Air Traffic Control Activities Research Articles

Preliminary design of an ATC support tool for the implementation of the Ad Hoc Separation Minima concept in an en-route sector.

The current aim in response to the anticipated growth in air traffic demand is to expand airspace capacity. However, this poses a challenge, as many airspace volumes are nearing saturation. An influential factor in determining airspace capacity is separation minima, which have remained unchanged for more than two decades. It seems that technological developments in recent years, such as new aircraft capabilities and ATC (Air Traffic Control) support tools, may eventually enhance current separation minima standards. Consequently, there is a push to improve separation management by introducing new operational concepts. Ad Hoc separation minima are one such concept, allowing different separation values to be applied within the same airspace volume based on factors such as aircraft models, weights, and wind conditions, among others. These values are computed individually for each aircraft pair in each situation. Implementing different separation minima values within the same airspace volume requires a significant change in certain ATC activities. In addition, new functionalities or ATC support tools are essential, as Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCO) cannot mentally determine the appropriate separation value for each situation. To address this, a new tool, the Ad Hoc Separation Minima Tool (ASMT), is proposed. It aims to integrate this concept seamlessly into an en-route (ENR) sector without increasing ATCOs workload and altering ATC responsibilities. This study provides a high-level overview of the ASMT architecture, and its functional system has been evaluated in a simulated ENR sector using MATLAB®.

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on visuospatial attention in air traffic controllers.

Visuospatial attention is a cognitive skill essential to the performance of air traffic control activities. We evaluated the effect of an anodic session of transcranial low-intensity direct current stimulation (tDCS) right parietal associated with cognitive training of visuospatial attention of 21 air traffic controllers. Within-subject designs were used, with all volunteers undergoing two tDCS sessions; an experimental (2mA anodic) and control (sham) performed concomitantly with the cognitive training (2-Back). Visuospatial performance was measured using the Attention Network Test for Interactions and Vigilance pre- and post-intervention. The results indicate that after an active parietal tDCS session, the ATCOs showed faster responses, but not more accurate, for visuospatial attention in its aspects of orientation and reorientation. This result was significant when comparing baseline and post-tests in the active tDCS group. Comparing the post-tests between the tDCS active and sham groups, it is possible to infer a trend of improvement in the results based on faster and more accurate responses, which suggests a possible refinement of the ATCO's attentional orientation. However, this population may eventually have reached a plateau in the performance of this skill. From the analysis of the results we arrive at the following hypotheses: (I) the increase in cortical excitability mediated by anodic tDCS frequently recorded may not be accompanied by improvements in behavioural measures; (II) the interaction between anodic tDCS with another event of increased excitability-execution of a cognitive task, may have hindered the occurrence of neuroplasticity; (III) the air traffic control activity may be associated with a high level of attention, which may have contributed to a ceiling effect for the development of this skill; (IV) online assessments may be more relevant to identify acute effects; (V) repeated sessions may be more efficient to find cumulative effects; (VI) the analysis of interactions between attentional networks can contribute to the study of visuospatial attention; (VII) tDCS protocols aimed at ATCO need to consider the specifics of this audience, such as circadian rhythm and sleep and fatigue conditions.

Development of a Methodology for Assessing Workload within the Air Traffic Control Environment in the Czech Republic

The increase in civil aviation traffic and, in general, in aviation traffic going through airspace or a military terminal control area, and the increase in military operations in temporarily reserved areas bring higher requirements for airspace throughput and for the workload of military air traffic controllers. For an objective assessment of the military air traffic controllers’ workload, it is desirable to set the maximum level of workload that can be required of such personnel. This assessment is also important for planning staffing and training. In the civil air traffic control environment, the workload of air traffic controllers is clearly determined by the complexity and density of air traffic, i.e., the throughput capacity of sectors. However, this method is not suitable for measuring the workload of military air traffic controllers, because the nature of military flight activities requires solving different situations in the airspace and thus generates a different workload. One way of obtaining more objective data on the actual workload of military air traffic controllers is to accurately determine the difficulty of individual air traffic control activities, i.e., the most common activities carried out by military air traffic controllers in the course of their duty. The difficulty of a selected air traffic control activity will be represented by a weight. A method for determining this weight is presented, including the proposal of specific weights for the calculation of the military air traffic controllers’ workload during simulation training, using the functionality “Workload”.

Stress Assessment by Combining Neurophysiological Signals and Radio Communications of Air Traffic Controllers.

Air Traffic Control (ATC) has been classified as the fourth most stressful job. In this regard, sixteen controllers were asked to perform ecological ATC simulation during which behavioral (Radio Communications with pilots - RCs), subjective (stress perception) and neurophysiological signals (brain activity and skin conductance - SC) were collected. All the considered parameters reported significant changes under high stress conditions. In particular, the theta, alpha, and beta brain rhythms increased significantly (all p<0.05) all over the brain areas, and both the SC components exhibited higher values (p<0.01). Additionally, the number of speech under high stress decreased significantly (p<10-4) while both the mean and median value of the F0 component of the RC increased (p<0.01). The results can be employed to objectively measure and track the controller's stress level while dealing with ATC activities to better tailoring the workshift and maintaining high safety levels.

Enabler for Safety Improvements in Air Traffic Control

Air traffic control activities demand a high level of safety performance. Methods for identifying and monitoring work and situational factors to enable safety performance improvements are rare. This paper reports on the development of such a questionnaire-based tool for the Swedish air navigation services provider. Results from interviews specified eight aspects to be assessed by the questionnaire: safety culture, commitment to safety, organizational climate, psychosocial work environment, leadership, communication, employee participation, and areas of conflict. The questionnaire functioned well in a pilot study. The study proved the relevance of the items and yielded responses identifying organizational system weaknesses and potential latent conditions regarding risk and safety. Key enablers for success of the tool were found to be management commitment and involvement of all organizational levels.

Air traffic control activity increases attention capacity in air traffic controllers

Air traffic controllers simultaneously develop complex and multiple tasks in the course of their activities. In this context, concern is raised over the high level of attention needed by these professionals which can ultimately be affected by stress and fatigue.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to assess attention level in air traffic controllers (ATCo).Methods45 flight protection professionals were evaluated, comprising 30 ATCo, subdivided into ATCo with ten or more years in the profession (ATCo≥10, n=15) and ATCo with less than ten years in the profession (ATCo <10, n=15) and 15 aeronautical information services operators (AIS), subdivided into AIS with ten years or more in the profession (AIS≥10, n=8) and AIS with less than ten years in the profession (AIS <10, n=7), who were included as the control group. The digit symbol, d2 (the individual marks the letter d on a specific form containing 14 lines with 47 letters in each, maintaining focus on letter d followed by two dashes), forward digit span, backward digit span and PASAT (paced auditory serial addition test) attention tests were used. Kruskal-Wallis was used and data expressed as Median (Minimum and Maximum) with p<0.05.ResultsThe ATCo≥10 presented greater focus of attention, sustained attention, mental manipulation and resistance to interference capacity compared to the AIS≥10. Comparison of ATCo≥10 to the AIS<10 showed they presented only greater resistance to interference, and when compared to the ATCo<10 presented lower focus.ConclusionsThe air traffic control activity after ten years may be associated with a high level of attention.

Investigation of Air Traffic Controllers' Response Strategies in a Free Recall Task: What Makes Auditory Recall Superior to Visual Recall?

This study investigated the response strategies displayed by air traffic controllers (ATCs) recalling visually and auditory presented verbal material in a free recall task. The end-of-list advantage for auditory compared to visually presented item lists (modality effect) was explored by using the procedure described by Beaman and Morton (2000). Results revealed that ATCs' response sequences frequently included ordered end subsequences of 2 to 6 items. These end subsequences were recalled as an initial run at a similar rate in both modalities, although they occurred more frequently in positions other than initial recall positions in the auditory modality. These results replicate and extend those reported in controlled laboratory studies, and this is despite ATCs' extended experience with processing visual information. The results are discussed in terms of the functional limitations of visual and auditory item processing and their relevance to air traffic control activities, training, and selection.

Representing collaborative work: the airport as common information space

This paper reports a field study of work in a complex setting:an airport. The study was largely focused on the Air Traffic Control activities carried out in the airport control tower, but also investigated other work sites around the airport. An important feature of the successful operation of the airport, then, is the way that the activities occurring in these different sites become articulated through explicit communicative acts and through common understandings of the work of the airport. The airport is viewed as a common information space, a perspective that emphasises meaning and interpretation and the processes by which meanings become common across a heterogeneous work system. A characteristic of the environment studied here is that while meanings may not be common across the different communities of practice working at the airport, interpretations appear to be sufficiently common as to pose few problems in most circumstances.

Human communication, mutual awareness and system dependability. Lessons learnt from air-traffic control field studies

Abstract The dependability of many complex and critical systems strongly relies on human operators, both through human reliability and human ability to handle adequately the unexpected events. This paper focuses on ergonomics field studies of air traffic control activities, and more specifically on the analyses of communication within teams of controllers. We show how operators use spontaneously the natural redundancy and diversity of human communication (multimodality, addressing features,…), so as to successfully maintain mutual awareness. This is the key for reliable cooperation, for the sake of global system dependability that rests on mechanisms such as error detection, recovery, and prevention (by anticipation and regulation). This study helps in providing specifications for the design of systems efficiently supporting both human cooperation and human ability to contribute to dependability.

Human‐machine cooperation: Toward an activity regulation assistance for different air traffic control levels

Our research is based on the air traffic control activity regulation assistance. It aims at integrating the two levels of the air traffic control organization: a tactical level managed by a so‐called radar controller and a strategic one managed by a so‐called organic controller. Concerning the tactical level, our research is directed toward a “horizontal cooperation” that consists in a dynamic allocation of control tasks between a human air traffic controller and an assistance tool. Regarding the other level, it is oriented toward a scheduling module in order to improve the initial allocation policy.