Enhancing GPS receiver certification by examining relevant pilot-performance databases.

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute2000PDFTech ReportJoseph, K. M.Jahns, D. W.Civil Aeromedical InstituteSynerTech AssociatesUnited States. Office of Aviation MedicineCivil Aeromedical InstituteUnited StatesGlobal Positioning SystemAirborne navigational aidsHuman factorsDatabasesAir pilotsPersonnel performanceStandardizationAviation safetyUser interfaces (Computer science)GPS receiverscertificationhuman factorsgeneral aviationDOT/FAA/AM-00/4The rapid introduction of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers for airborne navigation has outpaced the capacity of international aviation authorities to resolve human factors issues that concern safe and efficient use of such devices. Current certification technical standards appear to have had little impact on promoting the design of standardized receiver architectures, interfaces and operating manuals- despite evidence from a variety of sources that lack of standardization may undermine safety. This paper explores the relationship between existing human factors data relevant to GPS-interface design and incident/accident databases, which are a rich source of information and serve to highlight the safety-critical nature of GPS-receiver interface issues. An approach to expanding the role of human factors assessments in the certification of GPS receivers is briefly summarized.119