An Initial Investigation Of The Impact Of Operator-Automation Goal Divergence In The Tower

The overall goal of the Next Generation (NextGen) Air Transportation System is to significantly increase the safety, security, capacity, efficiency, and environmental compatibility of air transportation operations. To achieve this goal, we must consider how the introduction of increased automation under NextGen will impact the human operators working with these systems. Toward this end, we report on a study that evaluated the utility of two airport surface operations decision support systems, one that provides recommendations in close compliance with current operator goals, and a second that addresses critical NextGen goals, but provides recommendations based on factors outside the controller's current decision model. Findings offer initial insights on the impact of operator-automation goal divergence on operator situation awareness.