Evaluating the Effects of Dimensionality in Advanced Avionic Display Concepts for Synthetic Vision Systems

Abstract

Synthetic vision systems provide an in-cockpit view of terrain and other hazards via a computer-generated display representation. Two simulator-based experiments examined several display concepts for synthetic vision and evaluated how such displays modulate pilot performance. Experiment 1 (24 general aviation pilots) compared 3 navigational display (ND) concepts: 2D coplanar, 3D, and dual-perspective. Experiment 2 (12 commercial airline pilots) evaluated baseline “blue sky–brown ground” or synthetic-vision-enabled primary flight displays (PFDs) and 3 ND concepts: 2D coplanar with and without synthetic vision and a dynamic multimode rotatable exocentric format. In general, the results pointed to an overall advantage for a dual-perspective format, whether it be stand-alone (Experiment 1) or available via rotatable viewpoints (Experiment 2). Furthermore, Experiment 2 revealed benefits associated with utilizing synthetic vision in both the PFD and ND representations and the value of combined ego- and exocentric presentations.