3D visualization to mitigate weather hazards in the flight deck: Findings from a user study

In this paper, we report on our exploration of 3D representations to support temporal navigation. We ground our discussion in a user study on the design of a tool that helps airliner pilots to manage dangerous and tall thunderstorm cells. The tool enables pilots to visualize thunderstorm cells, navigate into meteorological predictions in the near future and evaluate safe paths. The visualization is provided on the dual 2D horizontal/vertical view that is already used on the flight deck. In lieu of the standard 2D vertical view, the tool uses a 3D view that facilitates tracking of cells sliding along time slots and altitudes. The user navigates along two dimensions, heading and time slots, thanks to a rotary knob-button. The design is grounded in field studies with pilots. Prototypes have been iteratively evaluated during design walkthrough sessions with pilots. From the preliminary results of this study, we draw research questions related to the need of 3D in the cockpit navigation displays.