Graphical interfaces for cooperative planning systems

Enroute flight planning (selecting alternate routes or destinations due to unanticipated weather, traffic, malfunctions, etc.) is being used as the context for studying the design of cooperative problem-solving systems. A testbed, Flight Planner, for studying computer aids for enroute flight path planning, is described. Its design is based on a cognitive task analysis of five airline flight crews in a simulator study. The testbed runs on a Macintosh II controlling three color monitors, and is being used to study the design of supports for both flight crews and dispatchers. Some of the design concepts being studied in this environment are discussed