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Analysis of the performance characteristics of controllers’ strategies in en route air traffic control tasks

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Abstract

For addressing human factor issues in the air traffic control (ATC) domain, further comprehension of controllers’ working methods during actual work is required. The objective of the present research is to analyze the performance characteristics of control strategies, which can be a major means to manage a traffic situation and workload for controllers, by using our process visualization tool of ATC tasks called COMPASi (COMPAS in interactive mode/COMPAS: COgnitive system Model for simulating Projection-based behaviors of Air traffic controllers in dynamic Situations). The computer-based simulation using COMPASi has clearly demonstrated the performance differences in the types of control strategies derived from a high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulation (HITLS) for safety, efficiency of completing ATC tasks, and fuel economy of aircraft in a specific situation, and also differences in their tolerance of situational variability. The analysis results have been supported by performance evaluations carried out by ATC training instructors. In addition, a comparative analysis between simulation results under several simulation conditions by COMPASi and evaluation results by the instructor has strongly implied that the tolerance for the variability of situations might be a major factor in selection of control strategies by a controller. These contributions of the present research may be useful for practical purposes such as further improvement of education and training for controllers.

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Notes

  1. In the traffic scenario of the previous HITLS experiment and the present simulation-based experiment, actually existing call signs of aircraft are used because call signs are one of the important cues for ATCO’s situation recognition. They are not related to actual flights and airline companies at all.

  2. In the sample cases, any ATC instructions to JAL1164 and ANA856 were not inputted for the purpose of clear demonstration of the effects of control strategies on later situations.

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Acknowledgments

The present research was supported by the Program for Promoting Fundamental Transport Technology Research of Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency, and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) 21310103 of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electronic Navigation Research Institute, 7-42-23 Higashi-machi, Jindaiji, Chofu, 182-0012, Japan

    Daisuke Karikawa & Hisae Aoyama

  2. Department of Management Science and Technology, Tohoku University, 6-6-11 Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8579, Japan

    Makoto Takahashi

  3. Resilience Engineering Research Center, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    Kazuo Furuta

  4. Safety Management Laboratory Inc., 4-17-4 Nishi-Shiba, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0017, Japan

    Akira Ishibashi

  5. Research Institute for Technology Management Strategy (TeMS), 6-6-40-403 Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8579, Japan

    Masaharu Kitamura

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  1. Daisuke Karikawa
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  2. Hisae Aoyama
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  3. Makoto Takahashi
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  4. Kazuo Furuta
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  5. Akira Ishibashi
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  6. Masaharu Kitamura
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Correspondence to Daisuke Karikawa.

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Karikawa, D., Aoyama, H., Takahashi, M. et al. Analysis of the performance characteristics of controllers’ strategies in en route air traffic control tasks. Cogn Tech Work 16, 389–403 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-013-0268-5

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