The images shown below are screenshots from a realtime interactive visualization of a virtual Air Traffic Control System. It is a prototype sponsored by Nora Katz-Rhoads of the Department of Transportation Center (Volpe Center), developed by Jeffrey Ventrella and Ron MacNeil (the principal investigator) of the Visible Language Workshop of the Media Lab at MIT. The DOT contributed ideas and experience towards the design of this prototype, as a solution to the very complex problem of comprehending and commanding the many dynamic elements dealt with by air traffic controllers every day.

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(images created at the VLW, Media Lab (c) 1993, MIT)
This prototype visualizes altitudes, "green space" (distances between aircraft), 3D corridors (highways in the sky), a superimposed ATC map on the ground, clouds, a view from the control tower, pilot views, and a mock radar screen, which is easily and smoothly transformed into the 3D space, as a way to help the controller maintain context.