Dane County Regional Airport Chosen To Test New Data Gathering And Planning Technology

June 25, 2010
Jennifer Miller Dane County Regional Airport 608-661-6442

(Madison, WI)  Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk today announced that the Dane County Regional Airport would be one of the first airports in the nation to test a new Geographic Information System and to use it for electronic Airport Layout Plans (e-ALPS). The airport has also been awarded a $725,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to implement the new system.

 “It’s a testament to our airport and its management that the FAA would select the Dane County Regional Airport to try out this new system. This will be a far more efficient way of collecting and storing airport survey information and should eliminate the need to re-do data collection and surveys for most new projects, which will save time and money,” said Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

 The grant will fund airport imagery and data collection and storage that can be uploaded to the FAA’s central system and then downloaded for use by the airport.  The U.S.  Department of Transportation funds the award through the FAA trust fund, which uses money collected through special taxes on airport users and aviation fuel, not general taxes.

 According to the FAA, airport surveying activities are currently conducted by several organizations, but seldom reused on other projects.  That results in the data often being stored in separate locations by different sources, which then can lead to confusion over which data is the most current and correct. Once the A-GIS is installed, the airport can store images of such things as runway configurations, sensitive environmental areas, noise contours, and available land space in one place without having to re-survey prior to starting a new project. 

Airport Director Bradley Livingston added that the new system would aid in planning future projects at the airport.

“Having this information available electronically from one source, and having the ability to quickly update it as necessary, will be a great benefit,” Livingston said, “especially when it comes to determining how new projects will ensure safety, protect the environment, and mesh with the surroundings.”

 

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