Human factors measurement for future air traffic control systems

Area of Science:

• Aviation Human Factors
• Air Traffic Control Systems
• Measurement Science

Background:

• Increasing global air traffic necessitates advanced Air Traffic Control (ATC) systems.
• Future ATC systems will significantly alter Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) roles and responsibilities.
• Accurate assessment of human factors (HF) is crucial for system design, procedures, and training.

Purpose of the Study:

• Critically review existing research on measuring HF issues in current and future ATC.
• Evaluate current measurement methods for HF in ATC.
• Provide guidelines and recommendations for future HF research in ATC.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of aviation changes and their relation to five key HF issues in ATC.
• Comparison and evaluation of existing HF measurement techniques.
• Development of guidelines for assessing HF issues in the ATC domain.

Main Results:

• Situational awareness and workload are extensively researched HF issues in ATC.
• Research on trust, stress, and boredom in ATC is comparatively neglected.
• Recommendations are provided for utilizing existing and developing new HF measures.

Conclusions:

• Stress, trust, and boredom are predicted to become more significant HF issues for ATCOs.
• Refinement of existing measures and development of new ones are needed for all five key HF issues.
• A holistic approach considering all HF issues is essential for ATCO performance in future ATC environments.