ACRP Synthesize Information on Airport Projects

Airport managers, engineers, and researchers face problems for which information already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. There is information and experience on nearly every subject of concern to airport administrators and engineers. Much of it derives from research and much from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and making it available to the entire airport community, the ACRP's Synthesis of Airport Practice searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources to prepare concise, documented reports on specific topics.

Process

ACRP Project Committee 11-03 annually select synthesis topics for study from problem statements submitted by airport practitioners.

Each topic has an expert panel consisting of practitioners and researchers that refines the tentative scope of work and select the Principal Investigator. They also oversee and approve deliverables and makes a publication recommendation.

Volunteer to be a Panel Member

The synthesis panel member commitment is approximately 9-12 months. Responsibilities include:

Finalizing the scope of work
Selecting the Principal Investigator
Reviewing and approving deliverables
Publication recommendation

ACRP usually solicits panel members at the beginning of the year. To volunteer for an open panel submit a self-nomination through MyACRP.

Contractor Information

Principal Investigators performing work on ACRP Syntheses of Practice should follow the guidance in Information for Principal Investigators Preparing Syntheses.

Letters of Interest (LOI) submittals for consultants wishing to perform as an ACRP synthesis Principal Investigator are usually solicited at the beginning of the year.

LOI's should contain a cover letter plus a resume or CV, and should convey a concise idea of your knowledge on the topic, and your related work and experience in the subject area. Principal Investigators are selected by the panel at their first meeting.

Please note, for synthesis projects consultants will be paid $55,000 on a fixed-price basis. A sample of the consultant contract can be found here. TRB does not negotiate the terms of these fixed-price contracts.

Topics

Problem statements are collected from members of the aviation community, such as airport operators, aviators, airlines, state department of transportation, and aviation division personnel.

The following factors are considered for the selection of synthesis topics:

The topic should address a problem that is widespread enough to generate broad interest in the synthesis.
The topic should be timely and critical for expediting delivery, improving the quality, or lowering the cost of airport programs.
The current practice of the topic is non-uniform or inconsistent from agency to agency, or if the validity of some practices appears to be questionable.
The quality and quantity of useful available information indicates a need to organize and compress what has already been learned and written on the topic.
The topic should not be one where ongoing research or other activities in progress are expected to render the synthesis obsolete shortly after completion.