Cognitive Risk Management for UAS Missions

Enabling operators to command and control multiple UAVs will require higher levels of supervisory control, enabling vehicles to operate autonomously during larger portions of each mission. For the foreseeable future, however, critical portions of each mission will require operators to apply their superior knowledge, judgment, and skills to assess the situation, monitor execution more closely and, when necessary, assume greater control of the vehicles actions. An intelligent mission risk management system would help planners and operators detect, assess, and mitigate risks to the mission. For planners, this capability would accelerate planning and ensure consistent plan quality. During mission execution, this capability would ensure that operators become aware of mission risks and resolve them quickly, enabling them to allocate their attention more efficiently across multiple vehicles.During Phase 1, we will explore, prototype, and demonstrate the feasibility of an intelligent risk management capability, focusing on designing the necessary algorithms and knowledge models and on ensuring high-level compliance with the UCS architecture. In addition, we will design the system to be developed during Phase II, and we will develop a project plan that specifies tasks and schedule, making effective use of the experience, expertise, and technology assets of the project team.