A Map Enhancement for Terrain Visualization Under Night Vision Goggle Compatible Lighting Systems

Abstract

For the Army aviator, Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flight in the tactical rotary-wing profile is a very demanding, task saturated environment. Map navigation is just one of the many tasks that must be accomplished during flight. The dim, monochromatic lighting required for NVG flight alters map colors, decreases image detail and map feature contrast, often making terrain feature recognition more difficult. A cartographic analysis and resulting map enhancement is needed to improve feature recognition, allowing easier navigation and safer flight. In this study, it was found that when applying a non-gray scale (magenta based) relief shading to a 1:50,000 scale military topographic line map, the surveyed aviators determined this shading improved or significantly improved their ability to visualize the terrain. It was also found that a medium level of shading (75% DEM opacity) was preferred.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA363413

Entities

People

  • Wiley C. Thompson

Organizations

  • Oregon State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accidents
  • Aircrafts
  • Army Aircraft
  • Contrast
  • Geography
  • Gray Scale
  • Identification
  • Light Sources
  • Navigation
  • Night Vision
  • Social Sciences
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Three Dimensional
  • Training
  • United States
  • United States Naval Academy
  • Visible Spectra

Readers

  • Circadian Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronobiology
  • Computer Vision.