Data-Driven Demand Analysis of Vertiport Infrastructure for Passenger Transportation

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is experiencing a continuous trend of increased attention in research. The design, location selection, and operation of the required ground infrastructure, named vertiports, are being investigated to enhance the development of this new form of mobility. This work provides a data-driven method to estimate the demand for vertiports per local administrative unit (LAU), considering existing mobility services. The method is applied for the example of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. We collect, consolidate, and process socio-demographic data of the inhabitants, connections to central places, transport relations, relevant business and touristic locations, and points-of-interest. The consolidated data indicate the distribution of potential AAM users by identifying which LAUs in North Rhine-Westphalia have above- and below-average demand, regardless of economic considerations. Next, we determine the number of vertiports is required for each cell by considering the capacity of vertiports. The methodology can be used to identify areas with high demand for AAM services. This approach is transferable to other regions and modes of transport. In addition, other relevant attributes can be implemented, and the weighting factors can be changed to focus on specific use cases. The methodology follows a manufacturer-independent approach, that considers both user-specific needs and existing connectivity deficits in terms of the equivalence of quality of life according to the regional planning law. The combination of these factors for an optimal location selection of vertiports differs from previous studies, in which this procedure is focused on an economic point of view, targeting the highest travel time savings, population density, or number of business trips.