Development of an Aeromedical Scientific Information System for Aviation Safety

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute2008PDFTech ReportRogers, P. B.Veronneau, Stephen J. H.Whinnery, James E.Peterman, Connie L.Civil Aeromedical InstituteFAA Civil Aeromedical InstituteUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation AdministrationOklahomaUnited StatesAir pilotsAviation medicineAviation safetyData warehousesEpidemiologyInformation systemsDatabasesAviationSafety and Human FactorsDOT/FAA/AM-08/1Final ReportThe Bioinformatics Research Team at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) uses data analysis techniques to study issues associated with medical certification decisions and their effects on the U.S. pilot population to ensure safety of flight. The authors developed a Scientific Information System to assist in research efforts associated with statistical and epidemiological studies of the U.S. civil pilot population. Significant data challenges exist relative to the integration and analysis of very large datasets associated with civil aviation. The CAMI aviation safety/medical certification data warehouse was created with data from varying time periods. Data includes NTSB mishap data from 1983 to 2005, FAA Accident Incident data from 1971 to 2005, airmen registry data (combined with medical certification data) from 1962 to 2005, toxicology data from 1990 to 2005, and autopsy data from 1980 to 2005. The research methodology, developed using records from the CAMI warehouse, was used to create the Aerospace Medical Research Scientific Information System that contains new metrics for comparing groups of aviators. This was done by developing a methodology that combined the various data sources into a single integrated database while transforming the data into a format conducive to epidemiological studies. The authors will discuss the methodologies developed to create new metrics\u2014Active Airmen, Months Contributed, and Effective Class\u2014which show promise in comparing groups of aviators with various pathologic conditions. The distributions and evolution of pathologic conditions can be observed in the resulting Scientific Information System pilot population for the time period of interest. The Scientific Information System overcomes the data incongruities between the source databases and makes analysis possible with statistical programs. CAMI was successful in creating a Scientific Information System, which is a permanent database for use in epidemiological aviation research, by integrating multiple datasets and allowing the investigation of potential safety-related issues. The Scientific Information System was created to improve data handling issues and bring cutting edge analytical tools to allow explorations of rare outcomes and to develop risk management models. The Scientific Information System permits aviation safety-related epidemiological research on the entire U.S. civil pilot population.119