Welcome
An introduction to the newsletter.
This Newsletter
Toplevel page for the NASA Aeronautics News
Search/Archives
Past issues as well as a search engine for topics/articles in past issues.
Subscribe
Subscribe to receive e-mail notifications of new issues
Feedback
Please send us your comments and questions.
Links
Links to more NASA pages and other sites
Search Engine
To search within the newsletter site
NASA Headquarters Responsible Official: Tony Springer
Curator:
SAIC Information Services
www.aeronautics.nasa.gov
|
|
Envisioning 2025: Inside the JPDO Futures Workshop
The VISION 100 FAA reauthorization bill (P.L. 108-176) provided for the creation
of a small and focused Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO). Working
in close collaboration with the Departments of Transportation, Commerce,
Defense, and Homeland Security, the FAA, NASA, the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy, and other experts from the public and private
sectors, the JPDO has developed a National Plan for the Next Generation Air
Transportation System. This plan represents a joint government-industry
business plan for the aviation system of the future. The JPDO will ensure that
planning and execution of the plan are coordinated across government and
industry. The JPDO is using a variety of mechanisms to continue in its strategic
and tactical planning activities. Below is a report of one recent workshop.
In late September, a group of executives met in Colorado for the JPDO's
"Transportation Users Futures Workshop" to consider how different future
"scenarios" could affect the aviation industry and their businesses.
Representatives from shippers, meeting management firms, travel agencies,
corporate travel departments, state travel bureaus, new or non-traditional aircraft
manufacturers, and local airports participated. At the workshop, participants
delved into potential future scenarios to understand what actions might be taken
now to best meet these future situations. Scenarios are "pictures" of the plausible
conditions that could result, on a global scale, from combinations of social,
political, economic, and environmental factors.
The process of scenario planning helps participants anticipate a range of future
threats and opportunities and thus, manage some of the uncertainty in their
businesses. According to Charles W. Thomas of The Future Strategy Group LLC,
"It provides a unique window into future business conditions, enterprise
requirements, and issues." The JPDO also used Thomas' group for scenario
workshops with representatives of the Federal government and aviation industry
to draft the initial air transportation system transformation strategies.
In Colorado, participants were assigned to work on one of several future
scenarios designed by the JPDO in the spring of 2004. Each team worked to
consider what their industry needs would be in that future, and to advise the
JPDO on what aviation system characteristics or capabilities would best match
their needs. A list of the characteristics that worked across all or most of the
future scenarios was compiled and submitted to the JPDO. With this information
and the insights and perspectives of the users, decision-makers can "think" a
decade or more into the future and develop more robust strategies for needed
technologies, different operational practices, and policy changes, rather than a
"simple" extrapolation of today's trends.
After a brief hiatus, the JPDO plans to restart these future user needs
workshops. They have proven a popular and meaningful approach for
stakeholder involvement and have provided interesting insights on the future
aviation marketplace. Additional workshops will focus on logistics and supply
chains, coordination with radio spectrum allocation efforts, state & local markets,
port authorities, financial services interests, security, and others.
JPDO Website: http://www.jpdo.aero
Additional Background: http://www.centerforcollaboration.net/jpdo/overview.html
National Plan: www.jpdo.aero/NGATS_v1.pdf (5.9MB)
|
|
