1. Automation and Air Traffic Control
Neil May, Head Human Factors

2. An Introduction to NATS

3. Airport Air Traffic Control
ABERDEEN
EDINBURGH
MANCHESTER
STANSTED
LONDON CITY
FARNBOROUGH
SOUTHAMPTON
HEATHROW
BRISTOL
CARDIFF
LUTON
BELFAST x 2
GLASGOW
Airport Air Traffic Control
14 major UK airports
Gibraltar
9 airports in Spain

4. En-route Air Traffic Control
Prestwick
Handles on average 3,500 flights/day
Eastern Half of North Atlantic
Oceanic Airspace
Northern Half of UK
Domestic Airspace
Swanwick
Handles on average 6,000 flights/day
Southern Half of UK Domestic Airspace
Arrivals and Departures from London Airports
Military Air Traffic Control
NATS PRIVATE 4

5. European Airspace Oceanic (from Prestwick) Prestwick + Swanwick =
2.2 million km2
Prestwick + Swanwick =
1 million km2 - 11% of Europe’s airspace

6. General Observations about Automation and Air Traffic Control

7. General Observations
The controller is in control, it is they who hold the Air Traffic Control licence.
Automation in Air Traffic Control is not new. There is already lots of automation being used e.g. radar, electronic flight progress strips, short term conflict alert, code callsign conversion, datalink etc.
Automation does not make decisions. It provides information that assists the controller in doing their job safely, effectively and efficiently.
Automation can be thought of as being “assistive technology” or an “electronic team member” that supports the controller.

8. General Observations
People create safety. They must be in conscious control of the safety critical decisions.
People use their experience, knowledge, training and intuition to detect cues and subtle changes, to diagnose problems, to adapt, and to create innovative ways to solve problems.
Automation can quickly and consistently process large quantities of data but can cause the system to become “brittle” when faced with novel situations.
Automation must service the needs of the controller, not the other way around.

9. Benefits of Automation
The benefits of Automation in Air Traffic Control are many and include:
Increased safety.
Increased consistency and reliability of service.
Increased interconnectivity between sectors, units, service providers, controllers / pilots.
Increased resilience of operation.
Reduced environmental impact.
Reduced cost.

10. Watch-outs for Automation
There are a number of potential pitfalls associated with automation that need careful consideration to ensure that it is implemented and used safely:
System Considerations.
The Role of the Controller.
Design.
Training.
Trust / Complacency.
Safety Accountability / Safety Assurance.
Degradation / Fallbacks / Contingency.

11. Policy and Strategies
Air Traffic Control Providers need to have a policy for how they will support the controller by using assistive technology (automation).
This should be supported by strategies identifying:
The benefits to be gained from using automation and how these will be realised.
The potential pitfalls associated with using automation and how these will be identified and mitigated.
The system view and the interdependencies between automated functions.
The way in which safety assurance will be provided for a system with increased automation.

12. UK CAA Document CAP 1377
A great introduction to the issues associated with the implementation of automation in Air Traffic Management

13. Automation Themes Business Case Human Centred Design
Safety Obligations
Systems Integration
Training
Continuity of Service
Transition
Emergent Behaviours

14. Strengths & Weaknesses Continuity Requirements
1. Business Case
Costs & Benefits
Strengths & Weaknesses
Continuity Requirements

15. Automation Bias and Complacency Human Machine Interaction
2. Human Centered Design
Automation Bias and Complacency
Human Machine Interaction

16. 3. Safety Obligations
Minimise monitoring by humans
Limit user responsibility
Increase responsibility of design authority
Appropriate and unambiguous

17. Interfaces and dependences must be robust
4. Systems Integration
Interfaces and dependences must be robust

18. Deep understanding of the automation
5. Training
Deep understanding of the automation
Adaptation of controlling style
Train to deal with the unexpected

19. 6. Continuity of Service
Expect dragons (Woods 2015)
Obvious and graceful degradation
Train for preparedness
Maintain sufficient capacity

20. 7. Transition
Evolutionary
Well timed
Sequential

21. Normalisation of deviance (Cook 2015)
8. Emergence
Normalisation of deviance (Cook )
Awareness and assurance of system upgrades

22. Automation Themes Business Case Human Centred Design
Safety Obligations
Systems Integration
Training
Continuity of Service
Transition
Emergent Behaviours

23. Thank you