Federal Aviation

Administration

REDAC Subcommittee on 

Human Factors 

Fall 2013 Review:

Air Traffic Control/Technical 

Operations Human Factors 

Research Core Program, A11.i

By: Dino Piccione, Jason Demagalski, 

Eddie Sierra, Barbara Wilper

Date: July 31, 2013
2 2

Overview

• Program Strategic View

• Program Structure

• Summary
3

Program Strategic View

• Strategic Plan continues as the baseline for Mission 

Statement and Strategic Objectives

• Continued emphasis on sponsor requirements and 

community of interest is unchanged

• Research process will be updated in FY 2014 for 

new research groupings that better align HQ and 

CAMI resources to the Strategic Plan

3
4

Requirements Internal FAA 

Resources

When skills for requirements are not met 

by lab personnel, external researchers are 

utilized to fill the gaps

Requirements are assigned to lab personnel 

with the skill sets needed to perform the 

research

External Researchers

(Contracts, Grants etc)

Allocation of Performer

Human Factors Division

CAMI

HFRDL

Other Internal

Sponsors 

without 

funding for 

contracts

Sponsors 

with 

funding to 

conduct 

research
5

Interim Research Requirements 

Development and Definition

• Human Centered Design

– Includes Human Factors Standards

• Human System Integration

• Human Factors in Safety, Operations, and 

Training

5
6

Partners

- ATO Program Management Organization, En 

Route, Terminal, Safety & Technical Training, 

System Operation, Technical Operations; Human 

Relations

- Action Plan 15 with EUROCONTROL on Safety 

and Human Performance

Funding

Core ATC / Technical Operations 

Human Factors Program, A11.i Requirements Process 

Provides leadership and products to ensure the 

ATC system’s human component will safely and 

reliably perform to deliver expected benefits:

• Human centered design and design standards

• Human system integration

• Human factors in ATO safety, operations, and 

training

FY 13 FY14 FY15 FY16

10,014K $6,000K

• Sponsors in the ATO provide HF research 

requirements via Research Requirements 

Development and Definition (R2D2) process

• Requirements vetted against HQ and CAMI 

available expertise and prioritized with sponsors 

for highest priorities

• Research outputs coordinated with sponsors for 

implementation

• Products and process documentation in web 

library

Major Activities • Finalize and close all Personnel Selection 

Research activities (Sep 30 2013)

• ATC/Technical Operations Strategic Research Plan

• Develop HF color Palette for air traffic control 

displays for future ATC systems 

• Revise the Human Factors Design Standard for 

application in acquisition programs

• Complete design standard for Airport Traffic Control 

Tower Alerts

• Analyze air traffic human factors safety issues and 

data to mitigate loss of separation incidents
7

Human Centered Design

• Traditional area of HF

• Sponsors mostly from Program Management 

Organization (PMO)

• HF Standards

– Joint Interagency HF Standardization Working Group

• Emphasizing work station integration and 

longer range problems

– Information management

7
8

Human Centered Design 

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY2016

Facilities Survey  

Scenarios and Human 

Performance Metrics   

Collaborative Decision 

Making  ◊ ◊

Role of Automation in 

Technical Operations   

Data Blocks and 

Information 

Management

◊ ◊ ◊

Safety Alerts  

Time Based Information 

Display ◊ ◊
9

Human Centered Design - Standardization

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Human Factors Design 

Standard Update   

ATC Display Color Standard

 

ATC Tower Alerts Standard

 

ATC Display Color Palette

 
10

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Abbreviations Standard for 

Tech Ops  

Technical Manual 

Standards for Tech Ops  

Technical Operations 

Symbols Standard  

Tech Ops GUI Style Guide

  

Tech Ops GUI Standard

  

Human Centered Design - Standardization
11

Human System Integration

• Renewed emphasis on HF in the Acquisition 

Management System

• Benefits

– RNAV

– DSTs

11
12

Human Systems Integration

12

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

HF Integration in Acquisition 

Management System ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

HF Acquisition Working 

Group ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Automation in ATC   

Contract Tower Benefits

 

Benefits in RNAV/RNP

(tentative)

Benefits in Terminal DST

(tentative)
13

Safety, Operations and Training

• Increased opportunity with ATO safety, operations, and 

training offices drawing on HF expertise to address high 

priority ATO challenges

– Non-traditional relationship with community largely 

unfamiliar with HF

• Example – Hosted training requirements workshop focused 

on key needs spanning initial Academy training, on the job 

training, Front Line Manager/Operations Manager, new 

technology training, and Technical Operations

– How to measure training success?

– How to best deliver training?

– How to maintain competence?

13
14

HF in Safety and Operations

14

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Method for Facility-Level 

Analysis of ATSAP   ◊

HF Methods for Incident 

Investigation   ◊

Dynamic Comprehension: 

Time on Position and 

Controller Performance

  

Human Factors Safety 

and Risk Assessments   ◊ ◊

Human Factors Operational 

Performance Research   ◊ ◊

Top 5 Hazard Mitigation 

Human Factors Analysis  ◊ ◊
15

Training

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

OJTI Educational 

Intervention   

Analysis of training 

responses to Loss of 

Separation (LOS) events 



Visual scanning methods 

used by radar controllers to

improve academy and 

OJTI Training

 

Analysis to understand 

causes of attrition from 

field training

 

Research to understand

training for ATC problem 

solving

 
Federal Aviation

Administration

Questions ?

By: Dino Piccione, Jason Demagalski, 

Eddie Sierra, Barbara Wilper

Date: July 31, 2013