Christoph Möhlenbrink

Development of an augmented vision video panorama human-machine interface for remote airport tower operation

In this paper the development of a 180° high resolution video panorama system and results of initial field test at Braunschweig research airport are described. The system serves as main HMI for remote surface movement management of small airports or of movement areas not directly visible for the controller. It provides the framework for video-see-through augmented vision by integration of traffic and weather data and it allows for panorama replay. Preliminary evaluation of initial field tests quantify the visual resolution as compared to the real far view.

A guideline for integrating dynamic areas of interests in existing set-up for capturing eye movement: Looking at moving aircraft

Today, capturing the behavior of a human eye is considered a standard method for measuring the information-gathering process and thereby gaining insights into cognitive processes. Due to the dynamic character of most task environments there is still a lack of a structured and automated approach for analyzing eye movement in combination with moving objects. In this article, we present a guideline for advanced gaze analysis, called IGDAI (Integration Guideline for Dynamic Areas of Interest). The application of IGDAI allows gathering dynamic areas of interest and simplifies its combination with eye movement. The first step of IGDAI defines the basic requirements for the experimental setup including the embedding of an eye tracker. The second step covers the issue of storing the information of task environments for the dynamic AOI analysis. Implementation examples in XML are presented fulfilling the requirements for most dynamic task environments. The last step includes algorithms to combine the captured eye movement and the dynamic areas of interest. A verification study was conducted, presenting an air traffic controller environment to participants. The participants had to distinguish between different types of dynamic objects. The results show that in comparison to static areas of interest, IGDAI allows a faster and more detailed view on the distribution of eye movement.

Assessing Operational Validity of Remote Tower Control in High-fidelity Tower Simulation

Abstract This paper describes a high-fidelity simulation study with twelve tower controllers within the context of the Remote Airport Traffic Control Center (RAiCe) project. Main objective was the assessment of the operational validity of remote control of one smaller airport with a high resolution video panorama system and an experimental workplace to present these video data, called RTO (Remote Tower Operation)-Console. Furthermore the information acquisition process of the controllers whilst controlling air traffic was analyzed. The central question for developing a remote workplace is: Which information does an air traffic controller need to make safe and efficient decisions while controlling an airport remotely? Until now there is no conclusive evidence which visual information tower controllers receive from their view outside the tower to control air traffic. Nevertheless for smaller airfields with little sensor technology the view outside certainly is one of the most important and comprehensive sources of information. Three variations of the workplace were varied experimentally: first a conventional 200° tower simulator, second the RTO-Console, and third the RTO-Console with additional augmentation of information on the video panorama. Objective eye tracking data were gathered during the simulations runs, together with subjective questionnaire data and interviews. Dwell times for the main information sources were determined to scrutinize the information acquisition process of the tower controller. Altogether, air traffic controllers characterize the RTO-Console as a valid work place for smaller airport. Furthermore, the eye tracking data showed that superimposition of callsigns into the video panorama reduces the head-down time onto the RADAR display.

Experimental System for Remote Airport Traffic Control Center Research

Abstract The ultimate goal of the research below is development of airport traffic control without the need of a real tower building, Specifically, we address the intermediate step of a Remote Airport Tower Center (RTC) for remote surveillance and control of small airports. An experimental high-resolution digital video panorama system was implemented to replace the airport tower out-the-window view. Field tests of this reconstructed view show that the effective visual resolution of a 180°-video panorama agrees with theoretical predictions. Such a video panorama provides the framework for video-see-through augmented vision by integration of weather and transponder data, and it allows for video replay. An integrated zoom function provides a “foveal” component by means of a remotely controlled pan-tilt-zoom camera which can also track moving objects. Besides the RTC experimental system for field testing, a simulation environment is described to simultaneous simulate two airports. It can be used to support statistically reliable testing of professional tower controllers for the evaluation of new concepts of operations.

How to Evaluate Remote Tower Metrics in Connection With Weather Observations: An Extension of the Existing Metrics

Owing to the different approaches for remote tower operation, a standardized set of indicators is needed to evaluate the technical implementations at a task performance level. One of the most influential factors for air traffic control is weather. This article describes the influence of weather metrics on remote tower operations and how to validate them against each other. Weather metrics are essential to the evaluation of different remote controller working positions. Therefore, weather metrics were identified as part of a validation at the Erfurt-Weimar Airport. Air traffic control officers observed weather events at the tower control working position and the remote control working position. The eight participating air traffic control officers answered time-synchronized questionnaires at both workplaces. The questionnaires addressed operationally relevant weather events in the aerodrome. The validation experiment targeted the air traffic control officer’s ability to categorize and judge the same weather event at different workplaces. The results show the potential of standardized indicators for the evaluation of performance and the importance of weather metrics in relation to other evaluation metrics.