Initial Evaluation of a Conflict Detection Tool in the Terminal Area

A conflict detection and resolution tool, Terminal Tactical Separation Assurance Flight Environment (T-TSAFE), is being developed to address the inadequacies of the legacy system in the field, Conflict Alert. Since altitude intent information improves T-TSAFE's conflict detection accuracy, this initial human-inthe-loop test of the tool had three T-TSAFE conditions: altitude clearances entered into the tool by the controllers via keyboard, altitude clearances entered into the tool from the flight deck via Automatic Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), and no altitude entries. Entering altitude clearances into T-TSAFE was expected to reduce false alerts but did not, possibly due to the short duration of the runs. The test conditions also did not significantly impact the duration of the alert or the controller’s response time to the alert. The subjective data showed that controllers favored T-TSAFE over Conflict Alert as used in the field due to the ease of use and perceived reduction in false alerts.