NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001

A -- FLIGHT DECK AUTOMATION SOL 1-075-DCP.1216 DUE 051498 POC Evangeline G. Poulson, Purchasing Agent, Phone (757)-864-2433, Fax (757) 864-9774, Email E.G.POULSON@larc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/LaRC/date.html#1-075-DCP.1216. E-MAIL: Evangeline G. Poulson, E.G.POULSON@larc.nasa.gov. NASA/LaRC plans to issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for a flight deck automation research entitled, Situation Awareness/Levels of Automation. The Statement of Work is as follows: Situation Awareness/Levels of Automation The Crew/Vehicle Integration Branch of the NASA Langley Research Center has begun an effort called Error Proof Flight Deck (EPFD). EPFD is one of a number of efforts being conducted within the overall Aviation Safety Program. The goal of the EPFD project is to develop a clean slate, top-down, human-centered flight deck concept. The concept of Situation Awareness (SA) is central to this design. To support informed action in an integrated human/machine system, it is important to provide ready access to useful information, to ensure situation awareness. It is just as important to design for human involvement in system function to promote effective situation awareness; i.e., to promote effective crew mental state and appropriate mental engagement in the supervisory task. A 10 Levels of Automation (LOA) taxonomy has been developed and tested in laboratory experimentation. This taxonomy was used to arrive at recommendations for the types of automation that would most improve (or negatively impact) performance. The goal of this research effort is to apply the 10 Levels of Automation (LOA) taxonomy to automation efforts in the advanced cockpit. In particular, it is proposed that intermediate LOA will allow performance benefits due to the assistance that automation affords, while reducing the SA losses associated with the out-of-the-loop performance problem under high levels of automation. The effort will refine methodologies that support the development of guidelines for defining boundaries of safe allocation of functions between pilot and system in highly automated flight environments, based upon empirical determinations of situation awareness. This effort supports Recommendations SA-5 and SA-9 of the FAA Human Factors Team Report on The Interfaces between flightcrews and Modern Flight Deck Systems (June 18, 1996) to encourage the exploration, development, and testing of new ideas and approaches for providing effective feedback to the flightcrew to support detection and improved situation awareness (SA-5), and to develop improved methods for evaluating designs for susceptibility to hazardous states of awareness (SA-9). This effort is also consistent with the Critical Technologies Program of the NASA Implementation Plan for the National Plan for Civil Aviation Human Factors (March 1995), which recommended development of procedures, countermeasures to human error and processes to enhance human performance (p. 34). Specific tasks: 1. The contractor shall apply the 10 Levels of Automation to the flight deck domain to identify various configurations of automation. 2. The contractor shall create a simulation employing the 10 LOA taxonomy in a commercial aircraft simulation. This simulation should allow testing of the hypothesis that intermediate LOA will allow performance benefits while reducing the SA losses associated with the out-of-the-loop performance problem under high levels of automation. The simulation may be implemented in a low fidelity environment or high fidelity aircraft simulator based on mutual agreement between the contractor and NASA. 3 The contractor shall create a version of SAGAT suitable for testing this hypothesis. SAGAT shall be employed in the aircraft simulation to determine the effects of features of the LOA taxonomy on pilot situation awareness and performance. Deliverables: 1. A written report describing the results of the specific tasks described above. Period of performance: 12 months This procurement is being conducted under the Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP). NASA/LaRC intends to purchase the items from SA Technologies. This task requires the use of a measurement methodology known as SAGAT that was developed by SA Technologies. The task builds on previous research conducted by this company. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26. See Note 22. Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nnotes.htm. Interested firms have 10 days from the publication of this synopsis to submit in writing to the identified point of contact, their qualifications/capabilities. Such qualifications/capabilities will be used solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. Responses received after the 10 days or without the required information will be considered nonresponsive to the synopsis and will not be considered. A determination by the Government to not compete this proposed effort on a full and open competitive basis, based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See Internet Note "B". (0124)

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