Human Performance in an Advanced Security System Environment

In a post-9/11 world, airport security has become a national priority. In 2005 the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) budget set aside $5.2 billion for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and $851 million to improve aviation security. The current research was carried out within the operations division of a regional airport. The operations division is responsible for the airport's communication center, safety, security, oversight of general aviation, ground transportation, compliance with FAA and TSA regulations, and coordination of police and fire services. Vigilance behaviors in the communications center were identified and defined. The effects of three different interventions designed to improve vigilance were evaluated using single subject methodologies. The first intervention, a change in the DHS alert level, did not increase vigilance behaviors. The second intervention, an advanced security system, increased situational awareness from a mean of 1.92% to 80.2% per session, but did not increase the primary vigilance target. The third intervention, RAMS, produced a 272% increase in vigilance performance.