scholarly journals Characterization of Visual Scanning Patterns in Air Traffic Control

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah N. McClung ◽  
Ziho Kang
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Intermediate Step ◽  
Visual Scanning ◽  
Dynamic Task ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Scan Time ◽  
Judgement Bias ◽  
Scanning Strategies

Characterization of air traffic controllers’ (ATCs’) visual scanning strategies is a challenging issue due to the dynamic movement of multiple aircraft and increasing complexity of scanpaths (order of eye fixations and saccades) over time. Additionally, terminologies and methods are lacking to accurately characterize the eye tracking data into simplified visual scanning strategies linguistically expressed by ATCs. As an intermediate step to automate the characterization classification process, we (1) defined and developed new concepts to systematically filter complex visual scanpaths into simpler and more manageable forms and (2) developed procedures to map visual scanpaths with linguistic inputs to reduce the human judgement bias during interrater agreement. The developed concepts and procedures were applied to investigating the visual scanpaths of expert ATCs using scenarios with different aircraft congestion levels. Furthermore, oculomotor trends were analyzed to identify the influence of aircraft congestion on scan time and number of comparisons among aircraft. The findings show that (1) the scanpaths filtered at the highest intensity led to more consistent mapping with the ATCs’ linguistic inputs, (2) the pattern classification occurrences differed between scenarios, and (3) increasing aircraft congestion caused increased scan times and aircraft pairwise comparisons. The results provide a foundation for better characterizing complex scanpaths in a dynamic task and automating the analysis process.

Case Study: Developing an Operations Concept for Future Air Traffic Control

1986 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 585-589
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Murphy ◽  
William D. Coleman ◽  
Lisa J. Stewart ◽  
Sylvia B. Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
System Development ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Early Application ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Continuous User

A task identification, sequencing, and analysis process defined the operational requirements of automated capabilities proposed to support human decision making in future air traffic control. Active and continuous user group involvement was a key feature of this process. Results indicate that information necessary for effective computer-human interaction design can be generated in the early phases of system development. Early application of structured engineering techniques and human factors methods leads to a better understanding of the proposed capabilities and to better communication between the users and designers of a system.

scholarly journals Using Eye Movement Data Visualization to Enhance Training of Air Traffic Controllers: A Dynamic Network Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saptarshi Mandal ◽  
Ziho Kang
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Dynamic Network ◽  
Federal Aviation Administration ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Conflict Task ◽  
Eye Fixation ◽  
Dynamic Task

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forecasted substantial increase in the US air traffic volume creating a high demand in Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCSs). Training times and passing rates for ATCSs might be improved if expert ATCSs’ eye movement (EM) characteristics can be utilized to support effective training. However, effective EM visualization is difficult for a dynamic task (e.g. aircraft conflict detection and mitigation) that includes interrogating multi-element targets that are dynamically moving, appearing, disappearing, and overlapping within a display. To address the issues, a dynamic network-based approach is introduced that integrates adapted visualizations (i.e. time-frame networks and normalized dot/bar plots) with measures used in network science (i.e. indegree, closeness, and betweenness) to provide in-depth EM analysis. The proposed approach was applied in an aircraft conflict task using a high-fidelity simulator; employing the use of veteran ATCSs and pseudo pilots. Results show that, ATCSs’ visual attention to multi-element dynamic targets can be effectively interpreted and supported through multiple evidences obtained from the various visualization and associated measures. In addition, we discovered that fewer eye fixation numbers or shorter eye fixation durations on a target may not necessarily indicate the target is less important when analyzing the flow of visual attention within a network. The results show promise in cohesively analyzing and visualizing various eye movement characteristics to better support training.   

scholarly journals Statistical Analysis of Contrail to Cirrus Evolution during the Contrail and Cirrus Experiments (CONCERT)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélien Chauvigné ◽  
Olivier Jourdan ◽  
Alfons Schwarzenboeck ◽  
Christophe Gourbeyre ◽  
Christiane Voigt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Optical Measurements ◽  
Atmospheric Environment ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Scattering Coefficients ◽  
Ice Cloud

Abstract. Air traffic affects the cloudiness, and thus the climate, by emitting exhaust gases and particles. The study of the evolution of contrail properties is very challenging due to the complex interplay of vortex dynamics and atmospheric environment (e.g. temperature, supersaturation). Despite substantial progress in recent years, the optical, microphysical, and macrophysical properties of contrails and ambient cirrus during contrail formation and subsequent ageing are still subject to large uncertainties due to instrumental and observational limitations and the large number of variables influencing the contrail life cycle. In this study, various contrail cases corresponding to different aircraft types and atmospheric conditions are investigated using a statistical method based on the in situ optical measurements performed during the CONCERT campaigns 2008 and 2011. These two aircraft campaigns encompass more than 17 aircraft contrail cases. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the angular scattering coefficients measured by the Polar Nephelometer has been implemented in order to classify the sampled ice cloud measurements in 6 clusters representative of different development stages of the contrails (primary wake, young contrail, contrail-cirrus and natural cirrus). Based on the information derived from air traffic control, extinction coefficients, asymmetry coefficients, nitrogen oxide concentrations, relative humidity with respect to ice (RHI) and particle size distributions are analyzed for each cluster to provide a characterization of the evolution of ice-cloud properties during the contrail to cirrus evolution. The PCA demonstrates that contrail optical properties are well suited to identify and discriminate the different contrail growth stages and to provide an independent method for the characterization of the evolution of contrail properties.

Workload Perception of Air Traffic Control Officers and Pilots During Continuous Descent Operations Approach Procedures

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-11
Author(s):  
Marina Efthymiou ◽  
Frank Fichert ◽  
Olaf Lantzsch
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Reduce Fuel Consumption ◽  
Total Load ◽  
Open Path

Abstract. The paper examines the workload perceived by air traffic control officers (ATCOs) and pilots during continuous descent operations (CDOs), applying closed- and open-path procedures. CDOs reduce fuel consumption and noise emissions. Therefore, they are supported by airports as well as airlines. However, their use often depends on pilots asking for CDOs and controllers giving approval and directions. An adapted NASA Total Load Index (TLX) was used to measure the workload perception of ATCOs and pilots when applying CDOs at selected European airports. The main finding is that ATCOs’ workload increased when giving both closed- and open-path CDOs, which may have a negative impact on their willingness to apply CDOs. The main problem reported by pilots was insufficient distance-to-go information provided by ATCOs. The workload change is important when considering the use of CDOs.

How to Evaluate Remote Tower Metrics in Connection With Weather Observations

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maik Friedrich ◽  
Christoph Möhlenbrink
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Weather Event ◽  
Evaluation Of Performance ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Weather Observations ◽  
Validation Experiment ◽  
Remote Controller

Abstract. Owing to the different approaches for remote tower operation, a standardized set of indicators is needed to evaluate the technical implementations at a task performance level. One of the most influential factors for air traffic control is weather. This article describes the influence of weather metrics on remote tower operations and how to validate them against each other. Weather metrics are essential to the evaluation of different remote controller working positions. Therefore, weather metrics were identified as part of a validation at the Erfurt-Weimar Airport. Air traffic control officers observed weather events at the tower control working position and the remote control working position. The eight participating air traffic control officers answered time-synchronized questionnaires at both workplaces. The questionnaires addressed operationally relevant weather events in the aerodrome. The validation experiment targeted the air traffic control officer’s ability to categorize and judge the same weather event at different workplaces. The results show the potential of standardized indicators for the evaluation of performance and the importance of weather metrics in relation to other evaluation metrics.

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