ABSTRACT
Air traffic controllers work in a socially critical system transitioning to an increasingly sophisticated automation of work functions intended to close the widening gap between industry needs and provider capacities. Air traffic control (ATC) automation is moving beyond data gathering, data presentation, and simple analysis into automated problem solving and decision making. This has been made possible through advances in computer capabilities, and justified by the belief that the human is a limiting factor within a growing aviation world. It has been widely predicted that new technologies such as electronic flight strips and automated data links will produce substantial qualitative changes to the job of the air traffic controller. The aim of this paper is to highlight some specific operational changes and their ramifications for workgroups and ultimately workload within complex projects such as The Australian Advanced Air Traffic System (TAAATS).
