Planning Remote Multi-Airport Control—Design and Evaluation of a Controller-Friendly Assistance System

Leitner, Rodney; Oehme, Astrid

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28719-5_7

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The main driver of the implementation of the remote tower concept is cost-efficiency and the safety criteria to be applied should ensure that the level of safety after the introduction into service of the remote tower concept is at least not reduced compared to current conventional tower operations (European Aviation Safety Agency, 2015a). Many air navigation service providers (ANSPs) have developed automated systems using video-panorama cameras for synthetic outside views (Leitner & Oehme, 2016). Research into remote tower operations increased over the last 20 years (European Aviation Safety Agency, 2014;SESAR Joint Undertaking, 2015).…”

Section: Objectives Of Single European Sky Atm Operational Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How much is too much on monitoring tasks? Visual scan patterns of single air traffic controller performing multiple remote tower operations

Kearney²,

Braithwaite

et al. 2018

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The innovative concept of multiple remote tower operation (MRTO) is where a single air traffic controller (ATCO) provides air traffic services to two or more different airports from a geographically separated virtual Tower. Effective visual scanning by the air traffic controller is the main safety concern for human-computer interaction, as the aim of MRTO is a single controller performing air traffic management tasks originally carried out by up to four ATCOs, comprehensively supported by innovative technology. Thirty-two scenarios were recorded and analyzed using an eye tracking device to investigate the above safety concern and the effectiveness of multiple remote tower operations. The results demonstrated that ATCOs' visual scan patterns showed significant task related variation while performing different tasks and interacting with various interfaces on the controller's working position (CWP).ATCOs were supported by new display systems equipped with pan tilt zoom (PTZ) cameras allowing enhanced visual checking of airport surfaces and aircraft positions.Therefore, one ATCO could monitor and provide services for two airports simultaneously. The factors influencing visual attention include how the information is presented, the complexity of that information, and the characteristics of the operating environment. ATCO's attention distribution among display systems is the key human-computer interaction issue in single ATCO performing multiple monitoring tasks.

show abstract

Section: Objectives Of Single European Sky Atm Operational Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How much is too much on monitoring tasks? Visual scan patterns of single air traffic controller performing multiple remote tower operations

Kearney²,

Braithwaite

et al. 2018

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…SES regulations focussed on efficiency, capacity and safety have increased cost pressure on air navigation service providers and require them to be more innovative in their approach to the provision of air traffic management services. Many air navigation service providers (ANSPs) have developed automated systems using video-panorama cameras for synthetic outside view, to increase capacity at airports and to improve cost efficiency by minimising personnel to meet cost efficiency targets (Leitner & Oehme, 2016). This has seen increased attention in remote tower research over the last 20 years.…”

Section: The Evolution Of Remote Tower Operationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple remote tower for Single European Sky: The evolution from initial operational concept to regulatory approved implementation

Kearney¹,

2018

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The European Union project, Single European Sky, initiated a reorganization of European airspace and proposed additional measures for air traffic management to achieve the key objectives of improving efficiency and capacity while at the same time enhancing safety. The concept of multiple remote tower operation is that air traffic controllers (ATCOs) can control several airfields from a distant virtual control centre. The control of multiple airfields can be centralised to a virtual centre permitting the more efficient use of ATCO resources. This research was sponsored by the Single European Sky ATM Research Program and the ATM Operations Division of the Irish Aviation Authority. A safety case was developed for migration of multiple remote tower services to live operations. This research conducted 50 large scale demonstration trials of remote tower operations from single tower operations to multiple tower operations for safety assessment by air navigation safety regulators in 2016. A dedicated team of air traffic controllers and technology experts successfully completed the safety assessment of multiple remote tower operations in real time. The air movement control and surface movement control at both Shannon and Cork airports were conducted simultaneously from a virtual remote tower centre at Dublin Airport, Ireland. The implementation of this innovative technology requires a careful balance between costefficiency and the safety of the air traffic control in terms of capacity and human performance. The live trial exercises demonstrated that the air traffic services provided by the remote tower for a single airport and two medium airports by a single ATCO with 'in sequence' and 'simultaneous' aircraft operations was at least as safe as provided by the local towers at Cork and Shannon aerodromes. No safety occurrence was reported nor did any operational safety issue arise during the conduct of the fifty live trial exercises.

show abstract

“…Generally, the visual surveillance system relies on the optical system, the Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) and label presentation (fusion information from multiple surface movement detection sensors presented as a label on the visual surveillance screen, e.g., flight number, status, speed, etc.). The concept of digital tower provides a new solution for reducing the construction and operation costs of airports with adverse natural environments, poor intervisibility conditions or sparse traffic [2][3][4]. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has listed remote ATS as an important upgrade module in the "2016-2030 Global Air Navigation Plan" [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Field Study on Safety Performance of Apron Controllers at a Large-Scale Airport Based on Digital Tower

Zhang

Tian

Pan

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The innovative concept of digital tower provides a new solution for reducing the construction and operation costs of airports with adverse natural environments, poor intervisibility conditions, or sparse traffic. However, it leads to changes in the situational awareness of air traffic controllers and to challenges in safety performance. To research the safety performance of apron controllers at a large-scale airport applying a digital tower, a field study was conducted at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China. In this study, we established a comprehensive index system from the perspective of situational awareness, which provided measurements on the areas of interests, gaze and physiological features, and vigilance of controllers. Three modules were compared: a physical tower module, a digital tower module with a large panoramic screen, and a digital tower module with a small panoramic screen. The differences in the safety performances of apron controllers are discussed in two aspects: adaptability and reliability. The results indicated that the apron controllers at the three modules performed different cognition patterns, but similar cognition effort was paid toward maintaining performance. Furthermore, the significant vigilance decrement of controllers exists between after-duty and before-duty, but with no significant difference among the three modules. In conclusion, apron controllers at a large-scale airport could obtain effective safety performances based on a digital tower that were no less than those from a physical tower.

show abstract

Planning Remote Multi-Airport Control—Design and Evaluation of a Controller-Friendly Assistance System

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

How much is too much on monitoring tasks? Visual scan patterns of single air traffic controller performing multiple remote tower operations

How much is too much on monitoring tasks? Visual scan patterns of single air traffic controller performing multiple remote tower operations

Multiple remote tower for Single European Sky: The evolution from initial operational concept to regulatory approved implementation

A Field Study on Safety Performance of Apron Controllers at a Large-Scale Airport Based on Digital Tower

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About