Advanced Visualization for Dynamic Meta-Network Analysis: NetScenes

Our objective is to enable military analysts to rapidly produce intelligence results related to human social contexts, and to improve the quality of the underlying analyses based on dynamic meta-network data. We focus on the visual analytics and decision aids needed to support target identification, political elite assessment and resiliency analysis. Our goal is rapid sense-making given dynamic meta-network data regardless of network size or information certainty using visual analytics that support critical feature assessment; multi-platform capability; geo-temporal network assessment. We enable visual and statistical techniques to assess core network features, the impact of alternative courses of action, and the impact of level and source of uncertainty on the analysis. We utilize intelligent drill-down techniques that given the mission, network size, and device automatically changes the network scene; critical point visualization; iconology; uncertainty visualization; and special"visual windows"for exploring brokers, emergent leaders, and power holders; and non-graph based visualization of meta-network data. The new system, NetScenes, will combine an advanced visual interface and GUI, with an ORA-style analytical engine creating new visualization and dynamic assessment capabilities designed for the warfighter and analyst. Optimized workflows identified by working with military intelligence officers, TRADOC and SOCOM enhance the overall system.