research-article

From Paper Flight Strips to Digital Strip Systems: Changes and Similarities in Air Traffic Control Work Practices

Authors:

Johanna Gramlich,

Tobias GrundgeigerAuthors Info & Claims

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 4, Issue CSCW1

Article No.: 28, Pages 1 - 21

https://doi.org/10.1145/3392833

Published: 29 May 2020 Publication History

Abstract

To increase capacity and safety in air traffic control, digital strip systems have superseded paper strips in lower airspace control centers in Europe. Previous ethnographic studies on paper strip systems anticipated a radical change in work practices with digital strip systems, but we are not aware of any studies that evaluated these predictions. We carried out contextual inquiries with controllers and focused on face-to-face and radio communication, interactions with the digital strip system and the workspace in general. In turn, we contribute (1) detailed descriptions of controllers' work practices, such as using tacit information from radio communication and 'standard advocates vs. tinkerers' operation modes, (2) respective implications for design and (3) discuss how the observed work practices are similar or different from the reported practices in the literature of the two preceding decades. Our key insights are, that documentation speed is faster with digital strips, although a high load in the case of radio frequency persists. Controllers retrieve tacit information from the radio communication and combine it with scattered cues from several displays to form empathic decisions that sometimes exceed the standard protocol. We conclude that the role of tacit information holds opportunities for future flight systems and should be considered in a holistic approach to individualized workspaces for controllers.

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Cited By

Schmidt STagunkov DPilmannová TMachula V(2024)Analysis of the Methods of Flight Clearance Entry and the Impact on the Situational Awareness of Air Traffic Control Operators2024 New Trends in Civil Aviation (NTCA)10.23919/NTCA60572.2024.10517856(275-281)Online publication date: 25-Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.23919/NTCA60572.2024.10517856
Huber SStötter K(2024)Emotion Sonification As Opportunity For Inclusive Texting: Replacing Emoji With Vocal Bursts And Prosodic VoicesProceedings of the 13th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/3679318.3685403(1-14)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3679318.3685403
Gomez-Beldarrain GVerma HKim EBozzon A(2024)Revealing the Challenges to Automation Adoption in Organizations: Examining Practitioner Perspectives From an International AirportExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650964(1-7)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650964
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

From Paper Flight Strips to Digital Strip Systems: Changes and Similarities in Air Traffic Control Work Practices
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Collaborative and social computing
    1. Collaborative and social computing design and evaluation methods
      1. Ethnographic studies
    2. Collaborative and social computing theory, concepts and paradigms
      1. Computer supported cooperative work
  2. Interaction design
    1. Interaction design process and methods
      1. Contextual design

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction Volume 4, Issue CSCW1

CSCW

May 2020

1285 pages

EISSN:2573-0142

DOI:10.1145/3403424

Editors:
Cliff Lampe
University of Michigan
,
Jeff Nichols
Google
,
Karrie Karahalios
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
,
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
Vienna University of Technology
,
Uichin Lee
KAIST
,
Andres Monroy-Hernandez
Microsoft Research
,
Wolfgang Stuerzlinger
Simon Fraser University, Canada

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Publication History

Published: 29 May 2020

Published in PACMHCI Volume 4, Issue CSCW1

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Cited By

Schmidt STagunkov DPilmannová TMachula V(2024)Analysis of the Methods of Flight Clearance Entry and the Impact on the Situational Awareness of Air Traffic Control Operators2024 New Trends in Civil Aviation (NTCA)10.23919/NTCA60572.2024.10517856(275-281)Online publication date: 25-Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.23919/NTCA60572.2024.10517856
Huber SStötter K(2024)Emotion Sonification As Opportunity For Inclusive Texting: Replacing Emoji With Vocal Bursts And Prosodic VoicesProceedings of the 13th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/3679318.3685403(1-14)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3679318.3685403
Gomez-Beldarrain GVerma HKim EBozzon A(2024)Revealing the Challenges to Automation Adoption in Organizations: Examining Practitioner Perspectives From an International AirportExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650964(1-7)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650964
Mastrianni ASarcevic AHu AAlmengor LTempel PGao SBurd R(2023)Transitioning Cognitive Aids into Decision Support Platforms: Requirements and Design GuidelinesACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/358243130:3(1-28)Online publication date: 10-Jun-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3582431
Mastrianni ASarcevic ACui HKrentsa MSullivan TZakeri IMarsic IBurd R(2023)Supporting Awareness of Dynamic Data: Approaches to Designing and Capturing Data within Interactive Clinical ChecklistsProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3595979(1293-1308)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3563657.3595979
Huber SRathß N(2023)Empathic Accuracy and Mental Effort During Remote Assessments of EmotionsProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3580824(1-13)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3580824
Gramlich JPauli SHuber SBaur CHurtienne J(2022)Fin, Whale, Coin and Flatterer: Exploring Tangibles for Air Traffic ControlProceedings of the Sixteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction10.1145/3490149.3502260(1-13)Online publication date: 13-Feb-2022
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Huber SGramlich JPauli SMundschenk SHaugg EGrundgeiger T(2022)Toward User Experience in ATC: Exploring Novel Interface Concepts for Air Traffic ControlInteracting with Computers10.1093/iwc/iwac03234:2(43-59)Online publication date: 12-Oct-2022
https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwac032

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