The Relationship between Air Traffic Control Communication Events and Measures of Controller Taskload and Workload

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine whether air traffic control (ATC) communication events (number and duration of controller/ pilot communications) would predict subjective estimates of controller workload as well as taskload measures based on aircraft and controller activities. Analyses were conducted that compared different regression models' predictions of subjective workload estimates made by 16 subject matter experts for 8 samples of air traffic activity. The predictors in the regression models were different combinations of five taskload principal components computed from routinely recorded ATC data and two measures of pilot/controller voice communications. A series of model comparisons was conducted to determine whether a "reduced" regression model containing fewer variables would predict the workload ratings as well as the full model containing all predictors. Several reduced models predicted ATWIT ratings as well as the full model, but a reduced model containing only the communications variables was not as effective. The results suggest that certain voice communications measures add nothing to the prediction of subjective workload, over and above that of taskload.

Selection and Evaluation of Air Traffic Complexity Metrics

“…On the other hand, physiological indicators ( [4], [5]) seem difficult to exploit and how well they relate to traffic complexity is unclear. Finally, widely used subjective ratings ( [6], [7]) provide high quality data (as they obviously relate to the kind of complexity investigated), but are often seen as subject to biases (such as the recency effect denounced in [5], and the possibility of raters errors in the case of "over-the shoulder workload ratings" [8]). In all of these cases, data are very expensive to collect, as they require the active participation of controllers.…”

A speech interface for air traffic control terminals

“…Other interesting applications are the use of speech technology for controller training, with the use of automatic pseudo pilots [13] and the estimation of controller workload [14]. These applications are examples of the quest for ideas where speech technology, with all its current weakness, may be really useful.…”

Structural considerations and cognitive complexity in air traffic control

“…Previous investigations of ATC communications have generally focused on the duration of and frequency of verbal communication events [12]. However, additional insight into the controllers processes and the use of structure can be gained by more detailed analysis of the content of the controllers command output.…”

“…In order to determine the perceived complexity of an ATC situation, subjective responses can be elicited from controllers by a variety of mechanisms such as direct query, interviews, expert elicitation, etc (see [2] [4] [12] [13] [14]). However, as noted above, significant divergence between the perceived and Cognitive Complexity can occur.…”