Validating airspaceAnalyzer Metrics for En Route ATC Sector Complexity

Abstract

The MITRE Corporation’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) has developed a tool, airspaceAnalyzer, to measure sector complexity. It does so by performing automated air traffic control—separating traffic while respecting aircraft performance and restrictions on altitude and miles-in-trail. It outputs a suite of raw metrics, derived from characteristics of these resolutions. We performed experiments first to calibrate, then to validate, the model.To define a “correct” value for sector complexity against which to calibrate and validate, we enlisted a team of experts (retired Certified Professional Controllers). The experts performed air traffic control for en route sectors in Indianapolis Center in a realistic simulation environment. They provided periodic assessments of the sector’s complexity on a scale from 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum).We averaged the assessments of all participating experts at a particular time to define the correct answer for that time.We calibrated airspaceAnalyzer t...