ABSTRACT
The accuracy within and between navigational and informational sensor systems can vary quite widely. Consequently when multiple sources are integrated into a single tactical display, the representation of different objects and different object attributes must be expressed in a way that distinguishes the certainty of the data so the operator may use the information effectively. The authors examine the literature surrounding the representation of uncertainty in advanced data-fused displays with particular reference to the domain of aviation. Attention is also focused on the characteristics of decision making under uncertainty. Whilst the logical argument is to abandon all that is doubtful until it is doubtless, it is apparent that we do not make sense of our uncertain world upon such logic and that we underwrite ‘certainties’ with generally accepted heuristics, standards or strategies. Aiming to understand these strategies is only part of the solution and attention needs to be focused on practical ways in which uncertainty information may be incorporated into data-fused displays. Reconciling these problems in advanced data-fusion technology should provide a unified system of symbologies that are capable of representing the necessary types of uncertainty in a single tactical display.
