Definition
An FAA digital mapping system that collects, stores, and displays precise geographic data about airports, including the location and dimensions of runways, taxiways, ramps, lighting, signs, navigational aids, and obstructions. The data is used by the FAA, airport operators, and chart producers to keep airport diagrams, instrument procedures, and safety information accurate and up to date.
Plain English
AGIS is the FAA's detailed digital map of every airport. It records exactly where every runway, taxiway, light, sign, and obstacle is, so the people who design charts and procedures are working from accurate, current information.
Context Anchor
Pilots may see AGIS in FAA acronym lists, airport data references, airport planning material, or documents about changes to airport layout information.
Derivation
A 'geographic information system' (GIS) is a general term for software that ties data to specific locations on the earth. AGIS is the airport-focused version of that idea — a GIS built specifically to hold airport layout and feature data.
Why Pilots Care
The accuracy of the airport diagrams and approach charts pilots rely on traces back to data held in systems like AGIS. Better source data means fewer surprises about runway lengths, taxiway layouts, or obstacle locations.
Intuition Check
AGIS is not equipment in the airplane. It is an FAA airport data system used behind the scenes to manage official airport location information.
Example Sentence 1
Updates to the airport diagram came from new survey data submitted through AGIS.
Example Sentence 2
Flight planning tools pull runway end coordinates directly from the AGIS database.