Overview of the Air Force Program in Workload Assessment

The Aerospace Medical Division of the U.S. Air Force has recognized the need to develop a comprehensive program to define assessment techniques presently available in measuring the workload imposed by systems, to develop new techniques, and eventually to standardize the approach used for this purpose. A joint program between the Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory and the School of Aerospace Medicine has therefore been developed. The short-term program goals are evolved from field requirements determined through large scale surveys, time-line analyses of systems, and other observational techniques. Using these, existing methods for answering workload questions are being evaluated with a goal toward short-term standardization of techniques within the Air Force. From a longer range point-of-view, new metrics, both behavioral and neurophysiological, are being investigated. As sensitive non-obstrusive measures are isolated, they will be incorporated into the standardized testing procedures. Ultimately, the program points toward development of computer modeling techniques to permit man-rating of systems with respect to workload at an early stage of system design. Language: en