Scott
For purposes of spacing and sequencing ATC has the big picture
there is however alot more you don't see that all adds up to a safe flight, compliant with all requirements placed on myself and my crew. You may see a 727 executing the same clearance as a 4th generation EFIS/FMS equipped aircraft on your scope, draw no conclusions from that. I recently transitioned from a steam gauge aircraft to a highly automated one. My ability to fly the same STARS/DP's, etc as I did in the jurassic jet while maintaining a much higher SA has shot through the roof. It is transparent to you, but night and day to me. Remember that ATC is but one aspect of a safe flight from A to B (a very important one) and that automation is another tool that aids in areas you don't see.
Don't fall into the trap of 3rd seat observations. Many moons ago
I was a controller in the military, and for a short while as a DoD controller. I have come to the conclusion that only gave me a flavor for what is going on, not any innate knowledge of the ATC system. The
JS, sim or GA flying cannot prepare you to fully comprehend what we are doing, no more than my limited ATC experience and current interaction with controllers allows much insight into your job.
As to the raw data comment, that still has me scratching my head.