Cynthia Null - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Cynthia Null
Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the advancement of aeronautics and space science. ... more Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the advancement of aeronautics and space science. The NASA scientific and technical information (STI) program plays a key part in helping NASA maintain this important role. The NASA STI program operates under the auspices of the Agency Chief Information Officer. It collects, organizes, provides for archiving, and disseminates NASA's STI. The NASA STI program provides access to the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database and its public interface, the NASA Technical Report Server, thus providing one of the largest collections of aeronautical and space science STI in the world. Results are published in both non-NASA channels and by NASA in the NASA STI Report Series, which includes the following report types: • TECHNICAL PUBLICATION. Reports of completed research or a major significant phase of research that present the results of NASA programs and include extensive data or theoretical analysis. Includes compilations of significant scientific and technical data and information deemed to be of continuing reference value. NASA counterpart of peerreviewed formal professional papers, but having less stringent limitations on manuscript length and extent of graphic presentations.
In the commercial aviation domain, large volumes of data are collected and analyzed on the failur... more In the commercial aviation domain, large volumes of data are collected and analyzed on the failures and errors that result in infrequent incidents and accidents, but in the absence of data on behaviors that contribute to routine successful outcomes, safety management and system design decisions are based on a small sample of nonrepresentative safety data. Analysis of aviation accident data suggests that human error is implicated in up to 80% of accidents, which has been used to justify future visions for aviation in which the roles of human operators are greatly diminished or eliminated in the interest of creating a safer aviation system. However, failure to fully consider the human contributions to successful system performance in civil aviation represents a significant and largely unrecognized risk when making policy decisions about human roles and responsibilities. Opportunities exist to leverage the vast amount of data that has already been collected, or could be easily obtained...
Proceedings of the …, 2008
Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human facto... more Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human factors was still in its adolescence. Nevertheless, human factors design principles were applied to controls and displays. In recent years, human factors considerations were ...
Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers, Mar 1, 1988
This address briefly traces post•1940 U.S. science policy from the science policy agenda set fort... more This address briefly traces post•1940 U.S. science policy from the science policy agenda set forth by Vannevar Bush in 1945 through the recent congressional task force on science policy. Although there are many factors influencing science policy, the focus here is on presidential influence. The effects of U.S. science policy on science are traced by looking at funding patterns in general, as well as at those for behavioral science. The influence of politics on the ability of scientists to freely communicate scientific information is examined. Finally, the role of politics in scientists' access to computing resources is explored. Presented here is a side of science not often seen by those at the bench.
Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers, Mar 1, 1985
Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human facto... more Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human factors was still in its adolescence. Nevertheless, human factors design principles were applied to controls and displays. In recent years, human factors considerations were key determinants of planned upgrades to
An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critic... more An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critical incident reports from RPAS pilots. Twenty-three experienced RPAS pilots volunteered to participate in focus groups in which they described critical incidents from their own experience. Participants were asked to recall (1) incidents that revealed a system flaw, or (2) highlighted a case where the human operator contributed to system resilience or mission success. Participants were asked to only report incidents that could be included in a public document. A total of 90 incidents were reported. Human factor issues included the impact of reduced sensory cues, traffic separation in the absence of an out-the-window view, control latencies, vigilance during monotonous and ultra-long endurance flights, control station design considerations, transfer of control between control stations, the management of lost link procedures, and decision-making during emergencies.
19th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference, 2017
It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents ... more It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents arising from the same causal factors that ultimately produced the accident. Accident databases provide in-depth information on a relatively small number of occurrences, however incident databases have the potential to provide insights into the human factors of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) operations based on a larger volume of less-detailed reports. Currently, there is a lack of incident data dealing with the human factors of unmanned aircraft systems. An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critical incident reports from RPAS pilots. Twenty-three experienced RPAS pilots volunteered to participate in focus groups in which they described critical incidents from their own experience. Participants were asked to recall (1) incidents that revealed a system flaw, or (2) highlighted a case where the human operator contributed to syst...
disseminating the results of its research and development activities. These results are published... more disseminating the results of its research and development activities. These results are published by NASA in the NASA STI Report Series, which includes the following report types: • TECHNICAL PUBLICATION. Reports of completed research or a major significant phase of research that present the results of NASA programs and include extensive data or theoretical analysis. Includes compilations of significant scientific and technical data and information deemed to be of continuing reference value. NASA counterpart of peerreviewed formal professional papers, but having less stringent limitations on manuscript length and extent of graphic presentations.
A large variety of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) designs are currently in production or in deve... more A large variety of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) designs are currently in production or in development. These aircraft range from small electric quadcopters that are flown close to the ground within visual range of the operator, to larger systems capable of extended flight in airspace shared with conventional aircraft. Before RPA can operate routinely and safely in civilian airspace, we need to understand the unique human factors associated with these aircraft. The task of flying an RPA in civilian airspace involves challenges common to the operation of other highly-automated systems, but also introduces new considerations for pilot perception, decision-making, and action execution. RPA pilots participated in focus groups where they were asked to recall critical incidents that either presented a threat to safety, or highlighted a case where the pilot contributed to system resilience or mission success. Ninety incidents were gathered from focus-groups. Human factor issues included ...
It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents ... more It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents arising from the same causal factors that ultimately produced the accident. Accident databases provide in-depth information on a relatively small number of occurrences, however incident databases have the potential to provide insights into the human factors of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) operations based on a larger volume of less-detailed reports. Currently, there is a lack of incident data dealing with the human factors of unmanned aircraft systems. An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critical incident reports from RPAS pilots. Twenty-three experienced RPAS pilots volunteered to participate in focus groups in which they described critical incidents from their own experience. Participants were asked to recall (1) incidents that revealed a system flaw, or (2) highlighted a case where the human operator contributed to syst...
Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the advancement of aeronautics and space science. ... more Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the advancement of aeronautics and space science. The NASA scientific and technical information (STI) program plays a key part in helping NASA maintain this important role. The NASA STI program operates under the auspices of the Agency Chief Information Officer. It collects, organizes, provides for archiving, and disseminates NASA's STI. The NASA STI program provides access to the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database and its public interface, the NASA Technical Report Server, thus providing one of the largest collections of aeronautical and space science STI in the world. Results are published in both non-NASA channels and by NASA in the NASA STI Report Series, which includes the following report types: • TECHNICAL PUBLICATION. Reports of completed research or a major significant phase of research that present the results of NASA programs and include extensive data or theoretical analysis. Includes compilations of significant scientific and technical data and information deemed to be of continuing reference value. NASA counterpart of peerreviewed formal professional papers, but having less stringent limitations on manuscript length and extent of graphic presentations.
In the commercial aviation domain, large volumes of data are collected and analyzed on the failur... more In the commercial aviation domain, large volumes of data are collected and analyzed on the failures and errors that result in infrequent incidents and accidents, but in the absence of data on behaviors that contribute to routine successful outcomes, safety management and system design decisions are based on a small sample of nonrepresentative safety data. Analysis of aviation accident data suggests that human error is implicated in up to 80% of accidents, which has been used to justify future visions for aviation in which the roles of human operators are greatly diminished or eliminated in the interest of creating a safer aviation system. However, failure to fully consider the human contributions to successful system performance in civil aviation represents a significant and largely unrecognized risk when making policy decisions about human roles and responsibilities. Opportunities exist to leverage the vast amount of data that has already been collected, or could be easily obtained...
Proceedings of the …, 2008
Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human facto... more Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human factors was still in its adolescence. Nevertheless, human factors design principles were applied to controls and displays. In recent years, human factors considerations were ...
Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers, Mar 1, 1988
This address briefly traces post•1940 U.S. science policy from the science policy agenda set fort... more This address briefly traces post•1940 U.S. science policy from the science policy agenda set forth by Vannevar Bush in 1945 through the recent congressional task force on science policy. Although there are many factors influencing science policy, the focus here is on presidential influence. The effects of U.S. science policy on science are traced by looking at funding patterns in general, as well as at those for behavioral science. The influence of politics on the ability of scientists to freely communicate scientific information is examined. Finally, the role of politics in scientists' access to computing resources is explored. Presented here is a side of science not often seen by those at the bench.
Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers, Mar 1, 1985
Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human facto... more Early spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo were developed at a time when the field of human factors was still in its adolescence. Nevertheless, human factors design principles were applied to controls and displays. In recent years, human factors considerations were key determinants of planned upgrades to
An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critic... more An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critical incident reports from RPAS pilots. Twenty-three experienced RPAS pilots volunteered to participate in focus groups in which they described critical incidents from their own experience. Participants were asked to recall (1) incidents that revealed a system flaw, or (2) highlighted a case where the human operator contributed to system resilience or mission success. Participants were asked to only report incidents that could be included in a public document. A total of 90 incidents were reported. Human factor issues included the impact of reduced sensory cues, traffic separation in the absence of an out-the-window view, control latencies, vigilance during monotonous and ultra-long endurance flights, control station design considerations, transfer of control between control stations, the management of lost link procedures, and decision-making during emergencies.
19th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference, 2017
It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents ... more It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents arising from the same causal factors that ultimately produced the accident. Accident databases provide in-depth information on a relatively small number of occurrences, however incident databases have the potential to provide insights into the human factors of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) operations based on a larger volume of less-detailed reports. Currently, there is a lack of incident data dealing with the human factors of unmanned aircraft systems. An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critical incident reports from RPAS pilots. Twenty-three experienced RPAS pilots volunteered to participate in focus groups in which they described critical incidents from their own experience. Participants were asked to recall (1) incidents that revealed a system flaw, or (2) highlighted a case where the human operator contributed to syst...
disseminating the results of its research and development activities. These results are published... more disseminating the results of its research and development activities. These results are published by NASA in the NASA STI Report Series, which includes the following report types: • TECHNICAL PUBLICATION. Reports of completed research or a major significant phase of research that present the results of NASA programs and include extensive data or theoretical analysis. Includes compilations of significant scientific and technical data and information deemed to be of continuing reference value. NASA counterpart of peerreviewed formal professional papers, but having less stringent limitations on manuscript length and extent of graphic presentations.
A large variety of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) designs are currently in production or in deve... more A large variety of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) designs are currently in production or in development. These aircraft range from small electric quadcopters that are flown close to the ground within visual range of the operator, to larger systems capable of extended flight in airspace shared with conventional aircraft. Before RPA can operate routinely and safely in civilian airspace, we need to understand the unique human factors associated with these aircraft. The task of flying an RPA in civilian airspace involves challenges common to the operation of other highly-automated systems, but also introduces new considerations for pilot perception, decision-making, and action execution. RPA pilots participated in focus groups where they were asked to recall critical incidents that either presented a threat to safety, or highlighted a case where the pilot contributed to system resilience or mission success. Ninety incidents were gathered from focus-groups. Human factor issues included ...
It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents ... more It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents arising from the same causal factors that ultimately produced the accident. Accident databases provide in-depth information on a relatively small number of occurrences, however incident databases have the potential to provide insights into the human factors of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) operations based on a larger volume of less-detailed reports. Currently, there is a lack of incident data dealing with the human factors of unmanned aircraft systems. An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critical incident reports from RPAS pilots. Twenty-three experienced RPAS pilots volunteered to participate in focus groups in which they described critical incidents from their own experience. Participants were asked to recall (1) incidents that revealed a system flaw, or (2) highlighted a case where the human operator contributed to syst...