Operations automation: Definition, examples, and a human-centered approach

Operations automation is automation intended to replace human controllers by carrying out activities in a manner similar to that used currently by controllers. This paper describes three complementary research efforts addressing operations automation. First, design implications based on two field studies of a prototype NASA operations automation application are summarized. Second, AutoPass, an automation architecture designed to mitigate observed problems and to incorporate, in a principled manner, human-centered automation principles is presented. AutoPass was evaluated to assess the extent to which it provides more robust, and thus, less brittle, automation in comparison to NASA's operational prototype. Finally, Apprentice, a general architecture for operations automation, is described. Apprentice offers a theory, for the design of operations automation and proposes a method to address the current bottleneck in implementing robust automation-obtaining and encoding expert knowledge.