FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
PUBLICATIONS
AVIATION MEDICINE REPORTS

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-02/1

Title and Subtitle: An information tool for planning in air traffic control

Report Date: January 2002

Authors: Gronlund, S.D., John M. Canning, J.M., Peter M. Moertl, P.M., Joakim Johansson, J., Dougherty, M.R.P., and Mills, S.H.

Abstract: An investigation of how en route air traffic controllers solved sequencing problems using paper flight progress strips led to the development of a new software interface to aid planning. The primary feature of the new interface involved replacing the strips with virtual tokens that were dynamically linked to their radar targets. In addition, an automated tool was developed that provided a tentative sequencing of the tokens. The current experiment evaluated the automated sequencing tool. Utilization of the tool facilitated the development of the controllers' plans and reduced the workload of the tacticians who implemented the plan.

Key Words: Air Traffic Control, Automation, Interface, Planning

No. of Pages: 14