The General Automation Level Allocation (GALA) Framework, or: Why Do We Need Another Level of Automation Framework?

Abstract

In the realm of sociotechnical systems, Level of Automation (LoA) frameworks are commonly used to determine adequate types of automation support for tasks in which human operators are involved. This paper introduces the General Automation Level Allocation (GALA) framework in response to recognized limitations in existing LoA frameworks. While these frameworks have contributed significantly to the formalization of human-automation interaction for the systems they were designed for, they often struggle when dealing with new sociotechnical systems. Some of the main limitations recognized for existing LoA frameworks include: (1) Lack of versatility in terms of missing levels for some “automated functions”, since they are designed with specific systems in mind; (2) Limited precision in the definition of the categories for assigning LoA to specific functions and complex technologies; (3) Limited support in the identification of outcomes of human-automation Interaction at different LoA (e.g. in terms of emerging behaviors or in terms of safety-related implications); (4) Limitations regarding characterization human cognitive processing in off-nominal or complex conditions; (5) Not fully addressing the dynamic allocation of tasks and responsibilities based on changing conditions and real-time priorities. Because of these limitations, some researchers are not satisfied with existing LoA taxonomies and believe that there is even no need to think deeper about LoA taxonomies as basis for or input to design of complex sociotechnical systems.To address the stated issues, GALA offers a two-dimensional approach aiming at being compatible with other previous LoA frameworks and applicable to the design of future systems. It is designed to analyze and classify the appropriate levels of automation for different information processing stages (e.g. information acquisition, information analysis, decision making, action implementation) involved in a task based upon the results of a hierarchical task analysis. GALA is compatible to established state-of-the art methods (Parasuraman, Sheridan & Wickens, 2000; Save, Feuerberg & Avia, 2012; Kaber, 2018) applied to study specific aspects of human-system collaboration in more depth, such as the coactive design method (Johnson et al., 2014). Finally, plans for GALA validation will be presented aiming to ensure that it provides sufficient applicability to various sociotechnical systems of diverse domains, each with its unique requirements and challenges. Further, an outlook on an alternative more compact version of the framework is provided which addresses the specific needs of dynamic task allocation in real-life situation.

Keywords: Automation Levels, Human-automation Interaction, System Design, Task Allocation, Human Automation Teaming

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005372