Enhancing Air Traffic Control Displays

with Principles of Conceptualization in Perception and Language

Tim ClausnerUniversity of Maryland Center for Advance Study of Language

Evan Palmer, Chris Brown & Carolina BatesWichita State University

Phil KellmanUCLA

Air Traffic Control Displays TodayAir Traffic Control Displays Today

Two perceptual channels:

Graphical for location and heading

Alphanumeric for altitude

Depth Cues (Size and Contrast)Depth Cues (Size and Contrast)

SmallerLighter

LargerDarker

Altitude Correlated Depth CuesAltitude Correlated Depth Cues(Palmer, Clausner & Kellman, 2008. (Palmer, Clausner & Kellman, 2008. ACM Trans Appl. PerceptionACM Trans Appl. Perception) )

Hypothesis: Hypothesis: Magnitude of spatial altitude can be visualized as perceptual cues of size and contrast.

150350 200250300

Altitude Bands (hundreds feet)

No Cues

Size

Contrast

Size & Contrast

Altitude

350 300 250200150

Visual Search MethodVisual Search Method

Perceptual cues were expected to enhance visual search for conflicts.

Size & ContrastContrast Only

No Cue Size

Contrast Size & Contrast

Student participants (N=40) searched for a conflictStudent participants (N=40) searched for a conflict

FeedbackFeedback

2 aircraft2 aircraft 7 aircraft7 aircraft 12 aircraft12 aircraft

ResultsResults

2 aircraft2 aircraft 7 aircraft7 aircraft 12 aircraft12 aircraft

No-CueNo-Cue

ResultsResults

No-CueNo-Cue Size-Size-CueCue

Contrast-Contrast-CueCue

Combined-Combined-CueCue

2 aircraft2 aircraft 7 aircraft7 aircraft 12 aircraft12 aircraft

ResultsResults

No-CueNo-Cue Size-Size-CueCue

Contrast-Contrast-CueCue

Combined-Combined-CueCue

2 aircraft2 aircraft 7 aircraft7 aircraft 12 aircraft12 aircraft

ResultsResults

No-CueNo-Cue Size-Size-CueCue

Contrast-Contrast-CueCue

Combined-Combined-CueCue

2 aircraft2 aircraft 7 aircraft7 aircraft 12 aircraft12 aircraft

ConclusionsConclusions

• Size and contrast cues enhanced search performance, equivalent to processing 5 more aircraft, for a given level of performance.

• Size & Contrast cues were consistent with depth cues.

• Depth-consistent cues reduced missed conflicts.

Why did SIZE and CONTRAST cues enhance performance?Why did SIZE and CONTRAST cues enhance performance?

Depth

LARGER & DARKER IS CLOSER

Magnitude Metaphor

MORE IS UP

Experiment 2 Experiment 2 ((Palmer, Clausner, Kellman. Palmer, Clausner, Kellman. Human Factors Erg. Soc. 2009)Human Factors Erg. Soc. 2009)

Above

Below

Depth-Consistent Depth-Inconsistent

Experiment 2 MethodExperiment 2 Method

Above

Below

Depth-Consistent Depth-Inconsistent

Vantage Point InstructionVantage Point Instruction

DisplaysDisplays

MORE IS UP MORE IS DOWN

Visual Search ProcedureVisual Search Procedure

Participants (N = 80) were instructed to imagine the scene from the vantage point, they bodily experienced in training.

Equivalent Displays:Equivalent Displays:MORE IS UPMORE IS UP

From ABOVE

Depth-Consistent

From BELOW

Depth-Inconsistent

Equivalent Displays:Equivalent Displays:MORE IS UPMORE IS UP

p = .026p = .026

Pro

port

ion

Cor

rect

Pro

port

ion

Cor

rect

From ABOVE

Depth-Consistent

From BELOW

Depth-Inconsistent

Equivalent Displays:Equivalent Displays:MORE IS DOWNMORE IS DOWN

From ABOVE

Depth-Inconsistent

From BELOW

Depth-Consistent

Equivalent Displays:Equivalent Displays:MORE IS DOWNMORE IS DOWN

p > .89p > .89

Pro

port

ion

Cor

rect

Pro

port

ion

Cor

rect

From ABOVE

Depth-Inconsistent

From BELOW

Depth-Consistent

ConclusionsConclusions

• Conflict detection performance varied with imagined vantage point.

• Performance was best when Size & Contrast cues are depth-consistent AND match a MORE IS UP metaphor, imagined from above.

Experiment 3Experiment 3Color vs. ContrastColor vs. Contrast

CCOOLLOORR

CCOONNTTRRAASSTT

DisplaysDisplays

CCOOLLOORR

CCOONNTTRRAASSTT

Results

Color encoding of altitude yielded better conflict

detection than contrast coding.

CCOOLLOORR

CCOONNTTRRAASSTT

ResultsResults

Performance varied with vantage point, for contrast cues

but not color cues.

CCOOLLOORR

CCOONNTTRRAASSTT

From

ABOVE

From

BELOW

Experiment 4Experiment 4SHAPE vs. SIZESHAPE vs. SIZE

SHAPE

SIZE

DisplaysDisplays

SHAPE

SIZE

ResultsResults

Shape cues yielded better performance than size cues

SHAPE

SIZE

Experiment 4ResultsResults

Performance did not vary with vantage point

SHAPE

SIZE

From

ABOVE

From

BELOW

ConclusionsConclusions

• Some perceptual cues interacted with Imagined Perspective

• Enhanced ability to detect conflicts in these displays is due to more than display features. Perceptual cues engaged Depth Processes AND Conceptual Metaphors

• Some cues may be more natural than others.

• Explaining and predicting enhanced visualization must consider the cognitive processes that display features engage.

US Patent #7,408,552

European Patent #1474789

PAPERS

Clausner (2002). How conceptual metaphors are productive of spatial-graphical expressions. Proc. Cognitive Science Society. (pp. 208-213).

Clausner & Croft (1999). Domains and image schemas. Cognitive Linguistics, 10, 1-31.

Palmer, Brown, Bates, Kellman, & Clausner (2009). Imagined viewpoints modulate visual search in air traffic control displays. Human Factors and Ergonomic Society.

Palmer, Clausner & Kellman (2008). Enhancing Air Traffic Control Displays via Perceptual Cues. ACM: Trans. Applied Perception 5, 1-22.

Color cues for altitude may compete with other color Color cues for altitude may compete with other color encodingsencodings