A quickly-modifiable, easily-customized, yet powerfultestbed ATC simulator is needed to evaluate alternative airspacedesigns, man/machine interfaces for more highly, automatedcontroller suites, and to train ATC specialists. During Phase I,we demonstrated that our TRACON ATC simulator could be extended tosupport these tasks by designing and implementing a visual-orientedairspace design tool, a novel menu-based user interface, and arudimentary 'automated controller' to complement its weather andphot models. We now propose to extend, broaden, and document thoseTRACON Capabilities into a usable set of related products for ATCspecialists and researchers. After experimentally bubding andcomparing new airspace design primitives and man/machine userinterfaces, we will implement the best of those in adual-microcomputer ATC simulator that provides lookahead, planning,and-expert system guidance to the specialist. One computer willperform real-time high-fidelity simulation while the other willprovide future-time automated and manual lookahead, create andstore planned aircraft control commands, and issue those commandson cue to the realtime simulator.Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Results:This work should produce a superior ATC training system and effectsubstantial cost-savings over current methods for government andmilitary users. Moreover, advanced ATC system designers will geta low-cost easily-modifiable simulator for testing and comparingalternative airspace management concepts. Finally, any ATCfacility can use the airspace design tool to quantitativelyevaluate alternative airspace co@ations.
