Human Factors of 3-D Perspective Displays for Command and Control
Abstract
Effective Command and Control (C2) requires the rapid comprehension of the identity and other attributes of tracks and other objects in three-dimensional (3-D) space. Advances in computing speed and power are enabling display designers to create real-time prototype 3-D displays for this purpose. By 3-D display, we mean a display that shows a perspective projection of all three dimensions of physical space onto a flat CRT. One example of a 3-D prototype C2 display is the Area Air Defense Commander (AADC) prototype display (Dennehy, Nesbitt & Sumey, 1994). These new 3-D prototypes are extremely compelling. They offer a radical increase in realism of the scenes they depict over existing 3-D C2 displays. Their naturalistic look and easy feel make them attractive to users who consistently express a strong preference for them. But just because users are clamoring for these 3-D displays and because we can now give them to them does this mean that we should advocate their ubiquitous adoption for C2? The experimental literature comparing 2-D and 3-D displays is large, complicated and contradictory, often showing mixed advantages for 3-D displays, at best. The Navy's Perspective Display Technology (PVT) project has been conducting human factors research addressing these issues. In this talk, an array of PVT's experimental studies is reviewed that offer a consistent - and often counter-intuitive - set of results and guidelines to the where, what and how of 3-D perspective display use for C2 tasks.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA461058
Entities
People
- Harvey S. Smallman
- Mark St. John
- Michael B. Cowen
Organizations
- Naval Information Warfare Systems Command