Development of Future Scenarios: Prediction of Mental Workload in a Traffic Management Control Room

Abstract

Existing instruments to investigate mental workload are dedicated to specific and existing monitoring jobs. Objective instruments mostly focus on performance or physiological measures. Subjective instruments are more simply applicable, but not suitable to predict mental workload in a nonexistent situation. To overcome these disadvantages Intergo developed OWATTM (Objective Workload Assessment Technique) to assess mental workload of operators in control rooms. A case study shows the use of OWATTM in development of scenarios for the near future of the traffic management control room of the city of Amsterdam, when new build tunnels are under super- vision of the central traffic management control room of the city of Amsterdam. Prediction of workload was key issue in this scenario development. The jobs assessed are traffic managers of the city of Amsterdam. The OWAT™ assessment made it possible to point out the bottlenecks in workload in current situation and future situation. The highly participative way of assessment of workload was appreciated by participating traffic managers. Results showed that there was an opportunity for a higher ambition in traffic management in the city of Amsterdam.

Keywords: Mental workload, prediction, traffic management, control room

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100730