Human Factors Research in Air Traffic Control and Vessel Traffic Services

Abstract

The effects of air traffic conflict geometry have been well investigated in prior studies, particularly in the context of the pilot, though little in the context of the air traffic control officer (ATCO). No study to date has investigated the effects of conflict geometry on human factors variables of ATCOs through objective and physiological approaches. This study examines the effects of conflict geometries on ATCO situation awareness, stress level and brain activity during conflict resolution. Fifteen participants were instructed to resolve six different conflict geometries: crossing level, crossing non-level, converging level, converging non-level, overtaking level, and overtaking non-level. The results indicate that converging and crossing conflicts led to lower situation awareness (SA), higher stress level, and higher theta activation at the temporal and parietal lobes. Level conflict led to lower SA. The findings offer two implications, providing insights for the formal guidelines in ATC conflict resolution training and provision of inputs for the conflict resolution aid development.

Speaker

Prof. Chun-Hsien CHEN is Professor, Director of the Design Stream, and Professor-in-Charge of the Design & Human Factors Lab in the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He received his BSc degree in Industrial Design from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, MSc and PhD degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA. He has several years of product design & development experience in the industry.

His teaching and research interests are design science in product design and development; engineering/design informatics for managing/supporting digital design and manufacturing; as well as human factors and management of human performance. He has more than 250 publications in these areas.

Prof. Chen has been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of Advanced Engineering Informatics (ADVEI), a SCI journal published by Elsevier (UK), since January 2013. Besides ADVEI, he is/was an editorial board member of Recent Patents on Engineering, Journal of Kansei, Heliyon, etc. He is/was a Shanghai Eastern Scholar (2011 – 2014), a Guest Professor of Tianjin University (since 2013), a Visiting Professor of National Cheng Kung University (2011), a Guest Professor of Shanghai Maritime University (since 2006), and Chaoyang University of Technology (2008 – 2010).