MH370 Timeline - Colour Code
Flight MH370 Timeline - Colour Code Explained
Each event in the history of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, included in the relevant Timeline articles, is Colour-Coded.
An explanation of the Color Code is shown below:
Colour Code
Colour Code used in the Timeline - An Explanation
The Timeline pages collect data about events related to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. This data has been collated mainly from official sources and is presented in sequence with a short summary enclosed in a coloured panel. A button in each panel links to more detail about each event.
Each panel has a border colour and a background colour. Each colour represents something known about the event.
The border colour represents the type of transmission or observation. VHF Radio and the Satellite Communication system are examples of transmission systems which can be used for voice, or data communications such as ACARS. The background colour of each panel represents the type of communication.
Another type of information we have about MH370 is the radar observations by primary and secondary radar. The border colour indicates that the event relates to radar; the background colour distinguishes between the two primary radar systems - military and civilian - and also the secondary radar system used by the (civilian) air traffic control. As there are not many events for the Secondary Surveillance Radar or the ADS-B transponder on MH370 these events are grouped with the same background colour.
There are also events which should have occurred but did not - for example, a scheduled position report expected to be sent by ACARS over the SATCOM system. These events are highlighted with a red border.
Finally, since all events cannot be so easily classified, a panel with default colours has been used for 'everything else'. As the Timeline is developed or enhanced, the default panel colours may also be used temporarily.
| VHF Radio Communication - Green Border | ||
| ACARS over VHF | Other Data over VHF | Voice over VHF |
| Satellite Communications (SATCOM) - Magenta Border | ||
| ACARS over SATCOM | Other Data over SATCOM | Voice over SATCOM |
| RADAR Observation or Transmission - Blue Border | ||
| Military Radar (Primary) |
Civilian Radar (ATC Primary) |
SSR ADS-B |
| Event did not occur as expected - Red Border | ||
| Default colour scheme - Event Type Not Specified | ||
