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Deep-space human exploration will necessitate increasing operational autonomy for the crew and habitat as reliance on extensive Earth support becomes impractical. In this context, the habitat and onboard crew must effectively become an 'autonomous system' that can operate for finite periods without external intervention from outside a defined control volume, which historically has extended beyond the habitat to include ground facilities, teleoperators, and other space assets. For deep-space exploration missions, however, timely logistical resupply becomes impractical and communication with Earth is delayed, or even impossible at times from occultations. Therefore, to enable the operational autonomy needed to accomplish the overall mission objectives, additional onboard capabilities, which may be facilitated by emerging technologies, will be required to offset decreased Earth-based support and move toward self-sufficiency. These primary enabling capabilities are categorized into operations that involve monitoring, maintenance and fault management, and further broken into nominal and off-nominal activities. This paper identifies and examines these requisite capabilities using an abstraction hierarchy process to create a visual representation of a functional decomposition, along with an information flow model as components of a work domain analysis. The effort is aimed at providing design considerations for enabling self-sufficient deep-space autonomy, referred to as Earth Independent Systems Operations (EISO). • Self-sufficiency and habitability are enabling attributes of autonomy for human spaceflight. • Autonomous monitoring, maintenance, and fault management operations are key components of a self-sufficient deep-space habitat. • Cognitive engineering methods are used to functionally define the future work domain of deep-space operations. • Differentiating between nominal and off-nominal activities is important for autonomous decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated driving systems are deployed on public roads with little empirical support for the dominant justifications of enhanced safety and enhanced productivity. Furthermore, development of automated driving systems has been piecemeal rather than systematic while research on driver-automation interaction has relied on individual analysis of accidents and on observational studies of driving behavior in a simulator or on the road. In this paper, we apply Work Domain Analysis to develop a more systematic and comprehensive model of automated driving. We use a strategy of layering the driving automation onto the resulting Abstraction-Decomposition Space for manual driving to mimic the existing design strategy of introducing automation to take over driving functions previously the responsibility of the human driver. Our analysis shows that automation does not unequivocally supports dominant driving values. Furthermore, our analysis revealed subtle interdependencies between human and technological functions. We conclude that an Abstraction Decomposition Space offers a systematic view of driver-automation interaction that can suggest new insights for automation design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cognitive modelling, unmanned aircraft are expected to act as human-like wingmen in the near future. For fluent and effective manned–unmanned teaming, synthetic wingmen must be able to account for and adapt to their partners' intent with little or no communication. To enable such abilities, it becomes crucial to identify the requirements that makes intent explainable to synthetic wingmen, necessitating approaches to describe and analyse intent from a human-centric perspective. To address this issue, this paper reports on findings from using Work Domain Analysis to design and analyse models of situated intent with six levels of cognitive control (frames, effects, values, generic, implementations, and physical). Through a literature review and seven subject matter expert interviews, a synthesized model was designed to represent fighter pilots' intent in a manned–unmanned teaming scenario. Using the synthesized model as the context, a transfer of control and a link loss situation were further described and analysed. Experiences show that Work Domain Analysis can provide a practical and applicable means to model situated intent, particularly since designed models can be re-utilised to model intent in similar situations. Furthermore, the model analyses show the importance of accounting for fighter pilots' adopted frames since small variations of the framing of the situations can propagate throughout the model resulting in conflicting or inconsistent intent. The paper concludes that synthetic wingmen must be able to reason about all six levels of cognitive control, requiring a more holistic approach to make intent explainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated caregivers in remote environments frequently request medical advice or decision support from distant experts. Among the multiple difficulties arising from this configuration, exchanging timely and pertinent information under pressure between the two parties poses a considerable challenge. Cognitive Work Analysis and notably the Turing Machine Task Analysis (TMTA) method that enables task processing simulation represent a methodological framework that can guide the specification of remote assistance systems. Within this perspective, TMTA was used to specify assistance functions within a case study of acute abdominal pain occurring on a remote location. Using previous studies and medical knowledge, a work domain analysis of acute abdominal pain was conducted. Based on this analysis, a Turing machine state space was formalized. Applying this method provides two main outcomes helping specify medical assistance functions: a global architecture of medical assistance for isolated caregivers and guidance to define the kind of assistance functions that could be implemented, notably owing to the simulation of Turing machine scenarios. Associated with the abstraction hierarchy technique, the Turing machine simulation process provides a model of the dynamics of interaction between agents and work domain within the framework of adaptive assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weaning patients from ventilation in intensive care units (ICU) is a complex task. There is a growing desire to build decision-support tools to help clinicians during this process, especially those employing Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, tools built for this purpose should fit within and ideally improve the current work environment, to ensure they can successfully integrate into clinical practice. To do so, it is important to identify areas where decision-support tools may aid clinicians, and associated design requirements for such tools. This study analysed the work context surrounding the weaning process from mechanical ventilation in ICU environments, via cognitive task and work domain analyses. In doing so, both what cognitive processes clinicians perform during weaning, and the constraints and affordances of the work environment itself, were described. This study found a number of weaning process tasks where decision-support tools may prove beneficial, and from these a set of contextual design requirements were created. This work benefits researchers interested in creating human-centred decision-support tools for mechanical ventilation that are sensitive to the wider work system. • An analysis of the work context surrounding weaning ICU patients from mechanical ventilation. • Identification of several areas where decision-support tools could aid in the weaning process. • A set of contextual design requirements for decision-support tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to cast users of railway level crossings as flexible and adaptive decision-makers, and to apply a cognitive systems engineering approach to discover new behaviour-based insights for improving safety. Collisions between trains and road vehicles at railway level crossings/grade crossings remain a global issue. It is still far from apparent why drivers undertake some of the behaviours that lead to collisions, and there remains considerable justification for continuing to explore this issue with novel methods and approaches. In this study, 220 level crossing encounters by 22 car drivers were subject to analysis. Concurrent verbal protocols provided by drivers as they drove an instrumented vehicle around a pre-defined route were subject to content analysis and mapped onto Rasmussen's Abstraction Decomposition Space. Three key results emerged. First, when they realise they are in a crossing environment, drivers' natural tendencies are to look for trains (even if not required), slow down (again, even if not required), and for their behaviour to be shaped by a wide variety of constraints and affordances (some, but not all, put there for that purpose by railway authorities). The second result is that expert decision-making in these situations does not describe a trajectory from high-level system purposes to low-level physical objects. Instead, drivers remain at intermediate and lower levels of system abstraction, with many loops and iterations. The final finding is that current level crossing systems are inadvertently constraining some desirable behaviours, affording undesirable ones, and that unexpected system elements are driving behaviour in ways not previously considered. Railway level crossings need to be designed to reveal their functional purpose much more effectively than at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are concerns that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could pose an existential threat to humanity; however, as AGI does not yet exist it is difficult to prospectively identify risks and develop requisite controls. We applied the Work Domain Analysis Broken Nodes (WDA-BN) and Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork-Broken Links (EAST-BL) methods to identify potential risks in a future 'envisioned world' AGI-based uncrewed combat aerial vehicle system. The findings suggest five main categories of risk in this context: sub-optimal performance risks, goal alignment risks, super-intelligence risks, over-control risks, and enfeeblement risks. Two of these categories, goal alignment risks and super-intelligence risks, have not previously been encountered or dealt with in conventional safety management systems. Whereas most of the identified sub-optimal performance risks can be managed through existing defence design lifecycle processes, we propose that work is required to develop controls to manage the other risks identified. These include controls on AGI developers, controls within the AGI itself, and broader sociotechnical system controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is an appropriate approach in design for high-stakes domains, such as air traffic management (ATM) since it focuses on human expert performance in regular and contingency situations. However, CWA is not suitable for the design of a first-of-a-kind system since there is nothing to analyse before the start of the design process. In 2017, unmanned air traffic management (UTM) for intense drone traffic in cities was such a system. Making things worse, the UTM system has to be in place before the traffic, since it provides basic safety. In this research-through-design study, we present conceptual designing as a bootstrapping approach to CWA in the design of a first-of-a-kind UTM system. In a series of co-design workshops, we identified future services, traffic patterns, and regulations that framed the design of UTM system concepts. They were based on combinations of four basic building blocks: points, lines, planes, and volumes. Concepts of point-based control, airport geofences, grid squares, layers, and tubes were discussed. Throughout the conceptual designing, results were documented in an evolving Work Domain Analysis (WDA), which is a cornerstone of CWA. This approach allowed us to bootstrap the CWA for a first-of-a-kind-system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to apply work domain analysis for cybersecurity assessment and design of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.Background: Adoption of information and communication technology in cyberphysical systems (CPSs) for critical infrastructures enables automated and distributed control but introduces cybersecurity risk. Many CPSs employ SCADA industrial control systems that have become the target of cyberattacks, which inflict physical damage without use of force. Given that absolute security is not feasible for complex systems, cyberintrusions that introduce unanticipated events will occur; a proper response will in turn require human adaptive ability. Therefore, analysis techniques that can support security assessment and human factors engineering are invaluable for defending CPSs.Method: We conducted work domain analysis using the abstraction hierarchy (AH) to model a generic SCADA implementation to identify the functional structures and means-ends relations. We then adopted a case study approach examining the Stuxnet cyberattack by developing and integrating AHs for the uranium enrichment process, SCADA implementation, and malware to investigate the interactions between the three aspects of cybersecurity in CPSs.Results: The AHs for modeling a generic SCADA implementation and studying the Stuxnet cyberattack are useful for mapping attack vectors, identifying deficiencies in security processes and features, and evaluating proposed security solutions with respect to system objectives.Conclusion: Work domain analysis is an effective analytical method for studying cybersecurity of CPSs for critical infrastructures in a psychologically relevant manner.Application: Work domain analysis should be applied to assess cybersecurity risk and inform engineering and user interface design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aircraft manufacturers and avionics systems suppliers are developing technologies for airliners that will be operated by just a single crew member. An alternative approach to using a large amount of on-board computing proposes the utilisation of extant technology derived from single-seat military aircraft and Uninhabited Air Systems where control is distributed in real time across the aircraft flight deck and ground stations (which supervise several aircraft simultaneously). Using a combination of operational event sequence diagrams and work domain analysis techniques, the allocation of tasks and requirements for the development of supporting technologies for such an operational architecture are identified in a low visibility taxi scenario. These analyses show that many of the functions undertaken by a second pilot in this situation are associated with checking, surveillance and monitoring activities. These must be undertaken either by automated aircraft systems or the monitoring personnel in the ground station. This analytical approach can successfully provide the necessary information underpinning the design requirements for such an aircraft concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central thesis of this paper is that Rasmussen framed his approach to Cognitive Systems Engineering from the perspective of a Triadic Semiotic Model. This frame became the context for integrating multiple intellectual threads including Control Theory, Information Theory, Ecological Psychology, and Gestalt Psychology into a coherent theoretical framework. The case is made that the triadic semiotic framework is essential for a complete appreciation of the constructs that were central to Rasmussen's approach: Abstraction Hierarchy, Skill-Rules-Knowledge Model, Ecological Interface Design, and Proactive Risk Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this manuscript is on cognitive systems engineering/ecological interface design (CSE/EID) and the role that this framework may play in improving system safety. First, the decision making and problem solving literatures are reviewed with an eye towards informational needs that are required to support these activities. The utility of two of Rasmussen's analytical tools (i.e., the abstraction and aggregation hierarchies) in conducting work domain analyses to identify associated information (i.e., categories and relationships) is discussed. The importance of designing ecological displays and interfaces that span the informational categories in the abstraction hierarchy is described and concrete examples are provided. The potential role that ecological interfaces can play in providing effective decision making (i.e., preventing accidents) and problem solving (i.e., dealing with accidents) support, thereby improving the safety of our socio-technical systems, is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ecological interface simultaneously supports the three levels of cognitive control of the SRK taxonomy. Thus, an ecological interface should represent objects, constraints and the functional hierarchy of a work domain. Work domain representation is the first step of ecological interface design. However, the only technique presented to this end in the literature, the abstraction-decomposition hierarchy, is facing two problems. First, its structure is not compatible with that of the ecological interface. Second, to represent every element relevant to ecological interface design, a list of variables and a list of equations must be added to the abstraction-decomposition hierarchy. This article presents the WoDoMoLEID language as a novel work domain representation technique for ecological interface design. This article demonstrates how this technique solves the two problems associated with the abstraction-decomposition hierarchy, on the one hand, by supporting ecological interface design and on the other hand, by establishing a direct mapping between work domain constraints and reusable visual components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Work Domain Analysis (WDA), the first dimension of cognitive work analysis, is used to explore work environment management. • The analysis srats with work environment regulatory requirement model. • The affordances of the work environment act purposes are discerned as functional purposes. • Nine purpose-related functions are identified. • Enhanced results-chain models can be derived for work environment improvement. Work environment regulations identify specific objectives that employers must fulfil. Work environment is a multidimensional concept encompassing nature of tasks, physical and social conditions, workplace characteristics and organisation, work schedule, prospects to the workers, and the intrinsic rewards associated with the work. Through work domain analysis, the first of the five dimensions of cognitive work analysis, the study explored the boundaries of work environment management. Mixed method including looking at regulatory requirements, a limited literature review and comprehensive discourse with occupational safety and health enforcement officials as subject matter experts provided the information to populate the abstraction decomposition space in the analysis. Affordances of the regulation purposes formed the functional purposes of the work environment management. Work environment indicators identified formed the value and priorities measures. Purpose-related functions were constructed from a work environment model, with subject matter experts providing the relevant physical resources and the functions the resources afford. Abstraction decomposition space for work environment management was designed showing means-ends links from resources to the purposes they fulfil in the system. From the abstraction decomposition space, it was possible to design results-chain models supporting decision-making. The analysis showed that the functional purposes can be fulfilled with different means-ends pathways. In addition, the purpose-related functions constructions allowed for superimposing of enforcement orders from earlier inspections reports, supporting the validity of the constructs. The study provided structure and content of work environment management, and decision-making models supporting the management practices and strengthening attainment of justifiable work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at developing a new method for modelling work domain knowledge with the combined use of abstraction hierarchy (AH) and living systems theory (LST). AH has been widely used as a work domain knowledge representation framework in the field of cognitive systems engineering and human-computer interaction, and its usefulness has been proved in a range of work domains. However, its effective use still remains a challenging issue. In order to address this problem, this study firstly points out several issues that can be raised in the use of AH and then explains why and how LST can give concepts and principles helpful to resolve them. The proposed method offers a framework for how to combine AH and LST, particularly to identify functional knowledge at higher abstraction levels. It also offers a process for modelling the knowledge of a work domain based on the combined use of AH and LST. The use of the proposed method is exemplified by modelling the knowledge of a simplified secondary cooling system of nuclear power plants. The proposed method is a new approach to refining the concepts of AH and modelling the knowledge of a work domain that humans should interact. It is believed that it will be a useful tool for knowledge modellers in identifying and modelling the knowledge of a work domain in terms of its functional structure. However, it should be noted that its usefulness can be limited to technology-oriented engineering systems; it would not be easily applied to human activity-oriented systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ecological interface is a particular type of user interface that supports the adaptation of its user during unforeseen events. Ecological interfaces design is based on work domain analysis. The literature presents the abstraction decomposition hierarchy as the only representation technique for this type of analysis in regards to ecological interface design. However, it seems that the transformation of an abstraction decomposition hierarchy into an ecological interface is not trivial. Therefore, this article questions the relevance, taken for granted in the literature, of using the abstraction decomposition hierarchy as a representation technique for work domain analysis for the purpose of ecological interface design. More specifically, this paper presents an assessment of the compatibility between the structure of the abstraction decomposition hierarchy and the structure of the ecological interface. To this end, two meta-models are developed: one of the abstraction decomposition hierarchy and another of the ecological interface. The assessment results confirm the structural incompatibility that disappears, however, by adding a list of variables and a list of equations to the abstraction decomposition hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the use of Work Domain Analysis as a methodological framework in cognitive engineering is increasing rapidly, verification and validation of work domain models produced by this method are becoming a significant issue. In this article, we propose the use of a method based on Turing machine formalism named “Turing Machine Task Analysis” to verify and validate work domain models. The application of this method on two work domain analyses, one of car driving which is an “intentional” domain, and the other of a ship water system which is a “causal domain” showed the possibility of highlighting improvements needed by these models. More precisely, the step by step analysis of a degraded task scenario in each work domain model pointed out unsatisfactory aspects in the first modelling, like overspecification, underspecification, omission of work domain affordances, or unsuitable inclusion of objects in the work domain model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both the environmental and safety costs of road transport are considered to be unacceptably high. The ‘Foot-LITE’ project aims to encourage drivers to adopt greener and safer driving practices, with real-time feedback being given in-vehicle (during driving) and retrospective feedback off-line (pre- and post-driving). This article focuses on the early concept development of the Foot-LITE system, for which a Cognitive Work Analysis methodology was adopted. Presented are results from a Work Domain Analysis (WDA) conducted to scope the relevant driving domain and to identify the constraints on the system. Besides establishing a common framework and language for the project, the process will ultimately contribute to the design of the in-vehicle interface. This article also suggests an extension to the WDA framework to include novel methods for assessing the priority of lower level nodes and contributions of these nodes to the high-level objectives of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: A decision support system designed to enhance human–machine interaction in transportation scheduling is proposed. We aim to integrate human factors and ergonomics from the beginning of the design phase and to propose a system fitted with enough flexibility to be able to deal with the characteristics of a dynamic context such as transportation scheduling. In this interdisciplinary approach, a link is done between problem solving methods (operations research technics and data classification algorithms) and human–machine interaction (solving control modes). A set of scheduler-oriented algorithms favoring human–machine cooperation for problem solving is proposed. Some of these algorithms have been efficiently tested on instances of the literature. Finally, an original framework aiming to assist scheduler in constraint relaxation when the problem becomes infeasible is proposed and evaluated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The safety, reliability, and stability of the pediatric cardiology workplace are continuously challenged. Known factors include the complexity of patient care, keeping up to date with evidence based practice, harnessing the implications of innovations in technology, and adapting to changes in the structure of health services and facilities. The differences between individual clinical team perspectives and impressions formed by other teams across the organization produce divergent perspectives on clinical work. This paper makes a case for investing in a social science framework entitled ‘work domain analysis’ to better understand how health teams function reliably within the wider healthcare organization. Work domain analysis was developed to equip people in complex work environments with the skills and awareness to identify and adjust the margins for safety in normal work by making the boundaries between management imperatives, workload and safety (in this case, pediatric cardiac care) more apparent to a wider range of people. Healthcare can no longer afford to be precious about methods adopted from other industries due to the high complexity of the clinical workplace. The paper outlines an approach to work domain analysis that can greatly enhance the engagement and awareness of clinicians. The opportunities for practical applications of work domain analysis to pediatric care are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The evolution of work demands has seen industrial evolution itself evolve into the computerization of these demands, making systems more complex. This field is now known as the Complex Socio-Technical System. As communication failures are problems associated with Complex Socio-Technical Systems, it has been discovered that communication failures are the cause of many incidents and accidents in various industries, including the nuclear, aerospace and railway industries. Despite the fact that there have been many studies on the severity of communication failures, there is no evaluation method for operators’ communication quality in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). Therefore, the objectives of this study are to develop an evaluation method for the quality of NPP Main Control Room (MCR) operators’ communication and to apply the proposed method to operators in a full-scope simulator. To develop the proposed method, the Work Domain Analysis (WDA) method is introduced. Several characteristics of WDA, including Abstraction Decomposition Space (ADS) and the diagonal of ADS are the important points in developing an evaluation method for the quality of NPP MCR operators’ communication. In addition, to apply the proposed method, nine teams working in NPPs participated in a field simulation. The results of this evaluation reveal that operators’ communication quality improved as a greater proportion of the components in the developed evaluation criteria were mentioned. Therefore, the proposed method could be useful for evaluating the communication quality in any complex system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Complex socio-technical systems are notoriously difficult to evaluate. The relationships between measurable processes and high-level descriptions of performance are neither clear nor well understood. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to relate changes made to physical components to overall system performance. Using the relationships captured in work domain analysis, this paper introduces a new approach for evaluating the impact of system changes. An event and actor-independent model is used to describe the given domain at a number of levels of abstraction. The relationship between these descriptions forms the basis of this approach. A case study of a recently upgraded UK land military headquarters is used to demonstrate the approach. As the presented case study will show, a clear link can be made between system changes that result in an increase in overall system performance, as well as changes that result in a degradation. It is contended that the described approach adds important structure to the way that evaluations of complex socio-technical systems are considered, creating a traceable link between changes made at a component level to high-order descriptions of domain purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a work domain analysis of dam- age control on the Canadian Halifax Class frigate. Our analysis made use of the modeling construct of object worlds to help in defining the work domain to model and to help in understanding the results of this model compared to other work domain analyses developed in the naval domain. This paper makes a practical contribution through the presentation of a detailed example of work domain analysis in a new domain and a theoretical contribution by clarifying the use of object worlds in work domain analysis, analyzing the way in which object worlds can be understood in systems where the various stakeholders are closely coordinated and promoting object worlds as a way to control model scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work domain analysis (WDA) has been applied extensively within cognitive engineering as an analytic framework for the evaluation of complex sociotechnical systems in support of design. However, the WDAs described in the literature have not explored the representation of automated system components, despite the documented problems associated with operator-automation interaction and the requirements for operator support in complex automated systems. The current research examines the application of WDA to model an example automated system - a camera - by representing the camera along with its automated components as separate systems using the abstraction hierarchy (AH). Additionally, we contrasted this modelling approach with the more typical approach of modelling automation within a cognitive work analysis (CWA) by performing a control task analysis using the decision ladder. The results of these analyses suggest that, similar to non-automated systems, considering a separate representation of an automated system within the WDA may provide useful system design guidance in terms of user support and information requirements. The comparison of the AH and the decision ladder (DL) models indicates that the models provide different information about the requirements and support different user needs: the AH provides information about specific subsystems and components of the automation that are used for control and how they support functions and purposes of the automation while the DL shows how the control tasks are achieved interleaving automated actions with those of the user. The information obtained from modelling automation with the AH is different from what would normally be obtained by performing only a control task analysis, yet is necessary for operator support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this note is to clarify the theoretical relationship between work domain analysis and task analysis, two classes of techniques that have been used by cognitive engineers to identify information requirements for systems design. The transformation from a work domain analysis to a task analysis (i.e., from a description of the object of control to a description of control itself) can be conceived as a discrete set of transformations. Work domain analysis identifies the set of all structural degrees of freedom that are available to any actor. Only a subset of these will be relevant for a particular context. At any particular point in time, actors will have to choose which of these relevant degrees of freedom to utilize. Finally, the utilized degrees of freedom will have a dynamic state that can usually be described quantitatively. Task analysis is the function that maps current states onto desired states via a set of human or automated control actions. By making these transformations explicit, the relevance of work domain analysis to worker (or automation) goals and actions becomes more clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work domain analysis (WDA) has been applied to a range of complex work domains, but few WDAs have been undertaken in medical contexts. One pioneering effort suggested that clinical abstraction is not based on means-ends relations, whereas another effort downplayed the role of bio-regulatory mechanisms. In this paper it is argued that bio-regulatory mechanisms that govern physiological behaviour must be part of WDA models of patients as the systems at the core of intensive care units. Furthermore it is argued that because the inner functioning of patients is not completely known, clinical abstraction is based on hypothetico-deductive abstract reasoning. This paper presents an alternative modelling framework that conforms to the broader aspirations of WDA. A modified version of the viable systems model is used to represent the patient system as a nested dissipative structure while aspects of the recognition primed decision model are used to represent the information resources available to clinicians in ways that support ‘if...then’ conceptual relations. These two frameworks come together to form the recursive diagnostic framework, which may provide a more appropriate foundation for information display design in the intensive care unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we establish a foundation for understanding the instrumentation needs of complex dynamic systems if ecological interface design (EID)-based interfaces are to be robust in the face of instrumentation failures. EID-based interfaces often include configural displays which reveal the higher-order properties of complex systems. However, concerns have been expressed that such displays might be misleading when instrumentation is unreliable or unavailable. Rasmussen''s abstraction hierarchy (AH) formalism can be extended to include representations of sensors near the functions or properties about which they provide information, resulting in what we call a “sensor-annotated abstraction hierarchy”. Sensor-annotated AHs help the analyst determine the impact of different instrumentation engineering policies on higher-order system information by showing how the data provided from individual sensors propagates within and across levels of abstraction in the AH. The use of sensor-annotated AHs with a configural display is illustrated with a simple water reservoir example. We argue that if EID is to be effectively employed in the design of interfaces for complex systems, then the information needs of the human operator need to be considered at the earliest stages of system development while instrumentation requirements are being formulated. In this way, Rasmussen''s AH promotes a formative approach to instrumentation engineering. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article describes a study in which a popular systems analysis method was used to inform the design of a safety standard. Specifically, Work Domain Analysis was used to analyze and reorganise the structure of a safety standard for organisations providing adventure activities in Australia. Work Domain Analysis allowed for the identification of system objects, processes, functions, measures, and purposes, revealing limitations in the capacity of the proposed structure to achieve the safety standard's intended purposes. Limitations included a high number of compliance requirements, a confusion between mandatory and optional requirements, a lack of educational support material, and no reliable means to measure system performance. The analysis was used to design an "ideal" structure for the safety standard. Key recommendations of the ideal structure were accepted for implementation, while others were not. The potential for future applications of Work Domain Analysis for regulatory system evaluation, reform, and design are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the last decade, Para sport has experienced increased growth, global popularity, and scientific research. Likewise, there is increasing application of systems ergonomics methods to optimise sports performance. Despite this, few studies have attempted to analyse Para sport as a complex system. The aim of this study was to apply a systems ergonomics framework to redesign a current Para sport system via a multi staged approach. The Cognitive Work Analysis framework was used to model and redesign the Para sport system, via the insertion of design interventions. The findings offer insights into the complexity of the Para sport system via the multiple interacting factors that influence the performance of the system. In addition, the design interventions had substantial influence on the Para sport system by creating multiple new processes, functions, measures, and purposes, and enhanced multiple components of the existing system. This study provides a unique contribution to ergonomic science and extends system ergonomics theory and methods in sport. This study has practical implications for policy development by providing a template that can be used by others wanting to optimise able-bodied sport, Para sport, and non-sport systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]