(Oct 27, 2011)

On October 26 and 27, 2011, the Airspace Operations Lab (AOL) at NASA Ames Research Center hosted a training workshop to share Multi Aircraft Control System (MACS) knowledge with researchers, developers, and end-users. MACS is a simulation capability developed by the AOL that has evolved over the past decade into a uniquely powerful test bed for investigating advanced air traffic management (ATM) concepts. Although MACS was developed for in-house use, it is also used increasingly by others, and this workshop was conducted in response to demand from this growing community of external users. The attendees included representatives of several NASA centers as well as other government organizations plus universities and industry. Over 100 participants, representing at least 12 different organizations, attended briefings on topics such as MACS installation, simulation development, and Air Traffic Control (ATC) displays. The AOL is a group within the Human Systems Integration Division that provides a better understanding of roles, responsibilities, and requirements for human operators and automation in future ATM systems. The AOL plans additional MACS workshops to continue supporting the myriad of users.