An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Air Traffic Control

This research is an exploratory study that evaluates the potential for using a three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality headset in air traffic control scenarios by considering whether they offer advantages in identifying potential in-flight collisions in comparison to traditional 2-dimensional (2D) displays. Presenting large volumes of data on 2D displays may limit speed and efficiency of air traffic control work. By comparison, virtual reality (VR) allows users to experience immersion within a virtual environment which facilitates different modes of interaction with large and complex datasets. Fifteen participants were involved in this explorative study, none of whom were trained air traffic controllers. Each participant observed a number of simulated flight scenarios using both a 2D display and a 3D VR headset. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data was collected using simulation event logs and post-observation questionnaires. The quantitative data from the simulation logs generally shows that potential collisions are detected more quickly using VR. Despite this, participants did not feel as able to detect potential collisions using virtual reality.