On the history and prospects of three-dimensional human–computer interfaces for the provision of air traffic control services

Abstract

This paper is an essay on the history and prospects of three-dimensional (3D) humancomputer interfaces for the provision of air traffic control services. Over the past twenty-five years, many empirical studies have addressed this topic. However, the results have been deemed incoherent and self-contradictory and no common conclusion has been reached.To escape from the deadlock of the experimental approach, this study takes a step back into the conceptual development of 3D interfaces, addressing the fundamental benefits and drawbacks of 3D rendering. Under this light, many results in the literature start to make sense and some conclusions can be drawn. Also, with an emphasis on the future of air traffic control, this research identifies a set of tasks wherein the intrinsic weaknesses of 3D rendering can be minimized and its advantages can be exploited. These are the ones that do not require accurate estimates of distances or angles. For future developments in the field of 3D interfaces for air traffic control operators, we suggest focusing on those tasks only.

Augmented Reality for the Control Tower: The RETINA Concept

“…Besides talking to pilots, controllers need to extract information from the PVD, check weather, consult Flight Strips (FS), elaborate long term strategies, detect potential conflicts, make tactical decisions, coordinate with each-other and look out of the tower window (if any) [21,22]. In addition, controllers need to balance cognitive resources and carefully timetable actions [21,22].…”

Task Measures for Air Traffic Display Operations

“…For vertical relative positioning identification (T2), values for all other scenarios are found to be significant except for Scenario 2 (p=0.3468). Scenarios which utilized the 3D orientations for the test phase (3,4,7,8) registered faster completion time on average as 3D orientation display provides a better representation in terms of relative vertical positioning. However, in scenario 6, a longer completion time is observed when compared to scenario 5 (2151.981>1905.397).…”

“…In recent years, there have been various studies on the use of 3D radar displays that suggest evidence that a change in perspective can help to improve the ATCOs spatial awareness of traffic and terrain thereby better navigate aircrafts in the vertical plane [6]. Interface congestion or cluttering is also a problem with 2D radar displays when operations such as holding stack management is utilized [7]. In holding stack management, aircrafts are tasked to fly in a preassigned route while waiting for clearance to land.…”

How Neurophysiological Measures Can be Used to Enhance the Evaluation of Remote Tower Solutions

“…For this reason, in the last years many tools have been developed to try to enhance the performance of the operator, by providing synthetic feedback able to replicate, and even to augment real tower sensations (i.e., vibrations and/or sounds from the surroundings (Reynal et al, 2019). In this regard, Augmented Reality is nowadays one of the most important enabling technologies for innovation in a number of operational environments, since it offers the possibility to enhance the user interaction with the real environment by adding information to it in the form of synthetic overlays that enhance the user perception of the surrounding world (Masotti and Persiani, 2016). Dealing with an exponential increase of novel technologies and solutions able to enhance operator performance, it becomes essential to have reliable and precise tools to support the design phase.…”