Continuing Development of a Novel Framework for Visual Air Traffic Controller Tasks: Determining metrics for evaluating spatial relationships

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a combination of metrics for evaluating spatial relationships while utilizing new airport traffic control tower (ATCT) technologies that replace a traditional out-the-window view. Johnson’s criteria of object detection, recognition, and identification are used as an objective metric when siting new ATCTs. However, Airport Traffic Control Specialists (ATCSs) must incorporate additional cues into their decision-making process for the variety of tasks relying on visual information. In particular, ATCSs utilize perceptual cues from the airport's environment to ensure both runway separation and sequencing/spacing based on visual cues provide safe and efficient operations. For both safety and efficiency, ensuring runway separation is one of the most important services ATCSs provide. When an ATCS is responsible for ensuring runway separation using a display screen instead of a window, additional factors need to be considered when evaluating these technologies’ ability to provide the necessary visual information. In addition to Johnson’s criteria for detecting, recognizing, and identifying a single object, a combination of factors, such as landmarks, relative speed, crossing intersections, etc., need to be utilized to ensure ATCSs can determine spatial relationships between two objects, and therefore provide runway separation. This paper will discuss the application of these factors in an evaluation of new technologies for ATCTs.

Keywords: Air Traffic Control, Human Factors, Human Perception

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002495