From identification of requirements to the operational validation of an integrated solution: Approach and issues to design an effective human machine interface for air traffic controller working position in SESAR

Design, development and implementation of advanced technological systems is the challenging business experienced by industry engineers in every day professional life. The increased complexity of such systems and the huge amount of information to be managed makes the challenge even more hard. The new European Air Traffic Management System under development in the framework of the SESAR Programme represents one of these complex system of systems where a number of different stakeholders distributed worldwide are required to interact with. A primary actor taking safety-critical decision in the ATM is the Air Traffic Controller. Thus, the availability of timely and clear information allowing the Human to take the best decision any time in any condition is vital. That means, in turn, the Human Machine Interface (HMI) of the Air Traffic Controller Working Position (ATCo CWP) plays a very essential and strategic role. The paper intends to explain how SESAR project P05.09 “Usability Requirements and Human Factors Issues for the Controller Working Position” is going to address the requirements definition process and planning pre-operational validation activity for the SESAR CWP HMI.