“Pictorial Format Avionics was the original name for a SVS system, when under initial development in the 1980s. Sometimes, it is still used to describe the same. Pictorial format refers to the use of a rendered 3D display to show the plane’s position relative to terrain, weather abnormalities, jet streams, and other aircraft, rather than expecting the pilot to know all these from their cockpit view. It consists of a series of data maps, as complete as possible. Some, like terrain, are uploaded onto the plane before a flight. Others such as weather patterns, updated from the ground. Other planes appear on the display based on their GPS data, and the plane’s own representation moves in response to the plane’s GPS signal and internal instruments. It offers a complete view of the area around the plane which a cockpit window cannot match.”
