Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T12:20:02.823Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Maritime Head-Up Display: A Preliminary Evaluation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2011

Eric Holder  and
Samuel R. Pecota
Eric Holder*
Affiliation:
(Anacapa Sciences, Inc.
Samuel R. Pecota*
Affiliation:
California Maritime Academy)
*
(Email: eholder@anacapasciences.com
(Email: specota@csum.edu)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A major disadvantage of nearly every marine electronic navigation device introduced to date is the necessity for the navigator to turn his or her attention away from the view outside the bridge windows, even momentarily. Indeed, the uncomfortable feeling experienced by seasoned mariners that this ‘head down’ posture creates has led many to be initially reluctant to adopt some marine electronic devices (radar, ARPA, ECDIS, to name a few) that have proven their worth over time as useful, even vital navigational aids. Unfortunately, the use of such equipment has always required the marine navigator to leave behind the real world perspective view and enter an unnatural, two-dimensional plan view of the area surrounding the vessel. Mariners have accepted this type of view by necessity rather than by choice. That may be about to change. Advances in technology and a proven track record of performance benefits from Head-Up Display (or HUD) information in the aviation field have made it possible to consider if such a device would be useful in a maritime context. Accordingly, the authors of this paper conducted a preliminary evaluation to examine empirically what the effects of providing this same type of head-up information would be on marine navigation performance. A series of tests were conducted in the California Maritime Academy's advanced simulation facilities utilizing a full-mission simulator, a laptop-based HUD prototype, a projector, and student participants from an experimental undergraduate course entitled e-Navigation. The goals were to: 1) define the operational requirements and concept of operations for a maritime HUD system; 2) identify essential information, risks, and concerns; and 3) examine performance variations by conditions (environmental, vessel, crew) and tasks. The results indicate great potential for a maritime HUD system, especially for improving situational awareness in low visibility conditions, confined waters, and for vessels where information changes rapidly (i.e., high speed vessels). The results also suggest that there are some standard information requirements across situations that could be augmented with task and vessel specific information.

Keywords

Head-Up Displaye-NavigationFull-Mission Simulator
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 64 , Issue 4 , October 2011 , pp. 573 - 594
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Fadden, S., Ververs, P.M., & Wickens, C.D. (1998). Costs and benefits of head-up display use: A meta-analytic approach. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 42nd Annual Meeting, pp. 16–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fukuto, J., Hayama, I., Takanori, M., & Fukui, H. (2008). A field experiment on evaluation of an integrated navigational information display. The Journal of Japan Institute of Navigation, 118, pp. 73–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gish, K.W., & Staplin, L. (1995). Human factors aspects of using head up displays in automobiles: A review of the literature. Report prepared for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Crash Avoidance Research. (Report # DOT HS 808 320)Google Scholar
Head-up Display. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_up_display.Google Scholar
Imazu, H. (2006). Course presentation: Ship collision and integrated information system. Advanced Topics for Marine Technology and Logistics 2006. Retrieved from http://www.soi.wide.ad.jp/class/20060026/slides/04/Google Scholar
Kirkley, S.E., & Walker, R. (2003). Location-intelligent marine information services and virtual aids to navigation (vAtoN): A phase 2 SBIR project investigating the creation of applications for the Intelligent Waterways System (IWS) using handheld computers and augmented reality interfaces. Technical Report prepared for the US Coast Guard Research and Development Center. (R & DC #654)Google Scholar
Lin, S-K. V., Seibel, E.J., & Furness, T.A. (2003). Virtual retinal display as a wearable low vision aid. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 15(2), pp. 245–263.Google Scholar
Newman, R.L. (1987). Improvement of Head-up display standards (Vol 1): Head-Up display design guide (Appendix). Report prepared for the Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories Flight Dynamics Laboratory. (AFWAL-TR-87-3055)Google Scholar
Porathe, T. (2006). 3-D nautical charts and safe navigation. Malardalen University Press Dissertations, No. 27, pp. 266–274.Google Scholar
Rockwell Collins, Inc. (2010). HUD basics [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.rockwellcollins.com/products/cs/at/avionics-systems/head-up-displays/system-overview/hud-basics/index.htmlGoogle Scholar
Technology Systems, Inc. (2010). ARVCOP: A complete navigation and mission support system for boats and land platforms. [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.arvcop.com/Google Scholar
Tsang, P.S., & Vidulich, M.A. (2003). Principles and practice of aviation psychology. Mahwah, NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Wilson, J.R., Hooey, B.L., Foyle, D.C., & Williams, J.L. (2002). Comparing pilot's taxi performance, situation awareness and workload using command-guidance, situation-guidance, and hybrid head-up display symbologies. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 46th Annual Meeting, pp. 16–20.Google Scholar
Yeh, M., Merlo, J.L., Wickens, C.D., & Brandenburg, D.L. (2003). Head-up versus head down: The costs of imprecision, unreliability, and visual clutter on cue effectiveness for display signaling. Human Factors, 45(3), pp. 390–407.Google Scholar