Operator awareness is crucial in operating multiple vehicles and sensor platforms efficiently and safely to effectively achieve mission objectives. VCS-4586 is the product of extensive human factors research and every facet of the software is engineered with a strong focus on operational safety and considerations that enhance operator awareness. The software is designed to keep the operator informed of the overall system status and to provide indications of abnormalities in real-time. Some design features include: 

• Consistent software-wide color scheme to clearly distinguish downlink and uplink parameters 
• High level of autonomous vehicle and sensor control 
• Automatic safety features (e.g. automatic minimum altitude clearance) 
• Popup warning, caution and advisory (WCA) messaging system 
• Color-coded WCA messages to indicate level of severity 
• Intelligent synchronization on vehicle takeover 
• Support for audible alerts and messages 
• Over 75 built-in messages originating from 14 subsystems 
• An API for easily adding customized WCA messages