Atlanta Center Upgraded Third Generation Enroute ATC System Operations: A Case Study.

This report documents the work performed to assess the impact of Upgraded Third Generation Enroute Air Traffic Control ATC System alternatives on control facility operations. The various enhancement features are considered to be added incrementally to the current National Airspace System NAS Stage A enroute ATC operation and include automatic data handling, enroute metering, automated local flow control, conflict probe, area navigation, Discrete Address Beacon System DABS data link, and DABS-based intermittent positive control. Staffing estimates for each enhancement system are made for the Atlantic Air Route Traffic Control Center for the years 1980 through 2000, and include Air Traffic Service and Airway Facilities Service personnel. The estimation procedure uses models previously developed by SRI based on extensive observations of ATC operations. These models include the Relative Capacity Estimating Process RECEP, which relates ATC sector controller workload requirements to traffic capacities, and the Air Traffic Flow ATF network simulation model, with assesses traffic capacity and delay in a multisector environment.