Applied Cognitive Task Analysis as a tool for analyzing work demands in a C4I environment: a case study using a mid-fidelity simulation

Book chapter, 2011

The majority of worldwide goods transportation is carried out by ships at sea. In order to promote safety in narrow waters and around major ports, several countries have installed Vessel Traffic Services (VTS). VTS operators monitor a specific geographical area and support and direct ships that sail through the area, primarily making the navigating officer of each ship aware of the current traffic situation, local weather and geographical conditions. In this, the VTS domain represents a civilian Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence (C4I) environment. Identifying user needs and analysing user behaviour in these environments require appropriate methods that are comprehensive and valid. This paper presents an adapted use of the Applied Cognitive Task Analysis (ACTA) in a case study where an interactive mid-fidelity scenario for the phase of the Simulation Interview has been used. The use of the interactive simulation as a knowledge eliciting tool within the context of ACTA is discussed and assessed using Hoffman’s method evaluation criteria.