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Controller Position Design

Article Information

Category: Design Philosophy

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Content source: SKYbrary

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Description
The design of an air traffic controller's working position (CWP) is critical to
the safe and efficient operation of a control room. Factors that affect CWP
design include the following:

Controller comfort, including:

Seat design;
General lighting;
Noise;
 Heating and ventilation:

Ergonomic arrangement of CWP with respect to:

Equipment;
Other staff within the control room;
Windows (where an outside view is required);

Equipment design, including:

Software philosophy and design;

Readability of radar screens;
Instrument lighting and readability;
Ease of use of controls;
Efficiency of communications equipment;

and many other factors.

The development or modification of controller working positions is one of

the most visible and critical activities in the upgrade of an ATM system. It
is also one of the most difficult. For controllers, the CWP is both their
working environment and the tool through which they exercise their
professional skills. Consequently, changes to the CWP are a matter of
considerable significance, potential sensitivity and an area in which
acceptance of a system upgrade can be won or lost.

Successful development and introduction of a controller working position

involves the integration of operational, technical and human factors
expertise as well as good management and effective communication. It is
also a long process and increasingly stringent regulatory and safety
standards are generating new requirements in terms of traceability.

CWP development, testing and acceptance has been a source of

difficulties for R&D concept studies as well as a major contributor to
delays in the introduction of major systems upgrades in Europe and
elsewhere.
The Core Requirements for ATM Working Positions (CoRe) project was a
project of the EATM Human Resources Management programme, carried
out at the EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre and completed in
December 2002. The purpose of the CoRe project was to consolidate and
disseminate good practice on the requirements capture, design, and
evaluation of ATM working positions for European ATM.

Further Reading
EUROCONTROL

Controller Working Position Brochure (http://www.skybrary.aero/book

shelf/books/212.pdf);
HF31 CoRe Project: An Overview of the Project Activity (http://www.sk
ybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/213.pdf);
HF43 CoRe Project: Baseline Exemplary Style Guide (http://www.skyb
rary.aero/bookshelf/books/214.pdf);
HF19 Font Requirements for Next Generation ATM Systems (http://ww
w.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/215.pdf);
HF20 Methodology for Selecting Fonts for Next Generation ATM
Systems (http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/216.pdf).
Design for Humans (https://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/4194.
pdf), Steven Shorrock, Safeguard January/February 2018, Feb 2018.

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