The implications of data-link for representing pilot request information on 2D and 3D air traffic control displays

Abstract Twenty-three participants (six air traffic control specialists, and 17 pilots trained in fundamental ATC skills), performed a simulation in which they were required to evaluate pilot requests for flight plan changes, issued by aircraft depicted on their display. Some requests could be safely granted, whereas others would bring about a mid-air conflict with other aircraft. Participants evaluated the requests in the context of an airspace depicted on either a conventional 2D planar display or a 3D perspective display. Requests were presented either as voice messages or were displayed visually. Visual requests were either printed at the bottom of the display or represented as vectors, emanating in the requested direction from the requesting aircraft. The results indicated that controllers performed more accurately than pilots, and that performance was generally equivalent with the 2D and the 3D display. Overall performance was best with the auditory-verbal request mode. It was considerably slower with the print mode, presumably because of the greater visual scanning required. The spatial vector mode offered performance that was faster than print, but considerably less accurate. Particular deficiencies were noticed with the vector mode when it was used to present complex 3-dimensional requests in the context of the 3-dimensional display. The results are discussed within the context of their relevance for data-link technology and advanced ATC display concepts.