Hill Air Force Base Software Facility near Completion
By David Killam
We're all familiar with personal devices that remember our favorite settings, from seat positions in our cars to songs on an mp3 player. At Hill Air Force Base, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District is building a new facility set to bring those favorite settings to the battlefield.
The $36 million-facility will house a software system that can not only remember favorite settings, but create more visible icons on a screen for the user, taking into account what is easier for their eyes to see.
The software system being developed will analyze, over time, what patterns and colors are most discernable to fighter pilots, said Air Force project manager Kent Poorman. The software will then slightly modify the colors and patterns that go into each fighter pilot's display. Once these patterns have been established, the settings can be downloaded into a laptop computer and loaded into the pilot's jet control system in a matter of minutes, said Poorman. In a fight where success can depend on split-second decisions, this system can provide a pilot a decisive edge over enemy pilots.
Air Force researchers have discovered that shapes and colors are perceived in an individualistic manner, said Poorman. While one person may find it easier, for example, to recognize a triangle, another person will have better luck perceiving a square. The same goes for colors; some people can see green better than other colors.
In addition to the new software development, the facility will be used to refine and calibrate radar systems used by fighter aircraft in performing their missions.
Prior to construction and to meet Air Force requirements, the Corps of Engineers demolished the existing building occupying the location of the new facility.
The facility is scheduled to be completed this fall.
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