We may have a good idea of what will happen when we ourselves make changes, corrections and decisions, and this will be based on our experience however, it is less easy to judge what others will do. However, our predictions for the future will be, on the whole, less accurate, as will our perception in complex and busy environments. It is possible to be highly accurate, especially in simple and familiar situations. At any given moment, in three-dimensions, the accuracy of our situational awareness depends on how accurate our perception is compared to reality. Four dimensions because we retain memory of what has occurred already and we are also able to project forward in time to predict what the situation will be. Our perception of the world will be a four-dimensional model. It also includes our mental model of our “plan” of how things are expected to occur, and our prediction of what others’ plans are, and how they may progress. The information available to us includes: flight, navigation and engine instruments, primary flight displays, radar, TCAS, radio voice communications, data-link, direct vision, crewmember communication, vibrations, noises and smells, and more. Our situational awareness is built upon our perception of the world that relies on information attained through our senses. Situational Awareness and Information Processing Perhaps more importantly, we should understand our own limitations, especially during periods of high workload and/or when particular illusions may go unnoticed. within their memory, attention and decision-making capabilities) such that the following are minimised: Knowing how our information processing capabilities can be limited is important in designing and delegating tasks to ensure that the information processing requirements fall within the capabilities of employees and colleagues (i.e. These limitations can be substantial and will be explained later in this Article. It is particularly affected by age, health, stress, different environments, workplace cultures, experience levels, interpersonal relationships, distractions, and in particular, by its own limitations. Information processing capabilities vary from person to person, day to day, place to place and task to task. So, information processing refers to the ability of the operator to process the type and amount of information within the required timeframe, and to do so in an effective manner that leads to suitable responses. This complete process from sensing information (whether it is aural, visual, mental, kinaesthetic, gustative or olfactory) through to taking action is referred to as “human information processing”, or information processing for short. Working in aviation requires operatives (pilots, controllers, airside safety, etc.) to take in information from a multitude of sources, assess this information, prioritise it, and use it to make decisions and take actions.