An investigative study into the human factors of an air traffic controller with the adoption of eye-tracking technology

• Main Author: Stewart, Shawn Michael
• Other Authors: Lye Sun Woh
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/67207
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This project aims to highlight the human factors that concern the performance of the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) in our fast-evolving landscape of Air Traffic Management (ATM). It has to come to the attention that the aviation industry will be projected to grow at a tremendous rate in the coming decades. This is due to the growth and rising income of the middle class in many developing countries, especially in Asia. The present ATM system is projected to reached its capacity limits, and may not be able to accommodate the projected doubling of air traffic in the next 15 years or so. With that in mind, the workload of the ATC will be intensified, thus incurring stresses that may increase the risk of air traffic accidents. The safety of the airspace should not be compromised while the volume of air traffic grows. Many ongoing researches have been conducted to optimise the air traffic flow safely and efficiently. However, it is worth noting that ATCs still play a vital role in ensuring that the skies remain safe for all flights. Due to the limitations of the mental capabilities of an ATC, research should be conducted to study how the overall performance of the ATC varies with the growing complexity of the airspace environment. As such, the motivation of this project is to utilise the eye-tracking technology to better understand how the ATC behaves when tasked with the different complexities of typical scenarios. Through this study, the author hopes to better comprehend how the ATC behaves in times of differing traffic complexities. Eye-tracking metrics have been defined to assist in monitoring performance. Findings were then established, which could be used as a basis for further research. A safety net can be determined to ensure that the ATCs are carrying out their duties in a safe and efficient manner.