Towards an integrated environmental modeling platform for sustainable aviation and urban air mobility

Abstract

As aviation and urban air mobility (UAM) continue to expand, they create several challenges—ranging from environmental impact to infrastructure constraints—highlighting the urgent need for integrated and flexible solutions that can adapt to these evolving conditions. This paper presents the development of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that incorporates a selected subset of high-impact features from the broader RefMap platform—a modular suite of environmental modeling tools designed to support sustainability-oriented decision-making in both conventional aviation and UAM. Using a stakeholder-centered approach based on in-depth interviews, we identified and prioritized core functionalities across emissions reduction, noise mitigation, and trajectory optimization. The RefMap platform integrates real-time weather data, noise propagation modeling, CFD-based simulations, and multi-scale impact assessments to evaluate and enhance environmental performance. Findings reveal a strong demand for tools that bridge regulatory, operational, and environmental dimensions. This initial Minimum Viable Product (MVP) serves as a starting point for building a decision-support system that is easy to use, meets regulations, and potentially aligned with Europe’s sustainability goals.