A Human Systems Integration Framework for Air Traffic Management System Design and Acquisition

Abstract

The Federal Aviation Administration is working to modernize the systems used by air traffic controllers through the agency's vision of the Next Generation Air Transportation System. These systems are acquired through the FAA's Acquisition Management System (AMS) process. To date, human factors analysis is included in this process, though improvements can be made in the alignment of human systems integration principles with these systems engineering processes. This paper provides a recommended human systems integration framework to support air traffic management system design, and examines two potential cases in which the framework can be used to support the process.

Supporting The Development Of Empirically Driven Human Systems Integration Guidelines For System Requirements

“…In addition, it leaves questions about what is meant by the term "error" and how a system achieves "tolerance." Previous efforts have noted that the application of this standard to the resulting requirement can create ambiguity and inefficiencies within the systems engineering process (Stelzer et al, 2014), as system frailties are often noted only after the system has been acquired and initial implementation has begun. Finally, as system developers are building new automation systems, they are often faced with prioritizing system requirements to ensure the system can be developed within a targeted cost and development timeline.…”

“…The human systems integration issues associated with the introduction of new automation systems can be tied to two key areas: (1) faulty design of the system itself (e.g., displays that are difficult to navigate) (FAA, 1997) and (2) a failure to accurately consider the context in which the system is used (e.g., improper training, failure to consider facility roles and responsibilities) (GAO, 2001). Guidelines to address System Design challenges and System Context challenges have been captured in the Human Systems Integration for Air Traffic Management (HSI ATM) Framework (Stelzer et al, 2014). While both groupings of the framework must be considered to ensure effective human systems integration, System Design guidelines from the Framework are most closely tied to requirements definition, which is the focus of this paper.…”

“…The HSI ATM Framework organizes System Design guidelines into three general functional areas: (1) the design of the control or input device; (2) the processing components or algorithms that ingest data or user inputs, reason on those inputs, and provide output or recommendations; and (3) the controller's user interface (see Stelzer et al, 2014 for more detailed information). This framework structure is an essential method for organizing the proposed guidelines, determining the extent to which a set of guidelines is applicable to the design of a system component, and quickly identifying key recommendations.…”

“…System design frailties and strengths were noted and used to derive guidelines. These guidelines were also augmented with a review of human systems integration literature prior to quantitative guidelines being defined (Stelzer et al, 2014).…”

“…We have applied the four principles noted above to develop quantitative human systems integration principles that are organized functionally in the HSI ATM Framework (Stelzer et al, 2014), grounded in empirical research representative of the air traffic control domain, derived through case studies of air traffic control systems used in the field today, and scoped to the FAA's vision for NextGen.…”