INTELLIGENT TOOLS TO HELP CONTROLLERS PRIORITISE COMPLEX EVENTS
This Solution was formerly part of PJ.16-04
Controllers in air traffic control (ATC) centres rely on the human machine interface
(HMI) of their controller working position (CWP) to manage the airspace. This is especially true for the CWP’s situation data display (SDD) with regard to safely supervising current air traffic. Situational awareness and attention are two important skills that controllers need to keep at a high level when controlling aircraft at a radar screen.
For safety and efficiency reasons most CWPs issue a series of action indicators - such as information, warning, alert and finally alarm – if the assistance system detects a potentially dangerous traffic situation in the near or medium future. Due to the high complexity of some en-route environments, controllers must control significant amounts of traffic; SESAR research is examining a solution to address this workload and help manage the throughput of traffic in these busy and complex portions of airspace.
The solution will make use of a “fade-out” algorithm implemented in the CWP that will place in the background (by means of colour) flights where controller intervention on spacing is not required, while drawing the controllers attention to the flights which may possibly interact with one another during their passage through the controlled airspace.
For the first time in such complex environments, the CWP will be able to take decisions about the priority of flights and those requiring the attention and support of the controllers. The solution addresses controller workload and stress levels as awareness is enhanced and actions are executed close to the optimum times. Furthermore, controllers are ‘ahead of the situation’ and can handle high complexity traffic flows more easily.
BENEFITS
Increased productivity
Enhanced safety
Datapack
