Measuring Jakarta Air Traffic Controllers’ Mental Workload : An In Depth Analysis Using Subjective Workload Assessment Technique
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Summary
This study investigates the mental workload of air traffic controllers (ATC) at the Jakarta Air Traffic Services Center (JATSC) during the post-pandemic period, a time characterized by a significant resurgence in air traffic density. The research is motivated by the need to quantify the subjective cognitive burden placed on ATC personnel as they readjust to increased operational demands, which differ from the reduced traffic volumes experienced during the pandemic. The primary objective is to evaluate and quantify this mental workload to inform ergonomic improvements and safety protocols. The researchers employed the Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) to measure mental workload across three dimensions: Time Load, Mental Effort, and Psychological Stress. The study involved 12 ATC personnel from the Area Control Centre unit at JATSC. The methodology consisted of two main phases: first, participants sorted 27 cards representing combinations of the three workload dimensions to establish individualized scales; second, participants rated their workload for specific job tasks (Supervising, Surveillance Control, Procedural Control, and Assistant Control) and shifts (morning and afternoon) using a 1-to-3 scale for each dimension. These ratings were processed using the DOSBOX 0.74 application to calculate rescaled SWAT scores ranging from 0 to 100. The study also utilized direct observation and validated questionnaires to ensure data accuracy. The results indicate that Time Load is the dominant factor influencing ATC mental workload, accounting for 75% of the total load, followed by Mental Effort at 16.67% and Psychological Stress at 8.33%. In terms of specific tasks, Procedural Control yielded the highest average SWAT score of 48.59, indicating a high level of burden for the controllers. In contrast, Supervising, Surveillance Control, and Assistant Control tasks resulted in average scores below 45, suggesting these tasks are less cognitively demanding. Regarding shifts, the afternoon shift produced a higher average SWAT score (46.2) compared to the morning shift (30.9), indicating that ATC personnel experience greater mental strain during afternoon operations. The findings suggest that the primary driver of mental workload for JATSC controllers is the time pressure associated with scanning, planning, and executing actions within short timeframes, rather than inherent stress or effort alone. The study concludes that to mitigate this workload, operational adjustments such as dividing work sectors into smaller units to reduce per-sector load, improving workspace comfort, and enhancing the sophistication of navigation facilities are recommended. This research provides a quantitative basis for optimizing human factors in air traffic control, highlighting that time-related constraints are the critical variable to address for maintaining safety and performance in high-density airspace.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 5 | 2026-08-23 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 2 | 2026-08-10 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 2 | 2026-08-10 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 2 | 2026-08-10 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.8-27b-gittensor | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-08-23 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 17 | 2026-08-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-08-09 |
Summary generated by qwen3.8-27b-gittensor on 2026-08-23; verification: pending re-verification.
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