Terrain Visual Cue Analysis for Simulating Low-Level Flight: A multidimensional Scaling Approach
Abstract
Multidimensional scaling was used to analyze the features of real- world terrain that are salient to pilots during low-level flight. The stimuli were nine short (5-second duration) videotape segments depicting low-level, high-speed flight over a variety of terrain types. The segments were paired in all possible combinations, yielding a total of 36 stimulus pairs. Fifteen experienced pilots rate the visual similarity of each terrain pair on a 10-point scale anchored at 0 with Highly Dissimilar and at with Highly Similar. The rating data were submitted to a nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis using the procedure ALSCAL. A two-dimensional solution yielded dimensions corresponding to (a) terrain flatness/verticality, and (b) a composite of the size, density and spacing of scene elements. The only two A-10 pilots in the investigation weighted Dimension 2 much more heavily than did any other subjects. These results suggest that (a) efforts should be directed toward effectively modeling vertical features such as hills and ridge lines in simulator visual scenes; (b) a high density of small-scale and closely spaced scene elements (e.g., desert bushes) is less effective than larger-scale, more distinguishable scene elements (e.g., buildings); and (c) mission requirements for certain aircraft (e.g., the V-10) may place special emphasis on particular types of scene content.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA223564
Entities
People
- James E. Kleiss
Organizations
- University of Dayton