Working on the edge of performance: the implications of automation  (2014)

Within ATC, automation has already had a big effect on air traffic control systems and working practices. And all signs point to the amount of automation increasing - we're all aware of the predicted increases in traffic by 2020, and with the addition of the deployment phase of SESAR initiatives, it seems likely that controllers will be working with progressively more automated systems. However, to take a look on the negative side, automation that has not been designed specifically with impact on the human in mind can drive workload upwards, create fatigue, and negatively affect the controller's mental 'picture' by reducing situational awareness, potentially leading into a myriad of problems and, ultimately, losses of separation.

+ Prevot, Thomas

+ Edwards, Tamsyn

+ Kirwan, B

+ Airspace Operations Laboratory (AOL)

air, ATC, automation, awareness, control, edge, implications, performance, situational, traffic, Working

Hindsight 20 (a EUROCONTROL Safety Improvement Sub-Group publication)