3rd ALIAS Conference Presentation 5-6 October 2015

2. A Human Factors
perspective: the LOAT
Florence – 5th October 2015

3. LOAT - Level of Automation Taxonomy
• A framework to classify and compare different types of Human
Performance Automation Support.
• Originally developed in the context of the SESAR Project 16.5.1
“Identification and Integration of Automation Related Good
Practices”
• Developed by analysing 26 examples of ground and airborne
automated functions
• Adopted for STEP 1.2 of the Legal Case

4. Defining automation:
• Levels of Automation (Sheridan & Verplanck, 1978)
Low 1
The computer offers no assistance, human must take all decisions and
actions
2 The computer offers a complete set of decision/action alternatives, or
3 Narrows the selection down to a few, or
4 Suggests one alternative and
5 Executes that suggestion if the human approves, or
6 Allows the human a restricted veto time before automatic execution
7 Executes automatically, then necessarily informs the human, and
8 Informs the human only if asked, or
9 Informs the human only if it, the computer, decides to
High 10 The computer decides everything, acts autonomously, ignores the human
Not all or nothing

5. Defining automation:
• A model for types and Levels of Automation
(Parasuraman & c. 2000)
INFORMATION
ACQUISITION
INFORMATION
ANALYSIS
DECISION AND
ACTION SELECTION
ACTION
IMPLEMENTANTION
Not all the same

6. Examples
INFORMATION
ACQUISITION
The Remote Tower Concept
Airport Moving Map for the Cockpit

7. Examples
INFORMATION
ANALYSIS
STCA (Short Term Conflict Alert)

8. Examples
DECISION AND
ACTION SELECTION
CATO (Controller Assistance Tool)
The air traffic controller is assisted
in deciding which flight levels are
free from other aircraft and can be
instructed to a given aircraft
Example by DFS

9. Examples
ACTION
IMPLEMENTANTION
TCAS with Airbus AP/FD Capability
TCAS
"Climb" RA
 Visual and aural advice
 RA (Resolution Advisory) executed by the autopilot
 Pilot allowed to interrupt the execution and take manual control
TCAS
“Descend" RA
Climb
Climb

10. A
INFORMATION
ACQUISITION
B
INFORMATION
ANALYSIS
C
DECISION AND ACTION
SELECTION
D
ACTION
IMPLEMENTATION
Artefact Supported
Action Implementation
D1
Step by step Action
Support
D2
Low Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D3
High Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D4
Medium Level Automat.
of Action Seq. Execut.
D6
Low Level Automation
of Action Sequence Exec
D5
Full Automation of
Action Sequence Exec
D8
High Level Automation
of Action Seq. Execut.
D7
Artefact Supported
Decision Making
C1
Automated Decision
Support
C2
Rigid Automated
Decision Support
C3
Low Level Automatic
Decision Making
C4
Full Automatic Decision
Making
C6
High Level Automatic
Decision Making
C5
Artefact Supported
Information Analysis
B1
Low Level Automation
Support of Info Analysis
B2
Med. Level Automation
Support of Info Analysis
B3
High Level Automation
Support of Info Analysis
B4
Full Automation
Support of Info Analysis
B5
Artefact Supported
Information Acquisition
A1
Low Level Automation
Support of Info Acquisition
A2
Med. Level Automation
Support of Info Acquisition
A3
High Level Automation
Support of Info Acquisition
A4
Full Automation
Support of Info Acquisition
A5
The LOAT

11. C
DECISION AND ACTION
SELECTION
D
ACTION
IMPLEMENTATION
Artefact Supported
Action Implementation
D1
Step by step Action
Support
D2
Low Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D3
High Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D4
Medium Level Automat.
of Action Seq. Execut.
D6
Low Level Automation
of Action Sequence Exec
D5
Full Automation of
Action Sequence Exec
D8
High Level Automation
of Action Seq. Execut.
D7
Artefact Supported
Decision Making
C1
Automated Decision
Support
C2
Rigid Automated
Decision Support
C3
Low Level Automatic
Decision Making
C4
Full Automatic Decision
Making
C6
High Level Automatic
Decision Making
C5
TCAS
"Climb" RA
TCAS
“Descend" RA
 Traditional TCAS II v7.2
» Visual and aural advice
» RA executed by the crew
Comparing 2 kinds of TCAS

12. C
DECISION AND ACTION
SELECTION
D
ACTION
IMPLEMENTATION
Artefact Supported
Action Implementation
D1
Step by step Action
Support
D2
Low Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D3
High Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D4
Medium Level Automat.
of Action Seq. Execut.
D6
Low Level Automation
of Action Sequence Exec
D5
Full Automation of
Action Sequence Exec
D8
High Level Automation
of Action Seq. Execut.
D7
Artefact Supported
Decision Making
C1
Automated Decision
Support
C2
Rigid Automated
Decision Support
C3
Low Level Automatic
Decision Making
C4
Full Automatic Decision
Making
C6
High Level Automatic
Decision Making
C5
TCAS
"Climb" RA
TCAS
“Descend" RA
 Traditional TCAS II v7.2
» Visual and aural advice
» RA executed by the crew
The system
decides the
best option
and informs
the human
During the execution by
the pilot the system
provides guidance through
continuous visual and
aural feedback
Comparing 2 kinds of TCAS

13. C
DECISION AND ACTION
SELECTION
D
ACTION
IMPLEMENTATION
Artefact Supported
Action Implementation
D1
Step by step Action
Support
D2
Low Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D3
High Level Support of
Action Sequence Execut.
D4
Medium Level Automat.
of Action Seq. Execut.
D6
Low Level Automation
of Action Sequence Exec
D5
Full Automation of
Action Sequence Exec
D8
High Level Automation
of Action Seq. Execut.
D7
Artefact Supported
Decision Making
C1
Automated Decision
Support
C2
Rigid Automated
Decision Support
C3
Low Level Automatic
Decision Making
C4
Full Automatic Decision
Making
C6
High Level Automatic
Decision Making
C5
TCAS
"Climb" RA
TCAS
“Descend" RA
 TCAS II v7.2 with AP/FD Capability
» RA executed by the autopilot
» Pilot allowed to interrupt
The system
decides the
best option
and informs
the human
The system executes
automatically a sequence
of actions. The human can
monitor the sequence and
interrupt it at any time
Comparing 2 kinds of TCAS

14. Thanks for you attention
Luca Save
luca.save@dblue.it