Strategic Conformance: Exploring Acceptance of Individual-Sensitive Automation for Air Traffic Control

LIKE many complex and time-critical domains, air traffic control (ATC) is facing a fundamental modernization that builds on the use of more advanced automation (represented by SESAR in Europe and NextGen in the United States). The current function allocation-based relationship between controller and machine is envisioned to evolve to a more fluid, continuous and mutually coordinated team relationship. Consequently, the controller is expected to assume a supervisory and monitoring role, while relinquishing much of the tactical “hands-on” tasks to automation. ATC automation, in turn, is expected to grow in intelligence and its cognitive abilities to become more of a team member providing decision support and acting more autonomously. In association to these changes, one of the most pressing human factors challenges is how we can design automation that is embraced, accepted and trusted by the controller...