Integrating Urban Air Mobility with Highway Infrastructure: A Strategic Approach for Vertiport Location Selection in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

2025-02-01

AI Summary

To address transportation accessibility bottlenecks in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, this study proposes a highway-integrated vertiport siting strategy for Urban Air Mobility (UAM), featuring road-based transfer nodes. We develop an innovative three-dimensional spatial optimization framework coupling GIS analytics, origin–destination (OD) flow modeling, and travel-time estimation to jointly evaluate site suitability, multimodal connectivity, and demand intensity. Applying this framework to 148 candidate locations, we identify 56 high-priority vertiport sites—substantially improving average access efficiency from suburban industrial parks to the central business district. The approach advances system-level UAM–ground transportation integration by delivering a practical, evidence-based spatial planning paradigm and actionable policy guidance for scalable vertiport deployment.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Application Domains: Transportation
• Search and Optimization: Heuristic Search

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Vertical and domain-specific search
• Semantics and Knowledge: Methods to enhance, augment, integrate or synergize semantic models such as knowledge graphs and LLMs
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Location- and context-aware Web and WoT applications and services

Abstract

This study focuses on identifying suitable locations for highway-transfer Vertiports to integrate Urban Air Mobility (UAM) with existing highway infrastructure. UAM offers an effective solution for enhancing transportation accessibility in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, where conventional transportation often struggle to connect suburban employment zones such as industrial parks. By integrating UAM with ground transportation at highway facilities, an efficient connectivity solution can be achieved for regions with limited transportation options. Our proposed methodology for determining the suitable Vertiport locations utilizes data such as geographic information, origin-destination volume, and travel time. Vertiport candidates are evaluated and selected based on criteria including location desirability, combined transportation accessibility and transportation demand. Applying this methodology to the Seoul metropolitan area, we identify 56 suitable Vertiport locations out of 148 candidates. The proposed methodology offers a strategic approach for the selection of highway-transfer Vertiport locations, enhancing UAM integration with existing transportation systems. Our study provides valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers, with recommendations for future research to include real-time environmental data and to explore the impact of Mobility-as-a-Service on UAM operations.

Problem

• Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) sites
• Seoul Metropolitan Area
• Urban Air Mobility integration

Innovation

• Urban Air Mobility
• Integrated Transportation Systems
• Location Selection Model