National Traffic Management Log (NTML)
Updated:02:58 PM March 20, 2009
Traffic Management Specialists strategically manage the flow of air traffic in response to system stressors such as heavy volume, weather, and equipment outages. Air Traffic Control facilities are required to record, or log, all traffic management initiatives. They are also required to coordinate the implementation of the initiatives with the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC), and to communicate the initiatives to controllers within their facility and to ATC specialists at all affected facilities.
The methods for accomplishing these tasks were, in the past, highly inefficient with work duplicated in a number of areas. The method for logging traffic management initiatives varied from paper and pencil to locally developed automation. Coordination and communication was accomplished through verbal communications within the facility and through numerous telephone calls between the ATCSCC and other facilities. Every facility that was affected by an initiative was also required to log the information and communicate it to the controllers.
The National Traffic Management Log (NTML) was developed to provide a single system for automated logging, coordination, and dissemination of traffic management initiatives throughout the National Airspace System. We have been working with a team of users and software engineers to improve the usability of the system as well as design new capabilities. One recommendation we made involves a seemingly small change to the system, but can have large impacts on usability.
Many examples exist throughout the NTML interface in which there is too much space between field labels and their associated data entry areas. The wide spacing between elements may create confusion as to which data entry field is associated with a particular label. We recommended placing the field labels adjacent to their associated data entry fields in order to enhance usability and avoid confusion.
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