Experimental Evaluation of a Visual Detection Model

A fixed-base simulation experiment was performed to gather visual air-to-ground target recognition performance data for comparison with predictions from the Autonetics Detection Model. Color motion picture imagery obtained during a low-altitude flight was used to simulate the observer's forward view. Observer performance was measured in terms of probability and range of correct target recognition. The Autonetics Detection Model incorporates parameters related to the target, the environment, and the observer. In generating theoretical predictions from the model, values of all parameters were specified independently of the data obtained in the experiment. No curve fitting techniques were used to improve the fit between the empirical and theoretical curves. Results indicated a close relationship between the obtained performance data and the model predictions. A product-moment correlation of +0.53, significant at the 0.001 level, was obtained between the empirical and theoretical 50% recognition ranges.