A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/1093105
HUMAN PERFORMANCE Aaron Katz (P50) is the Article 114 Representative for Human Performance. His report is below: Unfortunately, due to the shutdown (how many conversations start like that nowadays) this update is a mirror image to the last update. Our office was at the point of setting firm facility dates for four different research projects that have been in the works for quite some time. After the government reopened with a three-week window, I kept the FAA from making any facility contact, since no one knew if we would be in the same boat just three weeks later. On top of that, I explained that even after we got past the second shutdown deadline, facilities would need some time to catch up on basic functions before they could even entertain the type of visits these projects require. My FAA counterpart and I are now drafting joint emails to send to the facility leadership of some of the sites coordinated for our projects. ZME will hopefully be set for the actigraph study sometime in late March. This study is looking at validating whether or not the fatigue mitigations in place are actually leading to more rest for the workforce. Other projects that are set to go, but don't have site visit dates set are the following: • Behavioral Markers – Done in conjunction with NASA, this study aims to identify behavioral characteristics that can be identified before people find themselves in less than favorable operational performance scenarios. Facilities for testing are ZTL, A90, and MSP. ZTL was set for March, but the NASA researcher broke her ankle, so this has been deferred to April or May. • Visual Scanning – Done in conjunction with CAMI and using tower simulation, the study looks to identify controller scan patterns and how to maximize the type of cognitive information controllers process during their scans. Sites selected are MSP, MCO, and DEN. The timeframe for this looks to be May, June, and either July or August, with one facility visit taking place per month. • Training Effectiveness – Also done in conjunction with CAMI, the study looks to identify a wide variety of factors that contribute to either success or struggles of training programs. The study will be conducted using electronic surveys filled out by a wide cross section of the workforce. In addition to the research projects listed above, I have engaged in discussions with Steve Hansen on how NATCA can become involved in the investigations process using the human performance office. I have also become engaged with training on a number of upcoming projects that will involve working at the FAA Academy, including adding a human performance component to the overall curriculum. While still in the infancy stages, there seems to be a lot of energy around this and I expect work to ramp up quickly. NEXTGEN Adam Rhodes (I90) is the National NextGen Representative. His report is below: NextGen Portfolio Manager Reviews (PMRs) – NATCA participated in six PMRs where FAA NextGen Programs made presentations on the current status of their respective programs. These included Collaborative Advanced Methods, AIXM, FIXM, ESI, Information Management, and Spectrum. • Advanced Methods – Advanced Methods will explore the application of innovative technologies such as speech recognition, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to