Human Performance Modeling in Aviation

Based on the research activities of the six-year NASA human performance modeling project, Human Performance Modeling in Aviation provides an in-depth look at cognitive modeling of human operators for aviation problems. This book presents specific solutions to aviation safety problems and explores methods for integrating human performance modeling into the aviation design process. The text compares the application of five different models to two classes of aviation problems: pilot navigation errors during airport taxi operations and approach and landing performance with synthetic vision systems. This results in a comprehensive summary of the capabilities of each model and of the field in general.

Table of Contents:
Goals, Aviation Problems, and Modeling. The NASA Human Performance Modeling Project: Goals, Approach, and Overview. Using Human Performance Modeling in Aviation. Aviation Safety Studies: Taxi Navigation Errors and Synthetic Vision System Operations. Application of Individual Modeling Tools to the Aviation Problems. Overview of Human Performance Modeling Tools. An ACT-R Approach to Closing the Loop on Computational Cognitive Modeling: Describing Dynamics of Interactive Decision Making and Attention Allocation. Modeling Pilot Performance With an Integrated Task Network and Cognitive Architecture Approach. Air MIDAS: A Closed-Loop Model Framework. D-OMAR: An Architecture for Modeling Multitask Behaviors. Attention-Situation Awareness (A-SA) Model of Pilot Error. Implications for Modeling and Aviation. A Cross-Model Comparison. Human Performance Modeling: A Virtual Roundtable Discussion. Advancing the State of the Art of Human Performance Models to Improve Aviation Safety. Index.

Review :
"The editors put conspicuous effort into making this volume a tightly integrated presentation of the research project, the tools (i.e. HPM), and the specific problems in the larger context of aviation safety . . . The text works very well as a stand-alone introduction to modeling as well as a review of the state of the art of HPM techniques." —Esa M. Rantanen, Rochester Institute of Technology, in Ergonomics in Design, Fall 2008 “… the first volume devoted entirely to the topic of human performance modeling in aviation. … particularly valuable because, similarly to Gluck and Pew (2005), it compares the performance and usefulness of multiple models (five, to be exact) when addressing the same tasks and scenario contexts. As an added benefit, the editors did not stop after articulating a comparison among models; in addition, they sought out and documented the model developers’ retrospective reflections on the model-building process and the state of the art in such models. The result is a coherent summary of the capabilities of the five models and an assessment of the state of the art of human performance modeling in general and in the field of aviation in particular.” —Richard W. Pew, Principal Scientist, BBN Technologies, from the Foreword