Building on the progress made in earlier phases of the CODA project, Validation Exercise 2 was a pivotal step toward validating and refining the mental state prediction models developed to support air traffic controllers (ATCOs). Hosted by CRIDA in Madrid during the week of November 21, this exercise brought together key partners, leveraging advanced simulation technologies and expert collaboration to test the system under realistic conditions.
The goal of the exercise was clear: to evaluate the ability of CODA’s mental models to predict psychological states such as workload, fatigue, stress, and vigilance in operationally relevant scenarios. These models were crafted using cognitive psychology theories adapted to the unique demands of en-route air traffic control.
A Collaborative Effort:
This activity exemplified the collaborative spirit of the CODA project. CRIDA led the organization of the exercise, with critical contributions from partners:
- BrainSigns collected physiological data, including EEG, heart rate (HR), and skin galvanic responses (SGV) to assess ATCOs’ mental states.
- The University of Granada (UGR) provided tailored questionnaires to gather subjective insights into fatigue and stress.
- IFATCA air traffic controllers participated in the simulations, offering their professional expertise and invaluable feedback.
- CRIDA, additionally provided the platforms and tools to assess ATCo tasks, and the exercise results will be used to calibrate the ATCO mental state prediction models.
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) researchers also assessed the simulations to help validate the ATCO tasks prediction models.
- Deep Blue coordinated the organization of the validation exercises.
The Simulation Environment:
The validation scenarios were run on the ESCAPE Light platform, a specialized simulation tool developed by EUROCONTROL. The setup included:
- A single en-route ATCO workstation monitoring simulated air traffic in a section of Spanish airspace.
- A pseudo-pilot station to manage simulated flights.
- A monitoring station for overseeing the exercise and collecting data.
These small-scale, real-time simulations were designed to provoke realistic reactions, allowing the models to predict how ATCOs respond to varying levels of workload, fatigue, and stress during their operations.
Patricia Maria Lopéz de Frutos from CRIDA shared her reflections on the event:
“As part of the CODA project, during the week of November 21, we conducted data collection on psychophysiological and subjective measures of mental workload, fatigue, stress, and vigilance from air traffic controllers. These efforts aim to calibrate a psychological model capable of predicting these states. To achieve this, we ran various scenarios designed to elicit these effects, with the valuable participation of air traffic controllers from IFATCA.
This validation process has been led by CRIDA, with contributions from BrainSigns, who collected EEG, HR, and SGV data, and the University of Granada (UGR), who designed the fatigue and stress questionnaires. A big thank you to everyone involved in this important step towards enhancing aviation safety and performance!”
This exercise marked a significant step forward in CODA’s mission to integrate human-centric AI tools into air traffic management. The data collected during Validation Exercise 2 is now being analysed, paving the way for more sophisticated mental state prediction capabilities and enhanced collaboration between human controllers and AI systems.
Stay tuned as we continue to break new ground in the intersection of aviation safety and AI innovation!