Environmental Modelling

Models are necessary to assess the environmental impact of the aviation industry, as well as how this impact may evolve in the future according to different scenarios and the potential implementation of new environmental policy options. Being able to anticipate future developments is crucial given the long duration of R&D cycles and the lifetime of aircraft. EASA is therefore actively involved in the development and maintenance of high-quality tools that incorporate the latest best practice modelling guidance and highest quality input data required to inform decision-making. These tools are used within the Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) performed by the Agency as part of its rulemaking process.   
An overview of some of the modelling tools which EASA has played a role in developing, and uses in RIAs, is provided below:

STAPES

The SysTem for AirPort noise Exposure Studies (STAPES) is a multi-airport noise model jointly developed by EUROCONTROL and EASA for the European Commission. The tool is designed to facilitate noise impact assessments of global or European-wide aviation policies. STAPES relies on a comprehensive database of flight movements at about 30 European airports with the largest population impacted by noise (population inside the 55 dB Lden noise contours as reported by Member States under the Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49). The airport database is expanded and maintained on a regular basis to account for changes in local operations. The model can also be used as a standalone tool to produce noise maps and population counts at any other airport.
STAPES is fully compliant with the latest ECAC Doc. 29 / ICAO Document 9911 guidance and was officially endorsed by the CAEP Steering Group in June 2009. It will also be a key enabler of the environmental impact assessments within SESAR.
Additional information on STAPES can be found on the EUROCONTROL website.

AERO-MS

AERO-MS is an EASA tool that has been designed to examine the impacts of a wide range of different policy measures (technological, operational and market based) intended to reduce international and domestic aviation greenhouse gas emissions.  More detailed information can be found in the AERO-MS page.