Visual Sampling on a Simulated DIMUS-Type Display

Experienced sonar operators were used to study the visual search on a simulated DIMUS display. The electro-oculargram was used to estimate the location and amount of time spent in each eye fixation on the display made while the operators searched for targets. The data obtained were analyzed to determine the eye movement parameters, the visual coverage of the display, and the relation between operator attention to areas on the display and the display data in those areas. It was found that the operator search of the display is not only nonuniform, but it is also incomplete. The operator viewing time was not uniformly distributed across the display, and, on most presentations, some areas of the display were not even fixed. Thus, the probability of target detection depends on the target location on the display.