Effects of Threat Visibility and Geographic Knowledge on Attention Allocation During BVLOS Drone Operation: Using Gaze Transition Entropy

Abstract

Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) is considered a key feature of next-generation drone operations. The design of Ground Control System (GCS) interfaces should incorporate Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities to enhance the operator's decision-making process and support effective DAA procedures, especially when dealing with unexpected events during BVLOS flights.Our previous study has investigated the impact of different map representations and geographic knowledge on drone operators' information processing and decision-making in BVLOS drone operations with different emergencies through eye-movement analysis with pupil diameter, and the number of fixations and their ratio per Area of Interest (AOIs) consist of FPV camera view and GCS. The results show that only the map type has a significant difference in pupil diameter, and the group with geographic knowledge and more instant geographic information, using satellite map, had larger pupil diameter. Moreover, this previous study implied that the risk assessment could rely on visual identification, location fixation, and threat predictability of obstacles.However, eye tracking analysis using only pupil diameters and fixations could not accurately certify the exact movement and transition of eye movements between AOIs.Gaze transition entropy (GTE) and stationary gaze entropy (SGE) are the indicators of focused attention and goal-directed behavior for reading the information processing with eye movement data. GTE measures how systematically or randomly gaze moves between displays or information sources (AOIs). High GTE indicates random transitions between AOIs, leading to high cognitive load. SGE indicates the uncertainty about the distribution of AOIs on which gaze is focused over a given time. High SGE indicates widespread gaze across AOIs, while a low SGE indicates a focused focus on a specific AOI.Therefore, GTE and SGE were analyzed to better understand cognitive information processing using the same dataset. The data collected from 40 participants (M=24.6, SD=5.55) were divided into four groups with two between-subjects factors: whether the geographic instructions were given prior to or not, and map type (Road or Satellite). They conducted four scenarios with various emergency occurrences: bird approach, flock of birds, strong wind, and fire in a building on the route. Additionally, scenarios' influence is validated, which the previous study did not.We hypothesized that (1) Map type affects GTE and SGE; (2) The absence of instruction doesn’t affect GTE and SGE; (3) Scenario affects GTE, SGE, and gaze transition probability.Results showed that GTE and SGE were not significantly varied across map types, geographic instruction, and scenarios, although the group with instructions and satellite map shows highest GTE. On the other hand, it is revealed that the gaze transition probability from AOI 1 (FPV) to AOI 2 (GCS) and from AOI 2 to AOI 1 shows significant difference across scenarios. These findings reinforce the need for detailed risk assessment classification based on emergency situation characteristics. The process of mentally processing and applying both retained and immediate information increases eye movement randomness, confirming the necessity for adequate adaptation time and training before task engagement.

Keywords: Gaze transition, Drone operation, BVLOS, Eye-tracking, Decision-making, Geographic Information processing

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007029