*1.1. CRITERIA Project*

The CRITERIA project (atC event-dRiven capacITy modEls foR aIr nAvigation) is a collaborative project between Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and CRIDA, the Spanish ATM Research and Development Reference Centre. The objective of this project is to establish capacity models based on ATC events. In the same way, another fundamental objective is to integrate the study of the human factors associated with air traffic controllers into these models.

ATC events are a model of the different actions carried out by air traffic controllers. From the beginning of the project, it was defined as one of the requirements that the data used in the analysis should be obtained during the development of the project itself so as to improve the traceability of the data and the explainability of the models.

For this purpose, an en route flight simulator has been used for the development of simulations. The simulator chosen was SkySim, which was developed by SkySoft-ATM. Within this project, SkySim has been used for the development of real-time simulations. However, the simulator can also be used for procedure and airspace design, ATC training, or the testing of new systems and functionalities. SkySim consists of simulation, user interface, management, recording, and replay modules [7].

Two ATC positions are available within the simulation platform. The user interface module consists of a radar display with a full graphical presentation of all ATC information and data [8].

Before this project started (though after the setup of the platform and a set of preliminary exercises had been designed), test simulations were carried out to study the feasibility of starting a project focused on the study of the neurophysiological variables of ATCOs and their relationship with ATC events. The methodology and preliminary results validating interest in the launch of a more detailed and robust project can be found in [9].

The ATC events mentioned in the above reference are conceptually the same as those that will be defined in later sections. The naming of the events has changed as a consequence of the development of the test simulations. Similarly, the exercises presented in the present study are practically the same as the first four exercises described in the previous reference. Following the development of the test simulations, improvements were made and minor errors were identified and corrected.

During the execution of the simulation and data acquisition campaign, the following data were recorded:


Once the first simulations had been developed, it was necessary to define a methodology for assessing the impact of the ATC events that occurred during the development of the simulations on the ATCOs. This methodology is one of the main contributions of this paper.

Studying ATC events separately is not sufficient in itself. A variable is required that relates these events to the difficulty perceived by the ATCOs.
