Four operators can be arranged in any configuration required by the experiment in progress. During some experiments, individual operators perform the entire traffic management job. In others, up to four operators must cooperate. The height of each desk is adjustable so that operators may use them either sitting or standing. A network of seven Silicon Graphics Indigo2 workstations runs the traffic model and displays traffic status, via color-coded maps, to the operators.
Operators manage the simulated traffic using keyboards and touchscreens.
An area from which researchers observe, collect data, and create traffic scenarios is hidden behind a windowed wall in the rear of the center. The center's innovative simulated closed-circuit television system mimics the view of live traffic that operators in a real center see each day. Operators can pan, tilt and zoom to get the view they need, using joysticks or other controllers. The footage locations are of actual interstates and intersections in metro Atlanta. Georgia Tech's Interactive Media Technology Center created the footage by taking 360-degree photos of specified locations from 50 feet in the air using bucket trucks.