The Computerized Analysis of ATC Tracking Data for an Operational Evaluation of CDTI/ADS-B Technology

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute2000PDFTech ReportMills, S. H.United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Civil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Office of Aerospace MedicineUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Civil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited StatesAir traffic controlAircraftAviation safetyFlight pathsHuman factorsInformation display systemsRadar trackingRecordingSurveillanceRadarCockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI)ADS-BOperational evaluationDOT/FAA/AM-00/30AM-B-00-HRR-516Final ReportIn 1999, the Cargo Airlines Association and the Federal Aviation Administration conducted an operational evaluation (OpEval) of Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) technologies at the Airborne Express Airpark in Wilmington, Ohio. This evaluation was designed to demonstrate the benefits of CDTI, including safety, efficiency, and capacity. The evaluation included 13 aircraft of various types and their flight crews. The aircraft flew multiple flight patterns during the morning and the afternoon of a single day. Each traffic pattern flown by each aircraft was assigned to either the CDTI or baseline (no CDTI) condition. Human factors observers recorded data from the flight decks and the control tower. In addition, air traffic control (ATC) data were recorded by the participating ATC facilities. An important part of the analysis of such a demonstration is the examination of objective flight data. Because of the complexity of the OpEval, new computerized analysis techniques were developed and conducted. This paper describes those techniques in detail, as well as the results of the analysis. Methods such as those described here will be increasingly important as new technologies are developed and evaluated operationally.120