At TRANSCODE Conference, RefMap Project Advances Sustainability-Oriented Decision-Making for Aviation and UAM

The RefMap Project was presented at the TRANSCODE Conference, held in Zagreb, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working on smart, safe, and sustainable transport systems.

During the conference, Nikoleta Krousouloudi of Future Needs presented research focused on the development of the RefMap Project’s approach to supporting sustainability-oriented decision-making in both conventional aviation and Urban Air Mobility (UAM).

Nikoleta Krousouldi presenting RefMap research at the TRANSCODE Conference in Zagreb

This work is reported in the paper “Towards an Integrated Environmental Modeling Platform for Sustainable Aviation and Urban Air Mobility”, co-authored together with researchers Anna Palaiologk and Eleftheria Georganti from Future Needs and Sophia Kalakou of BRU-Iscte.

Based on extensive stakeholder engagement, the research addresses key needs identified across the sector, including user-centred design, regulatory alignment, and the integration of environmental performance indicators.

The presented research highlights how stakeholder-driven insights informed the definition of high-impact functionalities within the RefMap Project, including emissions reduction, noise mitigation, and trajectory optimisation. Itcontributes to ongoing discussions on how digital tools can support environmentally sustainable aviation operations while remaining transparent, interpretable, and compatible with European regulatory frameworks.

The session, chaired by Dr. Maja Ozmec-Ban, formed part of the Smart, Safe and Sustainable Aviation track, provided a valuable platform for technical discussion and exchange. The RefMap contribution sparked constructive dialogue with conference participants, reinforcing the relevance of integrated environmental modelling and tools to support decision-making for both conventional aviation and emerging UAM operations.

The full paper is available here.