Current Air Traffic Control System Research Articles

Integrating spoken instructions into flight trajectory prediction to optimize automation in air traffic control

The booming air transportation industry inevitably burdens air traffic controllers’ workload, causing unexpected human factor-related incidents. Current air traffic control systems fail to consider spoken instructions for traffic prediction, bringing significant challenges in detecting human errors during real-time traffic operations. Here, we present an automation paradigm integrating controlling intent into the information processing loop through the spoken instruction-aware flight trajectory prediction framework. A 3-stage progressive multi-modal learning paradigm is proposed to address the modality gap between the trajectory and spoken instructions, as well as minimize the data requirements. Experiments on a real-world dataset show the proposed framework achieves flight trajectory prediction with high predictability and timeliness, obtaining over 20% relative reduction in mean deviation error. Moreover, the generalizability of the proposed framework is also confirmed by various model architectures. The proposed framework can formulate full-automated information processing in real-world air traffic applications, supporting human error detection and enhancing aviation safety.

A Methodology to Perform Air Traffic Complexity Analysis Based on Spatio-Temporal Regions Constructed Around Aircraft Conflicts

One of the main missions of air traffic management is to guarantee en route safety. This safety is quantified through some minimum separation distance between pairs of flying aircraft. Current systems are human-based, i.e., have human air traffic controllers assuring minimum separation is maintained and in cases a loss of separation is predicted, they take actions to prevent the occurrence of such events. The constant and rapid increment of the air traffic demand is pushing current air traffic control systems to their limits. Development of automatic decision support systems, which can be used to automate, or support aircraft conflict detection and resolution, is considered a possible solution. However, the combinatorial nature of the problem poses several challenges for such a task. Metrics or various analytical procedures to produce information about the complexity of given scenarios can be used to guide the solution search process. In this paper, we present a complexity analysis based on the spatio-temporal interdependencies identified by the use of spatio-temporal regions constructed around the aircraft conflicts.

Analysis of surveillance position error for airfield detection

Purpose The surveillance equipment is one of the most important parts for current air traffic control systems. It provides aircraft position and other relevant information including flight parameters. However, the existing surveillance equipment has certain position errors between true and detected positions. Operators must understand and account for the characteristics on magnitude and frequency of the position errors in the surveillance systems because these errors can influence the safety of aircraft operation. This study aims to develop the simulation model for analysis of these surveillance position errors to improve the safety of aircrafts in airports. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the characterization of the position errors observed in airport surface detection equipment of an airport ground surveillance system and proposes a practical method to numerically reproduce the characteristics of the errors. Findings The proposed approach represents position errors more accurately than an alternative simple approach. This study also discusses the application of the computational results in a microscopic simulation modeling environment. Practical implications The surveillance error is analyzed from the radar trajectory data, and a random generator is configured to implement these data. These data are used in the air transportation simulation through an application programing interface, which can be applied to the aircraft trajectory data in the simulation. Subsequently, additionally built environment data are used in the actual simulation to obtain the results from the simulation engine. Originality/value The presented surveillance error analysis and simulation with its implementation plan are expected to be useful for air transportation safety simulations.

Cognitive Process Modelling of Team Cooperative Work in En route Air Traffic Control

The tasks involved in air traffic control (ATC) make heavy demands on the information processing capacities of air traffic controllers. In particular, human factor problems that lead to both major and minor incidents are considered to be a serious problem for ATC in air traffic safety. Since ATC is usually undertaken by a team of controllers, team collaboration is a key issue for keeping good condition in ATC. However, this aspect has not been well studied compared with individual cognitive process. In this research, we examined the functional problems in an ATC system from the human factors aspects, and concluded that a systematic method and models are needed to analyze this problem. Thus, we consider that an effective way to understand user requirements is to analyze user tasks based on actual field data. The aim of this research is to analyze team cognitive processes and team situation awareness in normal (i.e., not accidental) situations for a team of en route air traffic controllers based on the distributed cognition approach so as to better understand current ATC systems. The analysis revealed that the mutual belief model is applicable to team cooperation processes, the role assignment of tasks within a controller team is implicit, and that control plans are implemented smoothly once team situation awareness has been established. A cognitive model of controllers’ team cooperation has been constructed based on these findings.

Human Factors Measurement for Future Air Traffic Control Systems

This article provides a critical review of research pertaining to the measurement of human factors (HF) issues in current and future air traffic control (ATC). Growing worldwide air traffic demands call for a radical departure from current ATC systems. Future systems will have a fundamental impact on the roles and responsibilities of ATC officers (ATCOs). Valid and reliable methods of assessing HF issues associated with these changes, such as a potential increase (or decrease) in workload, are of utmost importance for advancing theory and for designing systems, procedures, and training. We outline major aviation changes and how these relate to five key HF issues in ATC. Measures are outlined, compared, and evaluated and are followed by guidelines for assessing these issues in the ATC domain. Recommendations for future research are presented. A review of the literature suggests that situational awareness and workload have been widely researched and assessed using a variety of measures, but researchers have neglected the areas of trust, stress, and boredom. We make recommendations for use of particular measures and the construction of new measures. It is predicted that, given the changing role of ATCOs and profound future airspace requirements and configurations, issues of stress, trust, and boredom will become more significant. Researchers should develop and/or refine existing measures of all five key HF issues to assess their impact on ATCO performance. Furthermore, these issues should be considered in a holistic manner. The current article provides an evaluation of research and measures used in HF research on ATC that will aid research and ATC measurement.

Human centered design in the air traffic control system

A review of the current air traffic control system is undertaken from the perspective of human centered design, focusing on the development of today's system, the problems in today's system, and the challenges going forward. Today's system evolved around the operators in the system (mainly air traffic controllers and pilots), rather than being designed based on specific engineering analyses. This human centered focus has helped make air transportation remarkably safe, but has also made the air traffic control system somewhat inscrutable. This opaqueness of how the system operates poses significant problems for current attempts to transform the system into its "next generation" with significantly improved capacity. Research advances in human centered computing research required in order for this transformation work to proceed are discussed, specifically advances in computing the safety of complex human-integrated systems, understanding and measuring situation awareness, and visualizations of complex data.

Concept for Next Generation Air Traffic Control System

The next generation air traffic control system must achieve a large increase in capacity and throughput while improving efficiency and safety. This paper describes the Automated Airspace concept that has the potential to achieve these objectives. A ground-based component, the Automated Airspace Computer System (AACS), will generate efficient and conflict-free traffic clearances and associated trajectories and send them directly to the aircraft via data link. Another ground-based component, the Tactical Separation Assisted Flight Environment (TSAFE), will provide a safety net to ensure that safe separations are maintained in the event of failures in the AACS or in certain on-board systems. TSAFE will independently monitor the clearances and trajectories sent by the AACS to each equipped aircraft, monitor aircraft conformance to those trajectories, and issue warning and resolution advisories to pilots and controllers when appropriate. Because the Automated Airspace concept will reduce controller workload associated with tactical problem solving, controllers will be able safely to shift their focus to more strategic problems, such as traffic flow management and pilot requests. TSAFE also has application in the current air traffic control system as an improved controller tool for detecting near-term conflicts and reducing the potential for operational errors. Changes in controller and pilot responsibilities for operations in Automated Airspace are outlined.

Optimal Strategies for Free-Flight Air Traffic Conflict Resolution

Recent advances in navigation and data communication technologies make it feasible for individual aircraft to plan and fly their trajectories in the presence of other aircraft in the airspace. This way, individual aircraft can take advantage of the atmospheric and traffic conditions to optimally plan their paths. This capability is termed as the free flight concept. While the free flight concept provides new degrees of freedom to the aircraft operators, it also brings-in complexities not present in the current air traffic control system. In the free flight concept, each aircraft has the responsibility for navigating around other aircraft in the airspace. While this is not a difficult task under low speed, low traffic density conditions, the complexities of dealing with potential conflict with multiple aircraft can significantly increase the pilot’s work load. This paper presents the development of a conflict resolution algorithm based on the quasilinearization method to enable the practical implementation of the free flight concept. The algorithm development uses nonlinear point-mass aircraft models, and incorporates realistic operational constraints on individual aircraft. The analytical framework can also incorporate information about ambient atmospheric conditions. Realistic conflict resolution scenarios are illustrated. Due to their speed of execution, these conflict resolution algorithms are suitable for implementation on-board aircraft.

New and Envisioned Communication Technologies: How Well can They Support Future Air Traffic Management Operations?

In the future air traffic management (ATM) system, flight crews will most likely have the option to dynamically adjust their flight path without prior approval from the ground. As a result, knowledge of intent may no longer be shared by pilots and controllers, and the potential for unforeseen conflicts as well as the need for immediate yet coordinated interventions can be expected to increase. To support such a short-term reactive approach to traffic management and separation, highly effective means of communication will be required that allow for a rapid creation and update of shared frames of reference. It is not clear that recently developed and envisioned communication media and technologies are designed with these goals in mind. A recent line of research explored the ability of two communication systems - DataLink and the Voice Control and Switching System (VSCS)—to handle communication not only in the current air traffic control system but to also support the highly flexible operations and new coordination and knowledge demands that are likely going to be part of the future ATM system. System reviews, conceptual simulations, and a pilot survey served to gather information on current and potential future experiences with these systems. The results of our research suggest that neither system is tailored to future ATM operations, and that they create new challenges even in the context of the current system.

Overview: The Role of Communication Systems in Air Traffic Management

This paper considers the fundamental and pervasive role of communications in the operation of the current air traffic control system and in the planning of the advanced systems of the future. The authors discuss the evolution of the present system through its successive generations and present the major features of the proposed upgraded third-generation system, with emphasis on the communications requirements imposed by the elements of the upgraded third. Advanced systems concepts, both satellite and ground based, applicable to oceanic as well as continental service, are discussed. The overview concludes with a discussion of communications in relation to automation. The potential capacity of advanced system designs can best be realized by highly automated management.

Potential Applications of Acoustic Matched Filters to Air-Traffic Control Systems

The potential role of acoustic matched filters in the demanding field of civil and military air-traffic control (ATC) systems is examined. Highlighted are the problems of current ATC systems and the significant aspects of acoustic matched filters and their expeditious usage in modems employing band spreading for a multisubscriber environment and certain envisaged ATC systems deemed necessary for future traffic growth that could benefit materially from acoustic technology.