An Investigation of the Effect of Assisted Target Cueing on Operator Target Acquisition Performance with First Generation FLIR Imagery

Abstract

The following experiment examined assisted target cueing (ATC) and target localization performance with first generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery collected for the TESSA program. Sixteen observers viewed dynamic FLIR imagery that varied in terms of aiding (unaided versus aided), ATC hit accuracy (50 % versus 75 %), amount and type of background clutter (“open”, “treeline”, and “sparse”), and slant range to the target array (8 km, 6 km, and 4 km). All images contained the target to be detected, a transporter erector launcher (TEL), as well as two support vehicles. After viewing each FLIR sequence, participants identified the TEL and rated their confidence in their decision. Results revealed that ATC cueing enhanced operator's confidence but did not alter their localization accuracy relative to the unaided condition, an outcome attributed to ceiling effects. In addition, operators performed somewhat more slowly with cueing, and ATC accuracy had no impact on performance.