Sorry Jolly, I have to agree with AckAck.
That is exactly how it worked back in the day.
Pilots would be briefed by the information collected on the big board.
There was a LOT of work behind the scenes that the average person never saw.
Radar, pilots observations, coast watchers, info coming in from resistance cells, etc.
All of it was noted, plotted on the big board, collated, collected, checked for accuracy.
Sector bars and radar as they are modeled are actually a very good representation of all that.
With a few nods to gameplay thrown in so that you the player can actually find a fight.