Definition
The Planview Graphical User Interface is the on-screen display used by air traffic controllers in certain ATC systems that shows aircraft and airspace information from a top-down (map-style) view. It presents radar targets, data blocks, routes, weather, and airspace boundaries on a single integrated display the controller interacts with to manage traffic.
Plain English
It is the controller's main computer screen, showing aircraft from above on a map, with all the information they need to direct traffic.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA and air traffic control automation discussions; pilots normally read about it rather than use it directly in the cockpit.
Derivation
Planview means a view looking straight down from above, like a map. Graphical User Interface (GUI) is the standard computing term for a screen-based display that a user interacts with using visual elements rather than text commands. Together: the top-down map screen the controller works with.
Why Pilots Care
It gives pilots an immediate visual understanding of their route and nearby airspace, reducing the chance of missing important details during planning or en route.
Analogy
It is like looking at a moving map from above rather than reading a list of aircraft positions.
Intuition Check
PGUI is not a cockpit flight-planning page. “Planview” here means a top-down map-style view, not a view used to make a flight plan.
Example Sentence 1
The controller spotted the conflict on the PGUI and issued a turn before the two aircraft converged.
Example Sentence 2
During preflight, the instructor pointed out the departure corridor on the PGUI display.