Use Of A Stored Topographic Data Base In The Modern Military Helicopter

The military heilcopter cockpit has become the focal point for development of sophisticated manmachine Information Interfaces. In order to satisfy the mission requirements Imposed by the modern battlefield environment, the crew must rely on Increased situational awareness, and, therefore, must process ever increasing amounts of data to attain the necessary comprehension. The emphasis in cockpit desIgn Is in retention of a reasonable workload by using sensor processing, sophisticated situational presentations, and various decision aids. This paper will dIscuss applications of stored topographic data to situational awareness, while supporting crew workload reductIon. The primary neer-term applications are the electronic map and the associated mission planning. In the future other applications wiII make use of the stored topographic data base.