Controller-to-Controller Communication and Coordination Taxonomy (C4T)

摘要

While previous research in the air traffic control (ATC) communications area hasgenerally concentrated on controller-pilot communications, this program of research focuses on controller-to-controller communications. At the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), teams of two controllers, R-side and D-side, are required to communicate on a continuing basis to coordinate the duties of their sector. As modernization of the ATC system progresses, questions arise concerning the effects these changes will have on intra-enroute sector team (EST) communications. In anticipation of technology changes, the Federal Aviation Administration commissioned a series of studies investigating intra-EST communication. This initial study details the design and subsequent field testing of the Controller-to-Controller Communication and Coordination Taxonomy (C4T). The taxonomy is designed to capture the following general communication categories: Topic, Format (grammatical form), and Expression. The final taxonomy resulting from this research contains 12 ATC topics (i.e., Traffic, Altitude, etc.). Communication Grammatical Format contained 5 subcategories: Question, Answer, Statement, Command, and Command Answer. Communication Expression consisted of 3 subcategories: Verbal, Nonverbal or a combination of Verbal and Nonverbal, referred to as Both. A field study at an ARTCC was conducted with