APPENDIX A Review f OSUA s Nise Cmplaint Prcess
8950 Cal Center Drive Bldg, 3, Suite 300 Sacrament, CA 95826 916.564.4500 phne 916.564-4501 fax www.esassc.cm memrandum date June 12, 2008 t frm subject Catherine Ferrari, OSUA Rn Seymur, ESA Airprts Steve Alversn, ESA Airprts ESA Airprts' Review f OSUA's Aircraft Nise Cmplaint Prcess ESA Airprts was tasked with reviewing the prcess fr registering, researching, and respnding t aircraft nise cmplaints at The Ohi State University Airprt (OSUA) and prviding recmmendatins n hw the prcess culd be imprved. We have cmpleted this task and have dcumented ur findings and recmmendatins in this mem. Overall we fund the prcess and assciated plicies f the Airprt t be acceptable fr the task f receiving and respnding t cmplaints. Based n ur experience wrking with ther airprts arund the cuntry, such as Seattle-Tacma Internatinal Airprt, Sacrament Cunty Airprt System (fur airprts), and Ls Angeles Wrld Airprts (three airprts), the practices fllwed by the Airprt are very similar and can be cnsidered representative f best practices. In many instances, ur findings revealed OSUA ges abve and beynd best practices fr recrding and respnding t cmplaints, especially fr general aviatin airprts f similar size and numbers f peratins. Mst general aviatin airprts d nt have flight tracking capability fr the public t access using the internet and thse that d are nt as user friendly as the OSUA website. Our findings shwed the OSUA website is cmparable t the larger air carrier airprt websites by ffering bth flight track analysis capabilities alng with the ability t submit a nise cmplaint ver the internet. Many general aviatin airprts nly ffer the ability t register a cmplaint r investigate a flight track, but nt bth as with the OSUA site. Example sites fr cmparisn t OSUA include: sea.webtrak-lchard.cm/template/index.html www.sacramenttracks.cm www4.passur.cm/teb.html www4.passur.cm/lax.html ak.webtrak-lchard.cm/template/index.html live.airprtnetwrk.cm/sf/
While we did find verall OSUA s nise cmplaint plicies and practices meet best practices standards, we did nte sme areas where we recmmend changes t eliminate duplicative effrts and t allw fr a mre efficient peratin f the prcess. We understand the vendr fr AirScene is upgrading the system. Sme f the recmmendatins in this reprt may be addressed thrugh that upgrade. Prcess fr Receiving Cmplaints The residents in the cmmunities arund the Airprt have three primary ways they can register a cmplaint abut nise frm aircraft perating t and frm OSUA: placing a phne call, sending an email, r cmpleting a cmplaint frm n WebScene. Prviding three different methds fr the public t use fr registering cmplaints is mre than what mst ther airprts, many f them much larger and busier than OSUA, ffer fr their lcal residents. Mst general aviatin airprts d nt recrd nise cmplaints and thse that d primarily ffer nly a phne call r sending an email as ways t d s. Offering the public access nline t a flight tracking system and nise cmplaint frm is mre cmmn at large air carrier airprts. Because OSUA ffers this type f service, they are ffering mre than what is typical fr a general aviatin airprt. WebScene als gives the public an avenue t research their cncerns and ptentially find the answers they are seeking withut the need fr submitting a questin t the OSUA staff. This is a valuable tl and ne that the residents arund OSUA shuld take advantage f. ESA Airprts Recmmendatins: We have n recmmended changes fr the phne r email ptins f submitting cmplaints. Fr submitting cmplaints via WebScene, we have several recmmendatins regarding the lcatin f the link t WebScene as well as suggested changes t the frm n the WebScene site. Accessing WebScene shuld be mre intuitive than it currently is. The access pint fr WebScene is nt lcated n the hme page f the Airprt s website, but rather n a secndary page and is identified nly as a blded wrd (which can be difficult t identify) the user must click n. While the primary purpse f WebScene is t research flight tracks, it des ffer a third ptin fr the public t register an aircraft nise cmplaint. We recmmend a direct link t WebScene be placed n the Airprt s hmepage that will make it easier fr the public t lcate and access the cmplaint frm. There are als recmmendatins we have t the frm the cmplainant cmpletes within WebScene t register a nise cmplaint. The frm within the WebScene applicatin lists several chices fr the public t chse frm t describe the nature f their cmplaint. Several f the categries are nt nise related and thers seem t be secndary in imprtance. We recmmend that frm be redesigned t be simpler with the fllwing categries and chices: Name and address Incident date and time Cmplaint (general aircraft nise, lw flying aircraft, vibratin, frequency, safety cncerns, ther) Aircraft Infrmatin (arrival, departure, training, unknwn) Aircraft type (jet, prpeller, helicpter) Call back requested (yes r n) Cmments 2
The cmments sectin allws fr the public t expand n these if necessary t explain that they were awakened by aircraft nise r their cnversatin was interrupted. If the cmplainer wishes t expand n what type f aircraft was causing the disturbance, they will have the pprtunity t relay that infrmatin in the cmments sectin. The reasning fr making the abve mentined changes is t immediately capture the mst imprtant aspect f the cmplaint and t simplify the classificatin f cmplaints fr bth the public and OSUA. This in turn will allw fr a mre efficient prcess f tracking cmplaints. It is imprtant t nte the Airprt des nt have the direct capability t redesign WebScene, but rather must wrk with the vendr that develped WebScene t request any changes. Prcess fr Recrding Cmplaint Infrmatin All cmplaints received by OSUA are entered int the AirScene database. This applies t cmplaints received by phne, email, WebScene, and walk-in visitrs. The primary infrmatin recrded in AirScene includes: name, address, date, time f cmplaint, and nature f cmplaint. As a first step, phne messages are transcribed verbatim t a Wrd dcument t prvide a hard cpy f the message. Messages received via email r WebScene are printed t prvide a hard cpy as well. T classify a cmplaint and describe the nature f the cmplaint, the Airprt has 11 bxes that can be checked in AirScene based n what was stated by the cmplainant. If needed, all bxes can be checked t adequately capture the nature f the cmplaint. Many f the cmplaints received via email cntain multiple cmplaints, ften including several days r weeks wrth f aircraft incidents. Each f these is entered int the database as individual cmplaints by OSUA. After all the infrmatin has been entered int AirScene, a Cmplaint Recrd & Research Frm (CRFF) is cmpleted with the same type f infrmatin entered int the AirScene database. The CRFF is then used fr researching cmplaints. ESA Airprts Recmmendatins: We recmmend the Airprt rely mre n the use f electrnic files versus electrnic and hard cpies. Cmplaints received via the phne shuld nt be written up verbatim prir t placing the infrmatin int AirScene. Reprting what the cmplainant says verbatim is nt necessary and just presents extra steps in the prcess fr the Airprt. Cmplaints received via the phne shuld be placed int AirScene directly while listening t the message. The mst imprtant pieces f infrmatin t capture are the name, address, time, date, lcatin, nature f the cmplaint, and if a call-back has been requested. In additin, cmpleting a CRFF is a duplicative effrt creating fr unnecessary wrk fr OSUA staff. If a cmplaint needs t be researched, there shuld be a way t identify that n the electrnic frm in AirScene and that shuld be used t manage cmplaints that need t be researched versus thse that d nt. If it is easier fr research t take place with a hard cpy f the cmplaint as a guide, then a cpy shuld be printed frm AirScene fr that purpse. As with the frm n WebScene, we als recmmend the simplificatin f classifying the nature f the cmplaint within AirScene t just a few categries that mre succinctly capture the cmplaint. Any additinal cmments can be placed in a cmments sectin f the frm n AirScene. Currently the cdes fr classifying cmplaints are all placed in ne field when saved t AirScene. In additin t simplifying the way t classify cmplaints, we als recmmend the classificatins be kept in separate field t allw fr easier srting and reprting f the infrmatin. We recmmend the fllwing categries fr the AirScene Database that captures the initial cmplaint and allws fllw-up thrugh a research prcess if necessary: Name and address Incident date and time 3
Cmplaint (general aircraft nise, lw flying aircraft, vibratin, frequency, safety cncerns, ther) Aircraft Infrmatin (user defined - verflight, arrival, departure, training) Aircraft type (user defined - jet, prpeller, helicpter) Cmments frm cmplainant Call back requested (yes r n) System-defined aircraft infrmatin (after researching n AirScene verflight, arrival, departure, training) System-defined aircraft type (after researching n AirScene jet, prpeller, helicpter) Other (after researching n AirScene n match, system dwn, n infrmatin available) Cmments frm research Reslutin (call back cmpleted, cmpleted) Currently all cmplaints received are entered in the AirScene database, including thse that may cntain multiple cmplaints in ne email. We recmmend the prcess f recrding all cmplaints received cntinue. It is imprtant t cntinue this prcess s that infrmatin can be btained regarding the number f verall cmplaints cmpared t the number f verall individual cmplainants. As a plicy decisin, we recmmend the Airprt recrd nly ne cmplaint per email r phne call. This practice is used by airprts with high cmplaint vlumes and/r limited staff resurces and eliminates any cnfusin n hw many cmplaints the cmplainant submitted. As we discuss in a later sectin, hwever, it is ur pinin that nt every cmplaint shuld be researched. Prcess fr Researching Cmplaints All cmplaints received by OSUA are researched if time allws. OSUA uses AirScene data t determine the ffending aircraft type, the peratin type (e.g., arrival, departure, and tuch and g), the runway used, and the altitude and grund distance between the disturbance lcatin and the flight path. All attempts are made t find infrmatin abut the peratin in questin. If the data are nt available in AirScene, OSUA seeks the infrmatin frm ther surces such as Prt f Clumbus Nise Office and OSUA air traffic cntrl. All infrmatin crrespnding with the cmplaint is entered int the cmments sectin f AirScene. In additin, research results are entered int the Nise Cmplaint Type sectin f AirScene using 20 different categries t describe what was fund thrugh the research. If needed, a screensht f the flight track is exprted frm AirScene and pasted int the Cmplaint Recrd and Research Frm. ESA Airprts Recmmendatins: Our review revealed the verall prcess f researching cmplaints is mre than adequate based n best practices fllwed at ther airprts and prduces accurate results. As with all tasks, sme human errr will cme int play ccasinally, hwever we fund this t be minimal with OSUA and nt a significant cncern. We were impressed regarding cmplaint research and hw OSUA staff uses all available resurces, putting frth additinal effrt nt fund at ther airprts. Mst airprts will nt seek ut infrmatin 4
frm the FAA r ther lcal airprts t identify aircraft peratins if the infrmatin is nt present in their wn system. Currently, OSUA has a gal t research all cmplaints received. This is nt typical f best practices fr airprt nise abatement ffices and tends t require t much allcatin f staff resurces that culd be fcused mre n the actual nise prgrams and identifying ways t reduce nise impacts. We recmmend OSUA discntinue the practice f researching all aircraft nise cmplaints received and fcus n researching in detail nly thse cmplaints requesting a call back r thse cmplaints related t an unusual event. This des nt mean staff will nt pay attentin t the cmplaints and cntinue t listen t the lcal cmmunities cncerns. Cmplaints nt requesting a call-back shuld be researched n an as needed basis allwing staff t remain vigilant f lcal cncerns. All cmplaints shuld be entered int the database and used in trend analyses t determine hw aircraft are cmplying with nise abatement prcedures and t identify thse areas where nise cncerns exist and hw that cmpares with past experiences. Spending time researching cmplaints fr an individual that repeatedly cmplains abut the same type f peratin is nt typically prductive and reduces the time OSUA has t wrk n ways t reduce nise impacts. We als recmmend OSUA simplify the frmat fr identifying what was fund during the cmplaint research prcess. As previusly mentined, there are 20 different categries identified fr explaining the results f research within AirScene. Several f these categries may be used t describe an peratin and all will be placed in a single field within AirScene. Placing all in a single field makes it quite difficult t research past trends and histry f cmplaints. We recmmend the simplified fields discussed previusly be used t recrd any infrmatin discvered thrugh the research cmpleted and t keep the reprting f thse fields separate t allw fr mre efficient srting. We als recmmend OSUA limit the number f cmplaints researched each mnth fr individuals. Mst f the staff s time is spent researching cmplaints, many f which are frm individuals whse cmplaints are cnsistently regarding the same type f peratin. As previusly mentined, OSUA staff s time culd be better spent cncentrating n evaluating trends in peratins and adherence t nise abatement prgrams. The majrity f the public has access t the internet frm their hmes and, therefre, can access WebScene. With this access, the public can research their cmplaints and find answers t their questins fr as many incidents as they desire. Because f this capability t perfrm cmplaint investigatin n WebScene, we recmmend OSUA limit the number f cmplaints researched per husehld t five per mnth. This number, cmbined with ur earlier recmmendatin f limiting cmplaints t ne per email r phne call, will still allw cmplainants t request investigatins fr unusual events while allwing staff t devte time t ther tasks. One f the primary functins f any nise abatement ffice is t educate the public n nise prgrams. It is cmmn practice fr airprt nise abatement ffices t develp educatin materials t send t first time callers explaining what has been accmplished t date t reduce nise and hw existing prgrams cntinue t wrk tward further reductins in nise impacts. We recmmend OSUA prepare public educatin materials n existing prgrams as well as explaining hw t use WebScene t self investigate cmplaints. In additin, the educatin piece culd explain the Airprt s plicy n investigating nise cmplaints and the limit t the number f requests a cmplainant can make each mnth. These materials shuld be sent t any first time caller wh asks fr a respnse, as well as be placed n the OSUA website nise page as well. 5
Prcess fr Respnding t Cmplainants and Cmpleting the Cmplaint OSUA staff attempt t cntact cmplainants requesting infrmatin within fur days f receiving the cmplaint. The research and results are explained t the cmplainant and any questins they have are answered. If the cmplainant wishes t see flight tracks, they can view WebScene r schedule an appintment with External Relatins t cme int the Airprt and view AirScene. If a hard cpy f the cmplainant s research is requested, a summary is exprted frm AirScene and prvided in hard cpy. If the cmplainant cannt be reached after tw tries, the cmplaint is prcessed as cmplete. Once cmpleted, the cmplaint in AirScene is marked as cmpleted and a paper cpy f the riginal submissin and CRFF is filed. ESA Airprts Recmmendatins: The prcess fllwed fr respnding t the cmplaints is reasnable, adequate, and cnsistent with best practices at ther airprts. If available, OSUA shuld use AirScene t keep electrnic cpies f cmplaints and assciated research. If this functin is available in AirScene, there wuld be n need t keep hard cpies in files as well. Hwever, if this functinality is nt present in AirScene, hard cpies f the cmplaint and any research material and crrespndence shuld be kept in files. System Accuracy The primary purpse f a nise cmplaint system is t prvide the lcal cmmunities arund an airprt an avenue t ask questins and prvide infrmatin t the airprt administratin regarding the nise cncerns f the lcal residents. A nise cmplaint system is nt meant t have pinpint accuracy r prvide the basis f scientific research. As mentined previusly, human errr will always be a factr when bth the input and utput are determined by human interactin. As lng as the airprt can prvide infrmatin t the cmmunity by way f answering their questins, and as lng as the airprt can track verall trends in nise cncerns, the purpse f the nise cmplaint system has been fulfilled. ESA Airprts reviewed the accuracy f OSUA s data and recrd keeping practices relevant t meeting the gals f the nise cmplaint system stated abve. Overall, we fund the level f accuracy f the data and recrd keeping practices t be very acceptable and in keeping with best practices fr nise cmplaint systems. Fr meeting the purpse f the system, we fund the data cllectin, strage, r reprting were acceptable and in keeping with best practices. There are areas that culd use imprvement, and we have discussed thse in the ther sectins f this reprt. The imprvements we suggest will allw the OSUA Nise Cmplaint System t be mre streamlined and efficient fr bth the cmplainants and the Airprt staff. The mre streamlined apprach shuld result in mre time being available by OSUA t fcus n the mst imprtant matter facing mst airprts, identifying ways t reduce aircraft nise impacts and implementing thse measures. Thrugh ur review, it came t ur attentin a lcal cmmunity grup had expressed dissatisfactin with the nise cmplaint system relevant t recrd keeping and reprting. As part f this evaluatin, we reviewed the August 2007 reprt by the grup We Oppse Ohi State Airprt Expansin (WOOSE) n cmplaint data cmpiled between January 2007 and February 2007 and tk their cncerns int cnsideratin. Based n ur review f the WOOSE reprt, we wuld like t ffer the fllwing bservatins and cmments n their claims. The WOOSE reprt identifies discrepancies n a number f specific types f data, which in mst cases, we felt were misunderstandings and misinterpretatins f the data prvided by OSUA, as well as a misunderstanding f the purpse f a nise cmplaint system in the verall nise abatement plan fr an airprt. Belw are the different areas f cncern expressed by the WOOSE dcument and ur assciated bservatins and respnses. 6
1. Missing Cmplaints WOOSE indicates the Airprt did nt recrd all cmplaints they received during the dates in questin. We fund the number f cmplaints reprted missing by WOOSE t be small (2% in January and 8% in February) versus the verall number f cmplaints. The discrepancies may be explained by cmplaints submitted after the 30 day deadline frm the date f the event, duplicate cmplaints frm individuals regarding the same incident, r cmplaints abut the same issue that ccur repeatedly. It is difficult t determine the exact explanatin fr the missing cmplaints alleged by WOOSE, hwever the recmmendatin we made previusly in this reprt t limit cmplaints t ne cmplaint per email, phne call, r web entry will make it very clear hw many cmplaints are being prvided t the Airprt and shuld remve any cnfusin. 2. High number f errr in cmplaints The errrs reprted by WOOSE primarily center arund the cmplaint being incrrectly cded in the cmplaint system (time, date, and general cding), the altitude f the aircraft being reprted incrrectly, and discrepancies in the types f aircraft reprted versus researched. While WOOSE may be frustrated with the cding used by OSUA, we did nt see the cding system as taking away frm the verall value f the infrmatin prvided by the Airprt t the cmplainant. Research was cnducted t answer the cmplainant s questin r cncern, and whether the aircraft was at 1,000 feet versus 1,100 feet is nt relevant t the purpse f the nise cmplaint system. Several recmmendatins we have made in this reprt will address sme f the cncerns stated by WOOSE including the simplificatin f the cmplaint cding system and researching with the vendr f AirScene the capability t have the system autmatically crrelate cmplaints t actual aircraft peratins, which wuld remve sme human element and assciated mistakes that may ccur. 3. Wrng Cmmunity Listed fr Cmplaint The listing f cmplaints by cmmunity has lng been a prblem with nise cmplaint systems. Many residents believe they live in ne cmmunity, when their actual mailing address states anther cmmunity. We recmmend the best way t avid this cnfusin is t reprt cmplaints by zip cde. Fr a cmplaint t be recrded in the system, the cmplainant shuld be required t prvide a zip cde. All infrmatin presented t the public n cmplaints shuld then be categrized by zip cde nly. 4. OSU Mnthly Cmplaint Reprts are Based n Partial Data OSUA currently reprts statistics n cmplaints received after they have researched the cmplaints. The WOOSE reprt claims cmplaints were nt researched and therefre the data being presented is misleading the public. Our recmmendatin t the Airprt is t limit the cmplaints researched t five per husehld per mnth, and change the reprting parameters t reprt all cmplaints received each mnth and eliminate reprting n cmplaints that were researched. The researching f cmplaints is meant t prvide the individual with an answer t a specific questin r cncern, it is nt meant t serve as a ntice t the surrunding cmmunity n nise issues f individuals. By simplifying the reprting t cver cmplaints as they are received, cnfusin will be minimized and the cmmunity grups will be able t see the ttal number f cmplaints received regardless f whether they are investigated by OSUA r nt. 5. Majr Surces f Cmplaints are Overlked The WOOSE reprt states nighttime and jet peratins are understated r nt researched and this has misled the public n the nise issues facing the Airprt. As mentined previusly, there are many factrs invlved in determining hw the cmplaints are cded and/r researched. Our recmmendatins frm this reprt will simplify the prcess and hpefully avid these cncerns in the future. 7
6. Aircraft Are Either Unknwn r Unidentified The WOOSE reprt states the numbers f aircraft that are unknwn r unidentified are increasing. AirScene tracks aircraft based n signals frm an aircraft s Mde S transpnder. Sme f the lder and/r smaller aircraft are nt equipped with a Mde S transpnder and cnsequently their identity is nt available in AirScene. We have bserved the staff at OSUA puts frth mre than what is cnsidered a nrmal level f effrt t investigate unidentified aircraft. OSUA staff ften request schedules f the nighttime peratrs as well as seek infrmatin frm the Prt Clumbus nise mnitring system since it is radar based. There are still sme aircraft that may nt be knwn, such as military flights, even with data frm the Prt Clumbus aircraft tracking system. While data n sme flights may nt be available t the public, FAA Air Traffic Cntrl has infrmatin fr virtually all flights. Even if an peratin is labeled as unknwn, it is still recrded that a resident was disturbed by an aircraft event. Summary Overall we fund the prcesses and assciated plicies used at the Airprt fr receiving and respnding t nise cmplaints t be mre than adequate and representative f best practices. In many instances, ur findings revealed the Airprt ges beynd what is cnsidered typical fr recrding and respnding t cmplaints, especially fr general aviatin airprts f similar size and numbers f peratins. While we did find verall the plicies and practices t meet best practices standards, we did nte areas where we recmmend changes. The recmmendatins include: Making WebScene mre visible n the Airprt s webpage Simplifying the frm within WebScene fr registering cmplaints Eliminating the prcess f writing up verbatim the nise cmplaints received via phne Eliminating the cmpletin f the Cmplaint Recrd and Research Frm (CRFF) Simplifying the classificatin f cmplaints received Simplifying the AirScene database Eliminate researching all cmplaints received Research in detail nly thse cmplaints received requesting a respnse (limited t five per husehld per mnth) Simplify the classificatin f researched cmplaints Limit the number f cmplaints researched fr husehlds t five per mnth Develp educatinal materials t send t first time callers Determine if AirScene has the capability t keep electrnic cpies f research that can be linked t a specific cmplaint 8
Reprt cmplaints received by zip cde versus cmmunity Reprt mnthly statistics based n cmplaints received versus cmplaints researched One cmplaint per email r phne call With these changes, the prcess fr receiving and respnding t cmplaints will increase in efficiency allwing OSUA staff t fcus mre time and effrt n the nise abatement prgrams. In additin, several f the changes will further the educatin f the public and pint them in the directin f being able t research their questins n their wn using the resurces available thrugh WebScene. 9