Performance and Objective Workload Evaluation Research (POWER) software was developed to provide objective measures of ATC taskload and performance. POWER uses data extracted from National Airspace System (NAS) System Analysis Recording (SAR) files to compute a set of objective measures. A study was conducted to investigate the relationship of POWER measures with measures of sector complexity, controller workload, and performance. Sixteen instructors from the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, OK, watched eight traffic samples from four en route sectors in the Kansas City Center using the Systematic Air Traffic Operations Research Initiative (SATORI) system. POWER measures were computed using the same data. Participants made three estimates of the workload experienced by radar controllers and provided two types of assessments of their performance. Sector complexity was determined using information about sector characteristics and the traffic samples. Some POWER measures were related to sector complexity and controller workload, but the relationship with performance was less clear. While this exploratory study provides important information about the POWER measures, additional research is needed to better understand these relationships. When the properties and limitations of these measures are better understood, they may then be used to calculate baseline measures for the current National Airspace System.

In research and application of Human Factors in Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems design, development and operation, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the range and integration of activities associated with the need for greater attention to issues such as human error, interface design and teamwork, especially in systems with increased levels of automation. This book seeks to redress this situation by presenting case studies of human factors applications in which there is demonstrable success in terms of improvement in operational systems. Individual examples are used to outline how each human factors study evolved, what it entailed, how it was resourced and how the results contributed to operational performance. Case studies include training methods, human error, team resource management, situation assessment, terminal automation replacement systems, collaborative decision-making to improve the effectiveness of traffic-flow management and the role of human factors in ATM.

Since the very earliest years of aviation, it was clear that human factors were critical to the success and safety of the system. As aviation has matured, the system has become extremely complex. Bringing together the most recent human factors work in the aviation domain, Advances in Human Aspects of Aviation covers the design of aircrafts for the comfort and well being of the passenger. The book discusses strategies and guidelines for maximizing comfort, the design of aircrafts including cockpit design, and the training and work schedules for flight attendants and pilots. It is becoming increasingly important to view problems not as isolated issues that can be extracted from the system environment, but as embedded issues that can only be understood as a part of an overall system. In keeping with a system that is vast in its scope and reach, the chapters in this book cover a wide range of topics, including: Interface and operations issues from the perspectives of pilots and air traffic controllers, respectively. Specific human performance issues, studied from within the context of the air transportation system Issues related to automation and the delineation of function between automation and human within the current and future system The U.S. air traffic modernization effort, called NextGen Diverse modeling perspectives and methods Safety and ethics as driving factors for change Cognition and work overload Empirical research and evaluation of the air transportation domain As air traffic modernization efforts begin to vastly increase the capacity of the system, the issues facing engineers, scientists, and other practitioners of human factors are becoming more challenging and more critical. Reflecting road themes and trends in this field, the book documents the latest research in this area.