technology in transportation, with recent examples including electric ground vehicles (EVs), autonomous ground vehicles (AVs), and sharing services. In this paper, we conduct a meta-analysis of about 800 articles in the UAM, EV, and AV areas that have been published from January 2015 to June 2020, and compare and contrast research thrusts in order to inform future UAM research. Alongside this effort, we conduct an in-depth review of articles related to demand modeling, operations, and integration with existing infrastructure. We use insights from the meta-analysis and comprehensive review to inform future UAM research directions. Some of the potential research directions we identify include: (1) developing more refined demand models that incorporate the timing of when individuals will adopt UAM; (2) developing high-fidelity simulation models for UAM operations that capture interactions among vertiport locations, vertiport topology, demand, pricing, dispatching, and airspace restrictions; (3) explicitly considering one-way demand and parking constraints in demand and operational models; and (4) developing more realistic time-of-day energy profiles for UAM vehicles in order to assess whether the current electrical grid can support UAM operations.", "keywords": [ "Ground transportation", "Order (exchange)", "Transport engineering", "Computer science", "Common ground", "Grid", "Operations research", "Environmental economics", "Business", "Engineering", "Economics", "Geography" ], "cited_by_count": 480, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968090X21003788/pdf" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4283220962", "doi": "10.2514/6.2022-3320", "title": "Simulation-Based Analysis of the Passenger Processing System at Vertiports", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-06-20", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Eva Feldhoff" ], "first_author": "Eva Feldhoff", "venue": "AIAA AVIATION 2022 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": "View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-3320.vid Air taxi services operated by vehicles that are capable of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) have recently gained increasing interest in research. The necessary infrastructure to operate air taxi services – named vertiport – constitutes of airside components, but also of a terminal and passenger processing facilities. This work provides an approach for the simulation-based analysis and evaluation of the passenger processing system at vertiports from a generic point of view. We define different scenarios for the passenger processing and simulate these scenarios considering different flight plans and respective passenger arrivals at the vertiport. The simulation results are evaluated using an adopted Level of Service concept. The evaluation shows that the check-in counters constitute the bottleneck of the system. The framework presented in this work can be applied to other vertiport configurations and specific air taxi networks.", "keywords": [ "Bottleneck", "Computer science", "Service (business)", "Work (physics)", "Point (geometry)", "Passenger transport", "Transport engineering", "Real-time computing", "Engineering", "Embedded system" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-3320" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4240828884", "doi": "10.1504/ijsa.2021.117243", "title": "Prediction of noise generated by small unmanned aerial vehicles' operation in vertiport vicinity", "year": 2021, "publication_date": "2021-01-01", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Vadim I. Tokarev", "Vitalii Makarenko" ], "first_author": "Vadim I. Tokarev", "venue": "International Journal of Sustainable Aviation", "publisher": "Inderscience Publishers", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Noise (video)", "Environmental science", "Aerospace engineering", "Computer science", "Remote sensing", "Marine engineering", "Acoustics", "Engineering", "Geology", "Artificial intelligence", "Physics" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1504/ijsa.2021.117243" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4410956640", "doi": "10.3390/su17115054", "title": "Efficient Urban Air Mobility Vertiport Operational Plans Considering On-Ground Traffic Environment", "year": 2025, "publication_date": "2025-05-30", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Jaekyun Lee", "Uwon Huh", "Peng Wei", "Kyowon Song" ], "first_author": "Jaekyun Lee", "venue": "Sustainability", "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute", "abstract": "Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has high potential as an ecofriendly transportation mode that can alleviate traffic congestion on the ground and reduce travel times by utilizing three-dimensional airspace. However, efficient vertiport operational plans are needed for UAM to become an accessible transportation mode for the public. In this study, the numerical analysis program MATLAB (R2023a) and the traffic simulation software VISSIM (PTV VISSIM 2024) were used to model vertiport operations and analyze the on-ground traffic environment, including vertiport capacity and UAM aircraft delays. Additionally, on-time performance was considered by applying uncertainties to the intervals between consecutive generations and the turnaround time to simulate situations where UAM aircraft cannot adhere to their scheduled arrival and departure times. Operational scenarios were developed by varying the interval time between UAM aircraft generated in the simulation (3–10 min) in two cases: (1) without considering the on-time performance and (2) considering the on-time performance. This study aimed to maximize vertiport capacity and minimize UAM aircraft delay times. In addition, the reduction of delay times and improvement of turnaround efficiency directly contribute to sustainable urban airspace management by lowering ground energy use and environmental impact. In Case 1, the vertiport was most efficient at an interval time of 7 min. In Case 2, capacity was maximized at an interval time of 6–7 min while delay times were minimized at an interval time of 8–10 min. The simulation results provide valuable insights for developing not only efficient but also environmentally responsible vertiport operational plans, contributing to the successful and sustainable implementation and scalability of UAM systems.", "keywords": [ "VisSim", "Turnaround time", "Interval (graph theory)", "MATLAB", "Transport engineering", "Traffic congestion", "Traffic simulation", "Simulation", "Engineering", "Environmental science", "Computer science", "Microsimulation" ], "cited_by_count": 3, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5054/pdf?version=1748616082" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4252885336", "doi": "10.2514/6.2011-2595", "title": "Ballistic Precision Aerial Delivery System", "year": 2011, "publication_date": "2011-05-23", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Paul B. Woodruff", "Marc Tardiff" ], "first_author": "Paul B. Woodruff", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The Ballistic Precision Aerial Delivery System (BPADS) is a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) delivery system intended to deliver cargo in the weight range of 16,000 to 30,000 pounds at an altitude of up to 25,000 feet MSL (mean sea level) using Air Force C-130 or C-17 cargo aircraft. This United States Army sponsored program is in the early developmental stage with proof of concept anticipated to be completed by early 2010. The system is intended to provide a low cost 30,000 pound high altitude low opening (HALO) aerial delivery capability, primarily using standard fielded equipment and limited commercial off –the-shelf (COTS) components. The program will utilize standard airdrop extraction techniques for both the C-130 and C-17. Upon leaving the aircraft, the extraction parachutes transition into free fall drogue parachutes and are retained until a predetermined altitude, at which time they are released to deploy a cluster of G-11 parachutes for a low velocity landing. Desirable features of this system include short time duration in the air, minimal unrestrained components during the descent, and the predominant use of already fielded aerial delivery components. For drop accuracy, the operational BPADS system will utilize the Joint Precision Aerial Delivery System Mission Planner (JPADS-MP) to acquire real-time wind data and to calculate a release point. Main parachute deployment occurs at a predetermined altitude via the Wireless Activation Device (WAD) detecting a preset time or altitude. Once the specific time or altitude is acheived, the WAD fires a zero second cutter releasing the drogue and deploying the main parachute cluster. Flight testing is underway at Yuma Proving Ground and BPADS is scheduled for demonstration at PATCAD 2009. This paper reports on progress of the overall program to date, milestones achieved through testing, and future goals for the program.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Aerospace engineering", "Engineering" ], "cited_by_count": 1, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2011-2595" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3170598589", "doi": "10.2514/6.1968-958", "title": "Parawing precision aerial delivery system", "year": 1968, "publication_date": "1968-08-16", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "HERBERT Q. BAIR", "J. Everette Forehand" ], "first_author": "HERBERT Q. BAIR", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Remote sensing", "Geology" ], "cited_by_count": 1, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.1968-958" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2023902785", "doi": "10.2514/6.2009-2908", "title": "Ballistic Precision Aerial Delivery System", "year": 2009, "publication_date": "2009-05-04", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Marc Tardiff", "Paul J. Woodruff" ], "first_author": "Marc Tardiff", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The Ballistic Precision Aerial Delivery System (BPADS) is a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) delivery system intended to deliver cargo in the weight range of 16,000 to 30,000 pounds at an altitude of up to 25,000 feet MSL (mean sea level) using Air Force C-130 or C17 cargo aircraft. This United States Army sponsored program is in the early developmental stage with proof of concept anticipated to be completed by early 2010. The system is intended to provide a low cost 30,000 pound high altitude low opening (HALO) aerial delivery capability, primarily using standard fielded equipment and limited commercial off –the-shelf (COTS) components. The program will utilize standard airdrop extraction techniques for both the C-130 and C-17. Upon leaving the aircraft, the extraction parachutes transition into free fall drogue parachutes and are retained until a predetermined altitude, at which time they are released to deploy a cluster of G-11 parachutes for a low velocity landing. Desirable features of this system include short time duration in the air, minimal unrestrained components during the descent, and the predominant use of already fielded aerial delivery components. For drop accuracy, the operational BPADS system will utilize the Joint Precision Aerial Delivery System Mission Planner (JPADS-MP) to acquire real-time wind data and to calculate a release point. Main parachute deployment occurs at a predetermined altitude via the Wireless Activation Device (WAD) detecting a preset time or altitude. Once the specific time or altitude is acheived, the WAD fires a zero second cutter releasing the drogue and deploying the main parachute cluster. Flight testing is underway at Yuma Proving Ground and BPADS is scheduled for demonstration at PATCAD 2009. This paper reports on progress of the overall program to date, milestones achieved through testing, and future goals for the program.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Remote sensing", "Aerospace engineering", "Aeronautics", "Engineering", "Geology" ], "cited_by_count": 1, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2009-2908" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4385212402", "doi": "10.1109/icacite57410.2023.10182733", "title": "Potential of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network for use in Developing a Drone-Based Delivery System", "year": 2023, "publication_date": "2023-05-12", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Ramakrishnan Raman", "Zatin Gupta", "Rajesh Singh", "Unnati A. Joshi", "Sanjay C. P", "Maddikera Kalyan Chakravarthi" ], "first_author": "Ramakrishnan Raman", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Connectivity between on-the-ground infrastructure and in-flight drones is made possible by ad hoc networks that fly between them. Using aerial items like unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, researchers in this field are looking at how they may best integrate their services and advantages into data-centric Internet of Things applications. It is one of the most prominent areas of study in aerial ad hoc networks due to the increasing commercial relevance of drone-centric flying networks. Communication between mobile devices and a central base station is heavily relied upon in the relevant literature. As such, this study presents a distributed routing paradigm for the Internet of Things that prioritizes service quality and relies on drone assistance (D-IoT). Probabilistic models of mobility and parameters for aerial drones are developed with a particular emphasis on incredibly dynamic flying ad hoc networks. It’s a whole proactive routing system has been built on these drone-centric models. As a result, a brain interfering system has been used to help people make reliable and fruitful travel plans. The advantages of the proposed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs routing approach are confirmed by a thorough measuring performance. Several system evaluation criteria for mobile advertising networks show that D-IoT is superior to region-based approaches.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Wireless ad hoc network", "Vehicular ad hoc network", "Computer science", "Mobile ad hoc network", "Computer network", "Telecommunications", "Wireless", "Network packet" ], "cited_by_count": 1, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/icacite57410.2023.10182733" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4402686305", "doi": "10.2514/6.2024-3888", "title": "Sustainable and Portable Vertiports Enabling Autonomous Drone Swarm Inspection in the Oil and Gas Industry", "year": 2024, "publication_date": "2024-07-27", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Fahad Mannan", "Logan Moore", "Sihua Shao", "Xiang Sun", "Mostafa Hassanalian" ], "first_author": "Fahad Mannan", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "The aim of this paper is to showcase the work that has been done and the planned path that the STEER (Sustainable verTiport framework for autonomous dronE swarm methanE emission measurement over oRphaned wells) project will take. The goal of STEER is to develop an autonomous system that is isolated and assists in locating hard to reach orphaned wells. Using drones is a cost-effective method in locating and plugging up these wells to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. This system will need to detect methane (CH4) to find abandoned wells out in the environment. The system will consist of a vertiport system that will be bio inspired from trees and the drone swarm that will head out to do surveys to find orphaned wells. The vertiport will house and charge the drones via contact pads, but will also ensure that the environment is safe to fly in before sending the drone off on a mission. The drones themselves will need to be driven by a ROS software making it possible to autonomously take off, survey, then return to the vertiport for landing.", "keywords": [ "Drone", "Swarm behaviour", "Computer science", "Petroleum industry", "Engineering", "Artificial intelligence" ], "cited_by_count": 4, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2024-3888" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2915338839", "doi": "10.1016/j.trc.2019.11.003", "title": "The multiple flying sidekicks traveling salesman problem: Parcel delivery with multiple drones", "year": 2019, "publication_date": "2019-12-13", "type": "article", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Chase C. Murray", "Ritwik Raj" ], "first_author": "Chase C. Murray", "venue": "Transportation Research Part C Emerging Technologies", "publisher": "Elsevier BV", "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Drone", "Travelling salesman problem", "Truck", "Heuristic", "Computer science", "Mathematical optimization", "Automation", "Integer (computer science)", "Integer programming", "Operations research", "Real-time computing", "Simulation" ], "cited_by_count": 566, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2019.11.003" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W4286519238", "doi": "10.2514/6.2022-4073.c1", "title": "Correction: Advanced Air Mobility Vertiport Considerations: A List and Overview", "year": 2022, "publication_date": "2022-06-27", "type": "erratum", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Nancy Mendonca", "James Peter Murphy", "Michael D. Patterson", "Rex Alexander", "Gabriela Juarex", "Clint Harper" ], "first_author": "Nancy Mendonca", "venue": "AIAA AVIATION 2022 Forum", "publisher": null, "abstract": null, "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Information retrieval", "Data science" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.2022-4073.c1" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W3109403882", "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2011.13224", "title": "Communication, Computing, Caching, and Sensing for Next Generation Aerial Delivery Networks", "year": 2020, "publication_date": "2020-11-26", "type": "preprint", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Güneş Karabulut Kurt", "Halim Yanıkömeroğlu" ], "first_author": "Güneş Karabulut Kurt", "venue": "arXiv (Cornell University)", "publisher": "Cornell University", "abstract": "This paper describes the envisioned interactions between the information and communication technology and aerospace industries to serve autonomous devices for next generation aerial parcel delivery networks. The autonomous features of fleet elements of the delivery network are enabled by the increased throughput, improved coverage, and near-user computation capabilities of vertical heterogeneous networks (VHetNets). A high altitude platform station (HAPS), located around 20~km above the ground level in a quasi-stationary manner, serves as the main enabler of the vision we present. In addition to the sensing potential of the HAPS nodes, the use of communication, computing, and caching capabilities demonstrate the attainability of the ambitious goal of serving a fully autonomous aerial fleet capable of addressing instantaneous user demands and enabling supply chain management interactions with delivery services in low-latency settings.", "keywords": [ "Computer science", "Computer network", "Distributed computing", "Telecommunications" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2011.13224" }, { "id": "https://openalex.org/W2891306047", "doi": "10.1145/3230876.3230877", "title": "Homing Trajectory Planning and Control for the Accurate Aerial Delivery of Parafoil System", "year": 2018, "publication_date": "2018-05-25", "type": "conference-paper", "language": "en", "authors": [ "Min Yao", "Yanhua Jin", "Min Zhao" ], "first_author": "Min Yao", "venue": null, "publisher": null, "abstract": "Parafoil system is widely used in the fields of military, aviation and aerospace to realize military supplies accurate aerial delivery and the spacecraft recycle mission, because of its controllability and long-distance gliding performance. Focus on the research of parafoil precise airdrop system modeling, homing trajectory planning and controlling methods are discussed in the paper. The time- and energy-optimal control algorithms for homing trajectory planning are compared. The advantages and applicability of the two algorithms at different delivered heights are discussed. The optimal homing trajectories at different heights, which can provide theoretical principle for actual parafoil airdrop, are obtained through Simulink model simulation.", "keywords": [ "Homing (biology)", "Controllability", "Trajectory", "Computer science", "Aerospace", "Motion planning", "Aerospace engineering", "Simulation", "Control engineering", "Aeronautics", "Control theory (sociology)", "Control (management)" ], "cited_by_count": 2, "is_retracted": false, "is_paratext": false, "open_access_url": "https://doi.org/10.1145/3230876.3230877" } ]