Urban air mobility (UAM) operations provide the potential for more, or more attractive, trips in a metropolitan area relative to wholly surface-based transportation. But the emissions produced by a UAM mode must be studied in relation to these benefits. In this paper, an emissions model for the UAM context using electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is developed that incorporates CO2 gases emitted from the electricity production required to charge the vehicle batteries. The model quantifies trip emissions using UAM for part or all of the trip and compares these with automobile-based trips. The estimations consider using gasoline and electric automobiles, with the impact of autonomy and average ground speeds in traffic. Trip case studies in the Chicago and Dallas metropolitan areas showcase the regional differences when using UAM and different automobile technology scenarios. In particular, differences stemming from how electricity generation from power grids (i.e., grid emission index) contributes to CO2 emissions of eVTOL trips and electric automobile trips in the Chicago and Dallas metropolitan areas are computed. This paper introduces trip properties called the surface-to-air distance ratio and the detour ratio to understand how they influence the CO2 emissions of a trip. Results from the simulation on identified trip cases in Chicago and Dallas illustrate the significant impact of the grid emission index of a region’s power plant on the emissions of electric vehicles.

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There is an increasing realization of the need for fundamental research in the science of systems engineering. The International Council on Systems Engineering vision document calls for theoretical foundations for systems architecting, systems design and systems understanding. During a recent NSF workshop, a number of knowledge areas ranging from mathematics, information sciences, physical sciences, systems science to human and social sciences were identified as possible sources from which the scientific foundation of systems engineering can be enhanced. However, the primary challenge facing the community lies in orchestrating the breadth and diversity of the many knowledge areas into a cohesive foundation. This paper briefly surveys systems science-related efforts across multiple application domains. The specific objectives in this paper are to present a classification of initiatives for developing foundations for systems engineering, and to discuss the challenges, and potential strategies forward, associated with systems science research. The classification is discussed using two case examples — the Internet and the air transportation system. Through these examples, some of the key research challenges and strategies are exemplified.

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