Perspective information in a cockpit as a target acquisition aid.

In a simulator experiment, the potential benefits of perspective radar displays for situation awareness support were investigated. A target acquisition task was used in which fighter pilots were required to locate and intercept a target. The pilots were supported by a conventional plan-view radar display, or by two types of perspective exocentric radar displays - with outside-in or inside-out motion reference. Task performance was measured in terms of target acquisition time, tracking accuracy, and workload. The results indicated that pilots were able to perform the target acquisition task much faster when a perspective radar display was used, irrespective of the initial target position. With inside-out motion reference, the acquisition time was reduced by nearly 50% as compared with the plan-view display. Experimental results and implications of the use of perspective radar displays in cockpits are discussed.