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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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You are invited to attend
a one-day workshop that will explore the possibility of Atlanta and all of Georgia participating in the economic opportunity of Urban Air Mobility (UAM)
A premise of our discussion will be that the aircraft and technologies that enable UAM offer potential not only for urban operations but also for rural areas; hence our focus will be on urban and regional air mobility. For example, rapid commuting by air may enable increased wages for rural residents and also encourage rural growth and development, as people and businesses disaggregate from urban cores to outlying areas. Attendees will include business, government, and academic stakeholders from Atlanta and neighboring rural communities in Georgia, as well as representatives from NASA and companies participating in the nascent UAM industry.
The world is now entering a new era of mobility. From electric scooters to self-driving cars, we will soon have even more choices for how to travel within cities. The same technologies that are enabling new forms of ground transportation are also enabling new types of aircraft. A new industry is emerging to address a market now being called “urban air mobility (UAM)” in which passengers and cargo are transported by short-ranged electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at an affordable price point. As cities become more congested, UAM offers the potential for significant time savings compared to driving by overflying traffic. As one of many mobility options, UAM also will enable new levels of flexibility in multi-modal trips involving cars and transit. A recent market study by Booz Allen Hamilton found that if experts can overcome infrastructure and air traffic management constraints, the potential U.S. market for UAM exceeds $500 billion, carrying 16 million passengers daily, and served by 850,000 aircraft. In comparison, the U.S. airline market is approximately $200 billion.
Unlike past forms of aviation, UAM will be deeply interwoven into the fabric of cities and regions. Aircraft must be low noise to avoid annoyance, vertiports must be located in a way consistent with land use regulations, and issues such as equity of access must be addressed. As a consumer and producer of data, UAM will be a part of the landscape of future smart cities.
Workshop Organizers: Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Centers for Innovation, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber
