Situational awareness or
situation awareness (
SA) is the
perception of environmental elements with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some
variable has changed, such as time, or some other variable, such as a predetermined event. It is also a field of study concerned with understanding of the environment critical to decision-makers in complex, dynamic areas from
aviation,
air traffic control,
ship navigation, power plant operations, military
command and control, and
emergency services such as
fire fighting and
policing; to more ordinary but nevertheless complex tasks such as driving an
automobile or riding a
bicycle.