Supporting Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

How can MDS be used to support Urban/Advanced Air Mobility (UAM/AAM) in local jurisdictions? We are in an information gathering phase for this so please leave any and all thoughts on this below as a comment so we can discuss as a community and with the MDS working group. What are your use cases and scope and jurisdiction for this?

Describe the solution you'd like

Ensure MDS can support AAM as it is now, and what parts of MDS may need to be changed to support AAM use cases.

Is this a breaking change

• Maybe

Describe alternatives you've considered

• MDS was built to support shared mobility in the right of way.
• We are exploring the connection between AAM and MDS as a digital policy and management tool.
• MDS is close to supporting AAM now as a Passenger Service, but needs more information about height and vehicle properties.

Additional context

• OMF is convening and facilitating these discussions on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in our working groups (part 1, part 2).
• The original vision of the OMF - to be both proactive and reactive for city right of way management.
• This is an opportunity to be proactive with AAM, as it’s not deployed yet.
• Like we have done for other new transportation modes we are in an information gathering phase for the OMF community.

Resources
Review materials from LADOT, Urban Movement Labs, American Planning Association, OMF:

• Principles of the Urban Sky
• LADOT's UAM Policy Framework Considerations
• APA Planning for Advanced Mobility
• Working Group Part 1
• Working Group Part 2

Questions

• Who do you need to bring in from your orgs to this conversation?
• What operational data do cities believe they need?
• What challenges and policies will cities need data to support?
• What digital policy do cities need to publish for operators?
• What do cities need to know and share with the public to allow this to ‘fly’ politically?
• What laws are in place now? City, city council, local, state, federal, etc?
• What challenges or opportunities are there for navigation to airports, and CMAP regional planning?

Use Cases

• Understand best locations for vertiports and transit connectivity
• Emergency response no-fly zones
• Safety reporting and incident analysis
• Adherence to policies, rules, and geofencing
• Assessing fees, incentives, and revenue sharing
• Deployment and usage in Justice 40 areas to meet equity goals

Start by reading the linked MDS working group notes and the listed AAM planning resources, then review the questions and use cases in this issue. Done means the community has agreed on AAM scope, jurisdictional use cases, required operational data, and whether specific MDS changes are needed.