Accounting for Human Neurocognitive Function in the Design and Evaluation of 360 Degree Situational Awareness Display Systems

The current state and trajectory of development for display technologies supporting information acquisition, analysis and dissemination lends a broad informational infrastructure to operators of complex systems. The amount of information available threatens to outstrip the perceptual-cognitive capacities of intended operators, thus limiting their ability to effectively interact with targeted technologies. Therefore, a critical step in designing complex display systems is to find an appropriate match between capabilities, operational needs, and human ability to utilize complex information. The present work examines a set of evaluation parameters that were developed to facilitate the design of systems to support a specific military need; that is, the capacity to support the achievement and maintenance of real-time 360 deg situational awareness (SA) across a range of complex military environments. The focal point of this evaluation is on the reciprocity native to advanced engineering and human factors practices, with a specific emphasis on aligning the operator-system environment fit. That is, the objective is to assess parameters for evaluation of 360 SA display systems that are suitable for military operations in tactical platforms across a broad range of current and potential operational environments. The approach is centered on five families of parameters, including vehicle sensors, data transmission, in-vehicle displays, intelligent automation, and neuroergonomic considerations. Parameters are examined under the assumption that displays designed to conform to natural neurocognitive processing will enhance and stabilize Soldier-system performance and, ultimately, unleash the human's potential to actively achieve and maintain the awareness necessary to enhance lethality and survivability within modern and future operational contexts. Presented at the SPIE held in Orlando, Florida, on 25-29 Apr 2011. Prepared in cooperation with Vorteil Technologies, Inc., Karns City, PA. The original document contains color images.