Narrative:

On or about jul/fri/05; there was a change made to the radar associate display screen. After speaking with the airways facilities group; I discovered that the change was a new display driver that was installed to the system. The new driver was installed to work side-by-side the old driver so a switch was installed to allow the easy changing back to the old display upon the failure of the new one. Upon the installation of the new driver; there were so many issues that were deemed problems that supervisors constantly switched to the old system and would leave it there for days. One of the problems is that there are multiple windows; all with different information on them; available to the ATC controllers to access. In order to access a different screen; controllers simply move to the edge of the screen they want to access and click the mouse. With the way the software is written; the mouse must be on the exact edge of the screen to work. With the previous display driver; when a screen was maximized; the left edge; the selectable edge; had a thicker line and it automatically went to zero. This allowed for the switching of screens to be quickly accomplished and attention to remain focused on the duty at hand; ATC. Even if a controller wanted to change the display to suit their preferences; the actions took seconds to accomplish. With the new display driver; the edges are not set to zero and the lines are thinner. The only way to get the edge of a window to zero is to manually move it. The sensitivity of the mouse and the thinner lines make this extremely difficult. With over 10 windows accessible; it can and does take up to 2 mins to set up the display to personal preference settings. Sometimes this is accomplished before the sector is xferred to the relieving controller; but most of the time; controllers set up the display after the sector is given to them as to not disturb the display for the controller actually working at the time. All the while; the airplanes keep moving and air traffic situations seem to take a back seat to the poorly designed computer display. An average air carrier moves 15 mi in 2 mins! The air traffic manager has forced supervisors to stop switching back to the old display driver. The new driver is not scheduled to receive a fix to this issue until oct/06. This is an issue that needs to be immediately addressed before the computer screen causes too much attention to be diverted from the radar scope and airplanes have to pay the price.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZDC CTLR EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING NEW EQUIP.

Narrative: ON OR ABOUT JUL/FRI/05; THERE WAS A CHANGE MADE TO THE RADAR ASSOCIATE DISPLAY SCREEN. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE AIRWAYS FACILITIES GROUP; I DISCOVERED THAT THE CHANGE WAS A NEW DISPLAY DRIVER THAT WAS INSTALLED TO THE SYS. THE NEW DRIVER WAS INSTALLED TO WORK SIDE-BY-SIDE THE OLD DRIVER SO A SWITCH WAS INSTALLED TO ALLOW THE EASY CHANGING BACK TO THE OLD DISPLAY UPON THE FAILURE OF THE NEW ONE. UPON THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW DRIVER; THERE WERE SO MANY ISSUES THAT WERE DEEMED PROBS THAT SUPVRS CONSTANTLY SWITCHED TO THE OLD SYS AND WOULD LEAVE IT THERE FOR DAYS. ONE OF THE PROBS IS THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE WINDOWS; ALL WITH DIFFERENT INFO ON THEM; AVAILABLE TO THE ATC CTLRS TO ACCESS. IN ORDER TO ACCESS A DIFFERENT SCREEN; CTLRS SIMPLY MOVE TO THE EDGE OF THE SCREEN THEY WANT TO ACCESS AND CLICK THE MOUSE. WITH THE WAY THE SOFTWARE IS WRITTEN; THE MOUSE MUST BE ON THE EXACT EDGE OF THE SCREEN TO WORK. WITH THE PREVIOUS DISPLAY DRIVER; WHEN A SCREEN WAS MAXIMIZED; THE L EDGE; THE SELECTABLE EDGE; HAD A THICKER LINE AND IT AUTOMATICALLY WENT TO ZERO. THIS ALLOWED FOR THE SWITCHING OF SCREENS TO BE QUICKLY ACCOMPLISHED AND ATTN TO REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE DUTY AT HAND; ATC. EVEN IF A CTLR WANTED TO CHANGE THE DISPLAY TO SUIT THEIR PREFERENCES; THE ACTIONS TOOK SECONDS TO ACCOMPLISH. WITH THE NEW DISPLAY DRIVER; THE EDGES ARE NOT SET TO ZERO AND THE LINES ARE THINNER. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE EDGE OF A WINDOW TO ZERO IS TO MANUALLY MOVE IT. THE SENSITIVITY OF THE MOUSE AND THE THINNER LINES MAKE THIS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. WITH OVER 10 WINDOWS ACCESSIBLE; IT CAN AND DOES TAKE UP TO 2 MINS TO SET UP THE DISPLAY TO PERSONAL PREFERENCE SETTINGS. SOMETIMES THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED BEFORE THE SECTOR IS XFERRED TO THE RELIEVING CTLR; BUT MOST OF THE TIME; CTLRS SET UP THE DISPLAY AFTER THE SECTOR IS GIVEN TO THEM AS TO NOT DISTURB THE DISPLAY FOR THE CTLR ACTUALLY WORKING AT THE TIME. ALL THE WHILE; THE AIRPLANES KEEP MOVING AND AIR TFC SITUATIONS SEEM TO TAKE A BACK SEAT TO THE POORLY DESIGNED COMPUTER DISPLAY. AN AVERAGE ACR MOVES 15 MI IN 2 MINS! THE AIR TFC MGR HAS FORCED SUPVRS TO STOP SWITCHING BACK TO THE OLD DISPLAY DRIVER. THE NEW DRIVER IS NOT SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE A FIX TO THIS ISSUE UNTIL OCT/06. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE IMMEDIATELY ADDRESSED BEFORE THE COMPUTER SCREEN CAUSES TOO MUCH ATTN TO BE DIVERTED FROM THE RADAR SCOPE AND AIRPLANES HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.