scholarly journals Overview of Studies on the Cognitive Workload of the Air Traffic Controller

2021 ◽  
Vol vm02 (is01) ◽  
pp. 28-36
Author(s):  
Ebru Yazgan ◽  
Erdi Sert ◽  
Deniz Şimşek
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Measurement Methods ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Cognitive Workload ◽  
Flight Safety ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Occupational Groups ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Workload Measurement ◽  
Very High

Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) will be the branch that will have the most impact in the air transport system. The duty of ATCOs is to prevent the collision of airplanes in the air provided by the controllers on the ground and to overcome the possible confusion. Being exposed to a very high cognitive workload of ATCOs, which is one of the high-risk occupational groups, is important in terms of flight safety. However, it has been observed that studies on the differences in cognitive workload that may occur between experienced and inexperienced ATCO under different task difficulties are quite insufficient in literature. This study presents research studies on cognitive workload measurement methods and ATCO's cognitive workload. In this study, first of all, the importance of determining the cognitive workload and its measurement methods are explained. In addition, literature studies related to cognitive workload of ATCOs, particularly by using eye tracker are presented.

Capturing Air Traffic Controller Expertise for Incorporation in Automated Air Traffic Control Systems

1988 ◽  
Vol 32 (16) ◽  
pp. 1031-1035
Author(s):  
Howard L. Bregman ◽  
Warren L. McCabe ◽  
William G. Sutcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Federal Aviation Administration ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Flight Safety ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers

Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sponsorship, MITRE's Human Performance Assessment Group is contributing to the design of an expert system to support air traffic control. We are working closely with a team of expert, full-performance-level air traffic controllers to capture the formal and informal rules they use in maintaining flight safety and efficiency. This paper documents our approach to working with these experts, the results of using that approach, and a distillation of lessons learned.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL BASICS

2021 ◽  
pp. 53-56
Author(s):  
T. S. Sukhova ◽  
O. V. Aleksashina ◽  
O. N. Grinyuk
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Flight Safety ◽  
Traffic Control System ◽  
Control Complex

The concept of flight safety is considered, the features and purpose of the air traffic control system, the air traffic control complex, the capabilities of the system that ensure flight safety are presented.

Deconstructing Complexity in Air Traffic Control

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.L. Cummings ◽  
Chris Tsonis
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Environmental Complexity ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Color Categories ◽  
Display Technology ◽  
Human Supervisory Control

While previous research has addressed air traffic controller workload as a function of cognitive complexity due to environmental and to a lesser degree, organizational factors, significantly less attention has been paid to the role of displays and complexity in the ATC environment. One drawback to new display technology is that in dynamic human supervisory control domains, it is not always clear whether a decision support interface actually alleviates or contributes to the problem of complexity. In an attempt to quantify the influence of environmental and display complexity factors on cognitive complexity, an experiment was conducted to determine if these two components could be effectively measured. Results revealed that the environmental factor of increasing aircraft number affected subject performance only slightly more than the display complexity factor of increased color categories. These findings are important because the use of color in displays is meant to reduce environmental complexity, not add to it.

The Key Technology of the Application of MultiGen Creator / Vega Prime in Visual Simulation System of Civil Aviation Airport

2012 ◽  
Vol 263-266 ◽  
pp. 1796-1799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei Song
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Simulation System ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Visual Simulation ◽  
Operating Efficiency ◽  
Working Pressure ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Multigen Creator

Visual simulation is the most important manifestation of virtual reality technology. Take a civil aviation airport as an example of visual simulation, based on the real-time, interactivity and realism of visual simulation system, we discuss Creator 3.0 in building three-dimensional scene of the civilian airport, and the development of visual simulation system based on Vega Prime. The simulation results show that it provides the basis for the safe and reliable in air traffic control, reducing the working pressure of the air traffic controller, improving the operating efficiency of the air traffic, and increasing the traffic flow of air and surface.

scholarly journals Onboard Radar for Unmanned Aircraft

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-57
Author(s):  
Yuri S. Tsyplenkov ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Airborne Radar ◽  
Flight Safety ◽  
Radar Station ◽  
Traffic Control System

In order to prevent collisions in conditions of the constantly increasing intensity of flights of aircraft of various types and purposes, it is proposed to develop a small-sized airborne radar station, compatible with the existing air traffic control system (ATC) and with the onboard systems of other aircraft to ensure flight safety.

Expertise in Aviation

2019 ◽  
pp. 661-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Wickens ◽  
Frederic Dehais
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Flight Time ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Task Management ◽  
Loosely Coupled ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Very High

This chapter makes the distinction between the experience of aviation professionals, often quantified in terms of hours of flight time, or flight qualifications, and expertise, as revealed by high proficiency at aviation tasks. Very high proficiency defines the expert. Challenge results because of the difficulty in measuring such proficiency, particularly beyond the student pilot level, and in air traffic control. The chapter also reviews the literature that examines the relation between experience, differences in cognitive ability, and the expertise of aviation professionals as pertains to controlling the aircraft, navigating, and communicating, as well as pertains to non-technical skills manifest by both pilots and air traffic controllers: situation awareness, decision making, task management and crew resource management. It is concluded that experience is only loosely coupled with proficiency in these areas.

Assessing a Retention Policy for Air Traffic Controllers

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 777-781
Author(s):  
Linda G. Pierce ◽  
Elaine M. Pfleiderer
Keyword(s):  
Success Rate ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Retention Policy ◽  
High Level ◽  
Expensive Process ◽  
New Facility

Training a developmental (air traffic controller in training) to certification is a lengthy and expensive process. To limit losses due to poor performance in training, the FAA has implemented a policy to reassign some developmentals to less complex air traffic control (ATC) facilities following voluntary or involuntary removal from training at more complex facilities. The National Employee Service Team (NEST) is implementing the policy. We reviewed the NEST processes and assessed effectiveness based on the extent to which the NEST recommendations are accepted and the likelihood that developmentals reassigned in accordance with NEST recommendations succeed in training at the new facility. We found that NEST recommendations to retain or terminate developmentals and type and level facility for reassignment are accepted by the FAA at a high level. Furthermore, the success rate of developmentals at a new facility is greater than 90%.

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