Colored Petri Net based formal airport control model for simulation and analysis of airport control processes

Abstract

The development of the experimental Remote Tower Operation Human Machine Interface and the new Remote-Controller work position is supported by a cognitive work and task analysis (CWA) of the presently existing work environment and decision processes at airport Leipzig. This paper presents a formal approach for the description of the whole Human Machine System. It is shown how the results of a cognitive work analysis on a medium size airport are transferred into a formal executable human machine model for simulating the controllers work processes in relation to the airport processes. The model is implemented with Colored Petri Nets. The mathematical basis of Petri Nets allows a formal analysis of whole systems. Critical system states and inconsistencies in the human machine system are identified through comparison of knowledge states of the controllers with process states of the airport system by using State Space analysis. The represented formal work process model provides a valuable support for the communication between domain experts and system developers. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.