Methods and systems for controlling display of en-route maps

A display system for an aircraft comprising:

• a moving map display screen configured to display a moving map representative of an area being traversed by the aircraft;
• a route of intended travel of the aircraft superimposed on the moving map;
• and
• a plurality of aeronautical symbols superimposed on said moving map in predetermined locations, at least one of said plurality of aeronautical symbols including an opacity variable determined by a relative rank of importance associated with the at least one aeronautical symbols wherein the relative rank of importance is determined based on a probability that the aeronautical symbol will be used during traversal along the route of intended travel.

A situational awareness system including a moving map display comprising:

• at least one database comprising first data relating to a digital elevation model of a portion of the earth's surface, said model comprising a plurality of pixels, said digital elevation model including a location coordinate and an elevation value associated with each pixel;
• said at least one database further comprising second data relating to displaying a plurality of chart symbols on said moving map display, said second data comprising an opacity value associated with the plurality of chart symbols;
• a processor coupled to the database, the processor configured to:
• receive the location coordinate and an elevation value associated with the digital elevation model;
• receive a route of intended travel for display on the moving map display;
• determine an opacity value for the plurality of chart symbols based on a relevance of the plurality of chart symbols to the received route of intended travel;
• and
• display a moving map including the plurality of chart symbols on the moving map display using the determined opacity value.