6.3.1 Remote-aerodrome-ATS-related human factors elements/aspects

The aspects listed in this section are applicable when implementing remote aerodrome ATS, regardless of single or multiple mode of operation. Particular care and considerations should be taken with regard to the interaction between aerodromes and the increased complexity when providing multiple mode of operation. The concept includes existing standards and anticipates the introduction of future standards and applications of the technology associated with image presentation, which encompasses several aspects. Before implementing the technology, the ATS provider should perform human factors assessments, including the following technical elements: screen layout; field of view (vertical and horizontal degree angle, speed and smoothness of panning); use and impact of colours; image quality factors (contrast, brightness, sharpness, focus, dynamic range, resolution, jitter and motion blur, etc.) for the area of interest; compression and distortion of reality; availability and usability of binocular function; avoidance of blind areas and, if unavoidable, their location and their mitigation; preliminary assessment of acceptability of and trust in reliability of the visual presentation; preliminary assessment of acceptability of and trust in the availability of the visual presentation; preliminary assessment of acceptability of and trust in the integrity of the visual presentation; preliminary assessment of acceptability of and trust in the accuracy of the visual presentation; end-to-end delays between image and sound (if implemented) capture and their presentation; discrepancy or synchronisation between visual presentation, aerodrome sound (if implemented) and voice communication; appearance and mitigation of image freezing issues; physical and mental fatigue induction (e.g. eye fatigue, noise induced fatigue); capability of the system to provide smooth, regular and operationally acceptable visual presentation of moving/flashing/rotating objects to the human eye; quality of the visual presentation to allow the ATCO/AFISO to judge the distance between objects; functions to manage and avoid overlapping information; and system monitoring capabilities. Other technical elements specific to local implementation At least, the following human factors elements should be taken into consideration as a consequence of the replacement of direct visual observation with visual surveillance systems: ATCO/AFISO ability to ‘maintain a continuous watch on all flight operations on and in the vicinity of an aerodrome as well as vehicles and personnel on the manoeuvring area’; ATCO/AFISO situational awareness; ATCO/AFISO perception; ATCO/AFISO workload; ATCO/AFISO fatigue and boredom; impact of augmented reality; usability of input devices; effect of time delays on visual presentation in all situations, with special attention to emergency situations (e.g. runway incursions); potential confusion over the different views that an ATCO/AFISO could suffer from having images originated from different cameras with different locations and angles of view on the manoeuvring area (e.g. positioning cameras on both sides of a runway); differences in brightness between ground and sky in the screen views; differences in brightness between reality and the presented view; partial limitation of view in the visual presentation caused by glare, e.g. during low-standing sun; contrast of screens with the background; colour balance with different daylight configurations; combining video images from different sources such as visual cameras, infrared cameras, etc.; screens arrangement (e.g. number of screens, angles of screens, edges of screens, multiple views); ATCO/AFISO workspace ergonomics (e.g. seated versus standing, distance from desk to screens); capability of the cameras to capture and transmit blinking beacon images; specific local conditions affecting the visibility (e.g. deficiencies in image capture due to seawater splash); if made available, aerodrome ambient sound; acoustic characteristics of the control room (RTM/RTC); camera angles and screen orientation in relation to aerodrome layouts and in relation to the different legs of the aerodrome traffic circuit, as well as emergency and missed approach procedures; integrated flight data label information (if available), both with static information and with dynamic information, and measures to prevent the label from shadowing visual information as well as measures to prevent frequent and sudden moves of those labels; binocular functionality and the possibility to follow moving objects, either automatically (rotation, tilt to the desired elevation angle and focus at the indicated distance, if available) or through a manual pan-and-tilt/zoom function; visual tracking functionality (if available). Additionally, the human factors assessment needs to consider some aspects of procedural and other nature, not necessarily related to the replacement of direct visual observation. At least the following aspects should be taken into account: local procedures to manage movement of vehicles, aircraft and persons on the manoeuvring area; local procedures on the coordination of aerodrome ATS unit and approach control (APP) unit, and/or area control centre and flight information centre (ACC/FIC) as applicable, whether merged or not in the same location; local procedures for the coordination between the ATS unit and ATSEP; local procedures for the coordination between the ATS unit and aerodrome ground personnel; local procedures related to aircraft emergency and abnormal situations; local procedures for operations during low-cloud situations, low visibility or similar; local procedures to handle limitations and conditions (e.g. number of simultaneous aircraft and/or vehicle movements at one aerodrome for a specific time), if applicable; local procedures related to the contingency plans in case of partial, single and or multiple failure at the RTC; specific training elements related to local aerodrome characteristics (e.g. unit endorsement requirements); effect of limitations on operation (if any) and prioritisation of traffic; effect of the types of airspace surrounding the aerodrome concerned particularly when establishing a new ATS unit; effect on the possibility to detect and recognise aircraft, their equipment, flight patterns and behaviour of flights; specific local requirements needed for safety reasons, such as: extended spacing (if used e.g. during a transition/start-up phase following implementation); ground equipment (e.g. radar); on-board equipment (e.g. transponder, ADS-B); specific camera configuration (e.g. hot spot coverage); specific additional camera equipment e.g. adaptable housing and ancillary equipment (e.g. automatic cleaning system for the windows, sun filters) to protect and mitigate effects caused by sunshine, weather and animal activities); specific screen requirements (e.g. automatic adjustable contrast to mitigate daylight variations); and for the case when ATCOs/AFISOs will switch service provision between aerodromes under the same shift (may be applicable both to the single mode of operation as well as to the multiple mode of operation, see Sections 4.1.30 and 4.2.30), it is recommended that ATS providers consider the consequences on fatigue and mental availability and define mitigation measures as suitable; procedures in case of image integrity failure; maintenance procedures; and fall-back and system degradation procedures and operational contingency procedures in case of significant degradation or interruption of its operations.