OPTICS ‐ Observation Platform for Tech

Institutional Consolidation of Safety 

Presented to the FAA Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Com

Human Factors Subcommitee

Washington 16th September 2014

Barry Kirwan (EUROCONTROL) & Paul Kro

OPTICS is a Coordinated Action funded by the European Commission under the

Seventh Framework Programme (FP7‐AAT‐2013_RTD‐1). Grant Agreement n° ACS3‐GA‐2013‐60
Flightpa

Flightpath 2050 sets vision of European aviation trans

» Advisory Council for Aviation Research in Euro

(ACARE): Engaged hundreds of experts across thAviation Transport System

» Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRI

Roadmap of what needs to be done in three tim

2020, 2035, and 2050.

» Vision includes five principal pillars: OPTICS is a 

Commission‐funded project that monitors the sof the SRIA
Europe’s Vision for mid

Competi

Afford

Leading Edge 

Public Privat

Policy and 

Education and

infrastructure

Excellent education

Highly skilled workforce

Strategic Research facilities

Mobility

4 hrs Door‐to‐door

Reliable Connections

Connectivity

Single Ticket

Environmental

Protection

Challenging environmental goals

Improved Operations/ATM

Alternative Energy

Atmospheric Research

Safet

Known an

Custom

Mitigate C
Europe’s Vision for mid

The European air transport system has less 

per ten million commercial aircraf

Weather and other hazards are precisely 

mitigated.

Seamless operations through fully interopera

systems (including manned and unman

Efficient boarding and security checks allow 

Air vehicles are resilient by design to se

The air transport system has a fully secu

bandwidth data network

Safety & Security

Known and Emergent Hazard

Mitigation

Customer friendly security

Mitigate Cyber and other risks
OPTICS asks two simple questions

» Are we doing the right research for aviation safety?

» Are we doing the research right?

Series of 4 safety workshops including H

vehicle operations
SRIA Land

Safety Capabilities ‐ Hum

METHODS

INDIVIDUAL TEAM ORGAN

TECHNOLOGIES

1st Expert Workshop: Human 

Initial Priorities Sorted Into Six Categories

DESIGN FOR HUMAN USE OPERATIONAL SAFETYHuman Factors in the Design Life Cycle

Human Factors GuidanceHuman Factors Standards andRegulationsHuman Systems Integration

Usability

Helping pilots avoid and recoadverse eventsUnderstanding pilot performunsafe scenariosOnline measurement and for

Human performance data co

usageSAFURITY – Security impactin
1st Expert Workshop: Human 

AUTOMATION RISK MANAGEMENT

A framework for incorporating automationAdaptive automation using better cognitive

modelsTools for pilot training and selection

Human‐Machine Interactions

Human/Automation System Roles

More integrated risk manage

Integrating HF into risk mana

Broader safety assessment (e

ground operations, and safet

Integration of HF into Safety 

SystemsQuantitative human perform

HUMAN RESOURCES HUMAN PERFORMANCE

Advanced training concepts

Advanced selection testing

Better understanding of organizational

cultureA focus on the role of social dialogue infacilitating the acceptance of technological

and social change

Better measurement of: fatig

awareness, workload, comple

physiological measures

Team performance monitorin

assessmentUnderstanding/management 

variabilityHuman Performance Envelop

and implementationMore use of prototyping sim

Skill retention and degradatio
Overarchin

Design for Human Use: After decades of research, the uptake of Huinto system designs is still low and uneven.

Are we getting Human Factors into the design life cycle at the rig

all? Where are the HF standards and guidance materials that ca

across the entire aviation transport system?

Automation: We have challenging goals for automation, but in pract

decades of experience in the cockpit, it is difficult tog et it right and 

the user.

Where is the over‐riding framework for incorporating automatio

systems, and for making the human‐automation partnership eff

Operational Safety: Pilots need more support for those rare emerge

when they can find themselves suddenly in a dangerous situation w

recover.

How can we better understand, warn and support the aircrew in 

emergency situations?
Overarchin

Risk Management: Risk management and SMS usage are widespreaFactors stays largely outside of these processes and frameworks, wh

concern human risks in the system.

How can we get HF better integrated into these processes?

Human Resources: Selection and Training approaches in the industr

evolved significantly, and organizational culture is treated as largely 

Yet if safety is to improve, standards need to be raised at the individ

organizational culture level.

How can we make better use of new ideas and methods from ac

standards in people management and performance in aviation o

both at the sharp end (pilots, controllers) and at the blunt end (m

leaders)?
Overarchin

Human Performance: Decades of research on individual factors such situation awareness gives the impression that the whole field of hum

performance in not ‘joined‐up’.

How can we develop an integrated approach that takes account 

factors and their interactions (human performance envelope), so 

predict and guide the impact of future changes on total human p
Con

Human Performance EnvelopeResearch on individual factors (fatigue, methods for assessing co

degradation) needs to move to understand better how these fac

and collecting influence human performance. Human Performan

is to an extent a game‐changer , as the usual approach is not hav

impact.Human Factors in Design and Manufacturing

To close the shortfall in guidance and good practice for integratin

Factors to encompass the entire aviation transport system (ATS) 

design life cycle (when to do HF, with what guidance, and against 

standards), incentize the ATS with a benchmarking approach wit

rate processes and products for maturity.

Four Top Priorities Based on Most Votes
Conclusions Co

Adaptive AutomationWith limited progress and questions about its viability, consider 

intermediate stepping stone such as adaptable automation that 

at the discretion of the user, so the user remains in the loop and 

lose situation awareness, and can recover if things go wrong and 

automation can no longer cope.

Automation Support

As a key enabler for Flightpath 2050, the most inclusive idea at t

was “Develop a framework for the incorporation of automation 

complex systems.” This includes a toolkit of approaches and bes

developing automation.

Automation:

Top Priorities Based on Most Votes
Additional Con

Items Missing from SRIA• Training and selection for the pilot and controller of 

future

• Security impacts on safety (in particular cyber attac

• A common HF education system to teach the basics 

all system actors (operational, technical, design, and

managers).

Main Game Changing Priority

To evolve an industrial and organizational culture that 

Human Factors and uses it in design and management 
Suggestions, Qu

www.optics‐project.eu

barry.kirwan@eurocontrol.int