Operational Performance
Aviation is a complex enterprise and human operators conduct the majority of critical functions performed within the industry. The level of performance observed by these individuals (e.g., air traffic controllers, pilots, maintenance technicians), depends on a variety of factors that include workload, fatigue, experience and training. Accounting for each of these ‘human factors’ is critical when quantifying the level of safety risk present. A combination of human-in-the-loop, fast-time simulation and observational techniques are being used by ISA Software to assess these issues as they pertain to existing procedures, policies and technologies. Recent publications that summarize our efforts are listed below:
Behavioral Economics
Aviation is an industry with razor-thin profit margins where the difference between profit and loss is determined by a handful of seats. Human performance research today suffers from its inability to relate its impact on the profitability of the industry. ISA has recently begun a series of research initiatives that examine this issue, specifically relating how changes in pilot and air traffic controller performance impact the financial viability of the industry. Suchinitiatives are critical towards ensuring that safety related research continues to remain viable during challenging economic times. Recent publications that summarize our efforts are listed below