Air Traffic Control Operating Modes and the Management of Complexity

Abstract

This report describes research exploring the relationship between structure and cognitive complexity in Air Traffic Control (ATC). Current work on structure and cognitive processes in ATC is reviewed leading to an ATC process model. Based on observations of the performance of the ATC system it appears that air traffic controllers have the ability to manipulate structure and structure-based abstractions in order to regulate the complexity of an ATC situation. The management of complexity has been integrated into the Controller Process Model through a Complexity Manager. It is hypothesized that the Complexity Manager operates by commanding switches between operating modes. In order to explore whether these operating modes can be observed in a simple ATC task, an experiment was designed. Participants were given scenarios with varying traffic levels. Their commands and their performance have been collected and analyzed. The experimental results show participants appeared to use each of the hypothesized operating modes. The use of the structure in each mode was also as expected.