Imaging Systems in Search and Rescue: Implications for Geographic Orientation

Abstract

Optical imaging systems have the potential to dramatically change the task of a search and rescue technician. An important difference between the traditional process of “looking out the window” and search conducted with the aid of an optical imaging system is that in the case of imaging systems the frame of reference for the viewed display is de-coupled from the technician's frame of reference. We examined the ability of a moving-map display that recorded the locations of designated targets to support geographic orientation in operators with and without knowledge of the modeled terrain. Participants who did not have knowledge of the terrain benefited from the moving map, as when it was present they were less likely to re-identify targets that they had already viewed, whereas those who were already familiar with the terrain model showed no benefit from this manipulation. Both groups had difficulty localizing targets on a map following flight, and the two groups did not differ in their ability to initially detect targets using the system.