Decision support automation research in the en route air traffic control environment

Details

• Creators:
  Willems, Ben ; Heiney, Michelle
• Corporate Creators:
  William J. Hughes Technical Center (U.S.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  Northrop Grumman Corporation. Information Systems Sector ; United States. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of the Chief Scientist for Human Factors
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Aeronautics Air Traffic Control Air Traffic Controllers Decision Support Systems Human Factors
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT/FAA/CT-TN02/10
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  New Jersey
• Edition:
  Technical note
• Corporate Publisher:
  William J. Hughes Technical Center (U.S.)
• Abstract:
  This study examined the effect of automated decision support on Certified Professional Controller (CPC) behavior.
  
  Sixteen CPCs from Air Route Traffic Control Centers participated in human-in-the-loop simulations. CPCs controlled
  
  two levels of traffic, supported by either paper flight strips, electronic flight strips with conflict indication, or conflict
  
  probe and trial planning automation. Each CPC worked as either a radar or a data controller. The controller station
  
  included a display system replacement console and a prototype decision support tool (DST). The station consisted of
  
  operational hardware and software connected to an operational Host Computer System (HCS). The HCS received
  
  simulated radar from the William J. Hughes Technical Center Target Generation Facility. We assessed CPC behavior by
  
  using instruments that assessed situation awareness (SA), workload, visual scanning, trust, and performance. An increase
  
  in traffic or automation or working as a data controller lowered SA. An increase in traffic or automation or working as a
  
  radar controller increased workload. An increase in automation shifted the focus of the data controller from the radar
  
  display to the DST, whereas, an increase in traffic shifted the focus more to the radar display. With an increase in traffic
  
  or a decrease in automation, the trust in automation decreased. If subject matter experts indicated a difference between
  
  conditions, it involved better CPC performance under lower traffic and more automated conditions. The results have
  
  implications for controller training, distribution of responsibilities within controller teams, and air traffic control humancomputer
  
  interface design.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:38b31e7d67e2e99ce751e8e75514be3507bf7c229a342b8b8bd38e165b357a88
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/16689/dot_16689_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.40 MB ]