Color Formatting Issues in Pictorial Displays

As aircraft cockpits become more complex, pilot-vehicle interface engineers will continue to search for new ways to integrate and simplify the vast amounts of information available to the pilot. One candidate technology for near term application is the use of color pictorial display formats. Using color as a coding dimension, designers can assist pilots in delineating informational aspects of a given display. However, color coding must not be applied in the cockpit in an arbitrary fashion. Numerous color coding conventions have already been developed, and new conventions will be required to satisfy more complex displays. This paper reviews selected conventions that currently exist and applications that go beyond them.