Adaptive Automation through Interactive Visualization

Abstract

My main research question is how adaptive automation through interactive visualization can be used to improve human-automation collaboration. The research is performed in a cross-domain project including air traffic control, train control, and vessel traffic service, where I mainly focus at air traffic control. All domains are safety critical, include highly complex control room environments, and are facing increasing automation with thereby associated challenges. Adaptive automation by sensing the operator is one approach to mitigate potential automation problems. The first studies will be performed using a prototype with a graphical representation of an automated conflict detection tool where the operator gets visual attention support based on eye tracker data. Different concepts of information visualization feedback will be explored. A literature review on adaptive automation indicated that the projects approach is novel in its combination of adaptive automation, information visualization, and by its cross-domain nature. Finding the best ways of taking advantage of the cross-domain approach, how to get access to operative environments and operators, and how to find effective, yet unobtrusive, sensors are some of the identified challenges.