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	+ Home Search Aviation Systems		Chicago OMP Ultimate-phase Real-time Simulation and Workload Evaluation (COURSE) Contents Introduction Study Objectives Simulation Design Customer Benefits Customer Comments Summary/Results FutureFlight Central + Overview + Applications + Air Traffic Generator + Business Guide + Projects + Naming of FFC + Multimedia Gallery SimLabs + VMS + CVSRF Introduction The O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) proposes to reconfigure O'Hare International Airport's intersecting runway configuration into a more modern parallel layout that will improve the efficiency of the airport and reduce the delays currently experienced at O’Hare. During September 2005, a real-time, human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation was conducted at NASA's FutureFlight Central (FFC), in which controllers from the O'Hare air traffic control tower operated the proposed airport layout plan (ALP), with the increased traffic levels envisioned. See An Extreme Makeover in the October 2005 SimLabs newsletter. Existing Airport Layout OMP Airport Layout Plan + Back to Top Study Objectives: The goal of the simulation was to obtain human-in-the-loop feedback for a future airport configuration, in the control tower environment, with the following objectives: Better-define ground control operations for the new ALP, including the number of ground controllers required, areas of responsibility, and workload management Identify chokepoints on the airport surface and develop mitigation strategies Evaluate the impact of the new airport configuration on manageability of local-controller workload Evaluate the potential to provide future training to O'Hare controllers + Back to Top Simulation Design: A high-fidelity 3D visual rendering of the proposed airport layout was constructed depicting three runways that will either be converted to taxiways or demolished, two runway extensions, four new parallel runways, a new West terminal, an extension to the existing international terminal, and significant modifications to the existing taxiway system. Northeast view from O'Hare tower in FutureFlight Central Simulation Traffic scenarios for east-flow and west-flow operations, for both VFR and IFR conditions, were created for the peak traffic levels and fleet mix anticipated for post-build-out operations. An elevated center-tower platform was constructed in the FFC tower cab to emulate a future O'Hare tower redesign plan for ground-control operations. Due to the significant changes to the existing airport configuration, the nine participating O'Hare controllers received their own two-day training course in Chicago, several weeks before the FFC training began. In addition, each of the participating controllers spent at least one week at FFC during sim-pilot training, directing traffic from the tower cab to familiarize themselves with operations and procedures for the new airport layout. This training for the controllers was critical to the overall success of the simulation. Nine O'Hare controllers participated during the simulation. A total of twenty 45-minute data-collection runs were conducted. A total of six controller positions and two metering positions were staffed for each run. Two different tower-controller configurations were utilized during the testing that focused separately on ground control and local control operations for the new ALP. + Back to Top Customer Benefits: O'Hare controllers made significant improvements to the operational efficiency of the ALP over the originally proposed taxi routes and tower assignments. The airport and its users will benefit in reduced delays as the FAA implements what was learned in FutureFlight Central without a lengthy and costly trial and error period. + Back to Top Customer Comments: "It's nice to … take a look at something before it's there. You can do a lot of different computer simulations for the ways airplanes move around an airport, … but you never really get the human part of that and how they're going to react to airplanes … or can they divert their attention to where they need to be … up until you actually get a chance to do it" [in FutureFlight Central.] "Two minutes unto running one of these simulations you can’t tell any difference between running the airplanes here in the simulation and actually being in the tower working airplanes." "I wish all the ORD controllers had the opportunity to experience NASA Ames!" "Thanks for all your work in making our project successful. When this airport gets built the controllers working then will have a much easier time handling traffic because of what we did this summer." + Back to Top Summary/Results: An official report will be prepared by the FAA based on subjective feedback and quantitative data collected during the simulation. Preliminary findings are as follows: FAA Air Traffic Controller Operates the Simulation Controllers found the two inbound ground controller positions to be a very lopsided in workload. They redefined the areas of responsibility for better-balance. The effectiveness of these changes were immediately apparent in subsequent runs during the simulation. Significant traffic complexity was found at certain taxiway chokepoints. Utilizing the experience gained during the simulations at FFC, controllers proposed alternative procedures for routing ground traffic to reduce congestion. The result was significantly more efficient ground traffic procedures for the proposed ALP. Controllers identified strengths and weaknesses of the proposed ALP operating under traffic management initiatives, gate-waits, and EDCTs (Expect Departure Clearance Times). Improved departure queue management techniques were developed, as were procedures for aircraft waiting for gates or waiting for departure clearances. The use of standard or coded taxi routes, previously developed from observations of fast-time simulations, was determined to be of great value for arrival taxi routes, but of limited benefit for departure routes. + Back to Top
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