VTS Operator Performance and Acceptance of a Short-Term Path Prediction Display in a Low Density Traffic Area

Abstract

Vessel traffic management and control systems are employed to ensure the safety and efficiency of maritime traffic. In search for optimal support of Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) operators in performing their task, tools are developed continuously. This paper describes how the real users of the systems (VTS operators and managers) were involved in the design and testing of new tools. This was achieved by creating a user forum for discussing the results of the research. At the same time a performance based method for measuring situation awareness of VTS operators (SATest) was developed tested and implemented. As an example of the procedure used, one such tool is presented. The tool tested in this experiment is a path prediction tool for VTS use in a non-dense traffic area - (the Finnish archipelago). The tool predicts the future path position of vessels one-minute ahead. To see whether this tool could have implications for grounding avoidance monitoring by VTS, it was presented to the user forum and tested using SATest. This paper presents the results of the tests.