Cognitive Perspectives on Map Displays for Helicopter Flight

Abstract

Currently accessible technologies are providing entirely new display concepts for enhancing helicopter navigation. Yet the effectiveness of such displays depends on the extent to which they are configured according to principles from research on human performance. Computer generated map displays in the present study were configured according to previous research on maps, navigational problem solving, and spatial cognition in large scale environments. Interest centered on the representation of different spatial relationships that would best support helicopter navigational problem solving. One map display emphasized the global relationships between objects in the environment. The other map showed the pilot's relationship to objects as he travelled through the environment Twenty skilled pilots used the maps to complete several navigational tasks that occurred within a realistic simulation program tailored for helicopter navigation. Findings indicate that the type of task and mode of flight (low level or Nap of the Earth (NOE)) are important determinants of map display effectiveness.

Display Formatting Techniques for Improving Situation Awareness in the Aircraft Cockpit

“…If geographical orientation relative to the display frame did not change in these displays, then little need should be required for color to restore this orientation. These data are congruent with the findings of Harwood (1989), who also found a beneficial effect for color when inconsistent frames of reference were paired in a low-level flight task.…”

“…With this notion in mind, Harwood (1989) used color to map directional headings (red-west, w h i t e north, blue-east, and green-south) across the borders of two display f r a m e s a navigational map display and the forward field-of-view-in a simulated low-level flight task. In particular, she found that the presence of color was beneficial for some tasks in creating a visual momentum across displays that lacked consistency in their frame of referenee-that is, when a north-up (earth-referenced) map was paired with the forward (ego-referenced) fiekl-of-view.…”

Age Group Differences in the Processing of a Simulated in-Vehicle Digital Map

“…10.61, F[1,78]=39.35, p<0.0001). Although the age differences were reduced to some extent for the condition of concise map, the age effect was still statistically significant (17.32 vs. 4.7, F[1,78]=15.45, p<0.0002).…”

“…Cooper and Shepard [3] also found that the driver would need more time to respond to a sudden situation when mental rotation is being performed, suggesting the adverse occupation of cognitive resources from mental rotation. However, Harwood [10] found some contradicting evidence where the use of a north-up map facilitated navigation performances for the tasks that require identification of landmarks.…”

Effects of Geometry, Landmarks and Orientation Strategies in the ‘Drop-Off’ Orientation Task

“…A common focus (e.g., [7], [8], [4]) has been on matching topographic maps to rural landscapes, where the primary focus is on the shapes of visible landforms. However there has also been an extensive body of work on orientation within aviation, where the scene view is partly from above rather than immersed within the landscape (e.g., [9], [10], [11], [12]). Meanwhile a different approach [13] required participants to judge their position relative to a single building.…”