Interface Design for Sonobuoy Systems
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Interface Design for Sonobuoy Systems by Huei-Yen Winnie Chen A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2007 ©Huei-Yen Winnie Chen 2007 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Modern sonar systems have greatly improved their sensor technology and processing techniques, but little effort has been put into display design for sonar data. The enormous amount of acoustic data presented by the traditional frequency versus time display can be overwhelming for a sonar operator to monitor and analyze. The recent emphasis placed on networked underwater warfare also requires the operator to create and maintain awareness of the overall tactical picture in order to improve overall effectiveness in communication and sharing of critical data. In addition to regular sonar tasks, sonobuoy system operators must manage the deployment of sonobuoys and ensure proper functioning of deployed sonobuoys. This thesis examines an application of the Ecological Interface Design framework in the interface design of a sonobuoy system on board a maritime patrol aircraft. Background research for this thesis includes a literature review, interviews with subject matter experts, and an analysis of the decision making process of sonar operators from an information processing perspective. A work domain analysis was carried out, which yielded a dual domain model: the domain of sonobuoy management and the domain of tactical situation awareness address the two different aspects of the operator's work. Information requirements were drawn from the two models, which provided a basis for the generation of various unique interface concepts. These concepts covered both the needs to build a good tactical picture and manage sonobuoys as physical resources. The later requirement has generally been overlooked by previous sonobuoy interface designs. A number of interface concepts were further developed into an integrated display prototype for user testing. Demos created with the same prototype were also delivered to subject matter experts for their feedback. While the evaluation means are subjective and limited in their ability to draw solid comparisons with existing sonobuoy displays, positive results from both user testing and subject matter feedback indicated that the concepts developed here are intuitive to use and effective in communicating critical data and supporting the user’s awareness of the tactical events simulated. Subject matter experts also acknowledged the potential for these concepts to be included in future research and development for sonobuoy systems. This project was funded by the Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships (IPS) from Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the sponsorship of Humansystems Inc. at Guelph, Ontario. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Catherine Burns deeply for her supervision and support in this research, and for her guidance beyond the thesis work. I would also like to thank Tab Lamoureux for his guidance and constant assistance in providing me the necessary resources. I am truly grateful to have had two excellent mentors throughout this research. I would like to thank members of the Canadian Navy who kindly participated in interviews, allowed access to their work environment, and offered valuable feedback on the prototype, and Jacquelyn M. Crebolder for making the interviews and prototype feedback possible. I would also like to acknowledge the support and interest of my user testing participants, and express my thanks for their patience and feedback. Thank you to Albert Chen for the assistance in creating graphics for the first round of designs, and to Joe Hood and Derek Burnett for providing valuable feedback on both initial designs and the final prototype. Thank you to Dr. Mike Matthews and Roy Keeble at Humansystems Inc. for sharing their knowledge about the Canadian Navy with me. I would also like to thank those who gave feedback in the writing of this paper. In particular, I would like to thank Kyle Renwick for his tremendous help in editing this paper, and his patience and support throughout the writing process. I would like to thank my readers, Dr. John Zelek and Dr. Renee Chow, for their comments and encouragement. This research has been supported by the Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Human systems® Inc. of Guelph, Ontario. iv Table of Contents AUTHOR'S DECLARATION...........................................................................................................ii Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................. v List of Figures..................................................................................................................................ix List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................xi Chapter 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 1.1 Research Approach..................................................................................................................2 1.2 Contributions...........................................................................................................................2 1.3 Thesis Organization.................................................................................................................2 Chapter 2 Literature Review..............................................................................................................4 2.1 Sonar.......................................................................................................................................4 2.1.1 Sound in the Ocean Environment ......................................................................................5 2.1.2 Sound Propagation Paths...................................................................................................6 2.1.3 Oceanic Sound Speed Profiles...........................................................................................7 2.1.4 Passive vs. Active Sonar ...................................................................................................8 2.1.5 Broadband vs. Narrowband...............................................................................................9 2.1.6 Interpretation of Sonar Data ..............................................................................................9 2.1.7 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 10 2.2 Sonobuoys............................................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Sonar Displays and Recent Research and Development Efforts.............................................. 11 2.3.1 Integrated Multistatic Passive-Active Concept Testbed (IMPACT).................................. 12 2.3.2 EZ-Gram Sonar Display Tools ........................................................................................ 13 2.3.3 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 14 2.4 The Roles and Limitations of Auditory Interfaces .................................................................. 15 2.5 Ecological Interface Design ................................................................................................... 16 2.5.1 Abstraction Hierarchy.....................................................................................................16 2.5.2 Skills, Rules, Knowledge Framework.............................................................................. 17 2.5.3 EID in the Military Domain ............................................................................................ 18 2.6 Situation Awareness .............................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 3 Subject Matter Expert Interviews.....................................................................................20 v 3.1 Responsibility and Work Environment...................................................................................20 3.2 Cues and Supporting Information...........................................................................................21 3.2.1 Information They Seek....................................................................................................22 3.2.2 The Intricacies of Sonar Tasks.........................................................................................22 3.2.3 Mental Model and Situation Awareness...........................................................................23