Evaluation of Target Acquisition Difficulty Using Recognition Distance to Measure Required Retinal Area

Abstract

The psychophysical method of limits was used to measure the distance at which observers could distinguish military vehicles photographed in natural landscapes. Obtained from the TNO-TM Search_2 dataset, these pictures either were rear-projected 35 mm slides or were presented on a computer monitor. Based on the rational that more difficult vehicle targets would require more visual pathways for recognition, difficulty of acquisition was defined interns of the relative retinal area required for recognition. Relative retinal area was derived from the inverse square of the recognition distance of a particular vehicle relative to the distance of the vehicle that could be seen furthest away. Results are compared with data on the time required to find the vehicles in these pictures. These comparisons indicate that 1) the two methods are complementary with respect to distinguishing different degrees of acquisition difficulty; 2) recognition distance thresholds can be a suitable means of defining standards for the effectiveness of vital graphic information.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADP010536

Entities

People

  • Thomy Nilsson

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Applied Psychology
  • Aspect Angle
  • Camouflage
  • Carriages
  • Color Vision
  • Computers
  • Contrast
  • Data Sets
  • Graphics
  • High Resolution
  • Measurement
  • Neural Pathways
  • Psychology
  • Recognition
  • Standards
  • Target Acquisition

Readers

  • Computer Vision.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.