Until recently, in Air Traffic Management facilities information about several kinds of potential hazards has been presented to air traffic controllers and air traffic managers on separate displays. Air traffic, weather, terrain hazards, and other operational symbology are all displayed in 3-space and time coordinates, but in most cases the users had to monitor the information on separate displays and integrate all of the information in their minds. Combining all of the information in a single display should allow greater accuracy and reduced cognitive workload. A number of integrated displays are under development in various laboratories.

Color usage in these integrated displays is more complicated than in separate displays. Aircraft symbols and data tags move relative to each other and the background symbology. Areas of weather move relative to the fixed background and the aircraft. The displays therefore involve many more combinations of symbol and background colors than in simpler displays. Even without the variable background colors, the increased density of symbology increases the need for the information presentation to provide good attention management.

Our laboratory is studying various color designs for these integrated displays.

Design of a Prototype Integrated ATM Display:
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