Situational Awareness and Flight Approach Phase Event Recognition Based on Psychophysiological Measurements

Situational awareness (SA) is a key parameter for air traffic control officers (ATCOs) when performing complex tasks in ATC. Identifying the potential lack of SA can avoid serious human errors and assist users to make proper decisions in ATC tasks. This paper aims to evaluate the SA of ATCOs by discriminating various SA levels via commonly used dry-sensor electroencephalography (EEG). This research also provides fundamentals and guidance for further research on SA. In this experiment, 10 participants are recruited to imitate ATCOs and perform three tasks accordingly. The results demonstrated a significant increase in the alpha wave while having a low beta wave with a high Beta power spectrum in channels FC6, F7, and T8 when comparing the projection scenario with the perception scenario. This research further reveals the relationship between various SA statuses and the corresponding physiological feedback, with reasonable measures in non-ideal situations.