In a 1997 Jeep grand cherokee, what is the LED display next to the transmission shifter? I?

Question

its like a picture of the car and there are 2 buttons called "set" and "select"

What is this and what does it do?

Answer 1

That is the Vehicle Information System. It has four major functions.
1. Display the current time and date.
2. Monitor vehicle operating conditons and alert the driver if a malfunction occurs.
3. Display a service reminder or indicate distance to service.
4. Display 2 and 4 wheel drive transfer case modes of operation.
After changing your oil, to reset the counter press the select button momentarily, then press and hold the set button at least 2 seconds with the ignition on. This will reset the counter to 3000 miles and will let you know how long you have to go before your next oil change. To reset the clock / calender function, turn on the ignition and be sure the time and date is being displayed. Press and hold the set button until the hour digit flashes, then release. A single tap of the set button will allow selection of the hour at one increment per tap. When the hour is correct, press the select button and the display will step to the next function. Set this the same way. When all settings are correct, press the select button to lock into memory. The minutes function is not set here. Set the minutes on the radio clock and it will automatically transfer to the Vehicle Information Center. I hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

That is called the vehicle information center (VIC) this will tell you what is going on with your vehicle, also when you first turn on your vehicle it will tell you how many miles you have until your next oil change. It tells you if your in 2WD, 4WD part time, 4WD full time, if the transfer case is in neutral, or if your in 4WD low range.

The display will also tell you if something is wrong with the vehicle, for example, low washer fluid, low fuel, low oil, transmission over temp. The display is very informative, it even told me when my engine coolant sensor was bad, plus it will also tell you if your coolant level is low.