MODEL-BASED METHODOLOGY FOR TERRAIN-FOLLOWING DISPLAY DESIGN

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A MODEL-BASED METHODOLOGY FOR TERRAIN-FOLLOWING DISPLAY DESIGN AND EVALUATION. THE BASIC APPROACH CENTERS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PILOT/SYSTEM MODEL THAT INTEGRATES GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN PERCEPTION AND PERFORMANCE WITH SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF AIRCRAFT AND AVIONICS CAPABILITIES PECULIAR TO THE TERRAIN-FOLLOWING MISSION. THE PROPOSED MODEL INTEGRATES SEVERAL STATE-OF-THE-ART SUB-MODELS, COVERING VISUAL PERCEPTION, INFORMATION FUSION, DISCRETE DECISION-MAKING, AND CONTINUOUS CONTROL. WE PROPOSE TO USE IT TO PROVIDE PREDICTIONS OF PILOT/SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, AS A FUNCTION OF TF DISPLAY CONFIGURATION, WITHIN A FORMAL STRUCTURE PROVIDED BY A PROCEDURE-ORIENTED METHODOLOGY, TO MINIMIZE THE REQUIREMENT FOR SUBJECTIVE DISPLAY DECISIONS. WE PROPOSE TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY OVER THREE TASKS: 1) DEVELOPMENT OF A DEMONSTRATION MODEL AND METHODOLOGY; 2) EVAUATION VIA DESIGN EXAMPLE; AND 3) METHODOLOGY SPECIFICATION FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT. A FINAL REPORT WILL SUMMARIZE THE PHASE I STUDY OBJECTIVES, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER WORK.