Color Analysis in Air Traffic Control Displays, Part II. Auxiliary Displays

Abstract

This report presents the second part of our analysis of color use in Air Traffic Control displays. Part I of the study focused on operational displays, while this investigation focuses on auxiliary information displays with which controllers acquire additional information to make decisions. We chose three frequently used decision-support displays for the analysis. Those are: User Request Evaluation Tool (URET), Traffic Management Advisor (TMA), and Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS). For each display, we documented the background and default colors, color-coding, color usage, associated purposes of color use, and color complexity. With this systematic documentation, we were able to assess compatibility across displays. Using the color checklists we developed earlier, we also analyzed the effectiveness and shortcomings of color use in these displays. The results revealed a number of instances where the use of color might not be effective for its given purpose and where a color could have potential negative effects on task performance. The results of this study can benefit design prototypes and acquisition evaluation for new Air Traffic Control technologies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA465404

Entities

People

  • Jing Xing

Organizations

  • Federal Aviation Administration

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerospace Medicine
  • Air Traffic
  • Aircrafts
  • Altitude
  • Asthenopia
  • Coding
  • Cognitive Workload
  • Color Coding
  • Consistency
  • Data Displays
  • Graphics
  • Identification
  • Information Exchange
  • Standards
  • Task Performance And Analysis
  • United States
  • Visual Perception

Readers

  • Aviation Safety and Air Traffic Management
  • Computer Science.
  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).