Adaptation of an innovative prototype to flow management tasks in an operationnal context

In a previous paper, some innovative design principles applied to the conception of a sequencing manager working position were presented. The resulting prototype, called IODA (Innovative Operations for Departures and Arrivals), was thus introduced. This prototype was meant to replace elements of the working environment currently supported by different tools and HMIs such as the AMAN tool, the paper strips and the corresponding strip bay. Several design walkthroughs allowed key topics of the prototype to be validated. IODA's representation of the flows in case of complex traffic proved to be relevant in the same way as the direct manipulation enabling intuitive interactions demonstrated to be an efficient means to input data in the system. One feature that was presented in the original paper was the interface dedicated to the configuration of the timelines. As this option showed appeal for synthesizing and displaying a large amount of potentially relevant information, the conclusion was that this way of displaying data prepared the ground for the adaptation of IODA to more strategic tasks such as tasks related to air traffic flow management, i.e. ATFCM. In this optic, a preliminary collaboration was set with some ATCOs from Paris ACC that allowed to make sure that their interest for the interface was confirmed and it also emphasized the relevance of a closer collaboration over a longer period of time. After this phase of work, decision had finally been taken to design and to develop an operational prototype of a version for IODA dedicated to live trials this summer in the Paris environment. Therefore, one prototype will be installed in Paris ACC (for the Flow Manager Position) and one will be installed in Orly (for the Tower Manager position). To achieve this goal, some models associated with the tasks performed by the Tower Manager and the FMP manager were produced. This study provided initial elements to get a better understanding of the tasks that had to be undertaken with IODA and set therefore a starting point for the solution design phase. In terms of organization, the general proposal was to establish a fairly flexible collaboration. In this optic, we proposed an iterative process articulated around cycles made up of three stages: understand the user, design the interface and finally perform the corresponding developments. The activity of air traffic flow management is quite complex and involves a large number of actors. In a first part, the paper presents key elements in reference to this activity notably the main data that are managed and some of the different methods currently used to optimize the flows with regards to the different constraints. In a second step, the paper focuses on the process of design and adaptation of the interface to the characteristics of the new activity considered, notably the transformation of IODA's configuration interface into something more ambitious in the form of a Dashboard. This Dashboard not only provides valuable information to operators, such as complexity and density indicators for some points of interest, but also enables to direct the attention of the operators to flow-related issues.