Services for Proactive Automatic Information Requests (SPAIR)

The present Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) reacts to commanders Requests for Intelligence (RFI). RFIs are created by analysts based on their assessment of the commanders intent, planning guidance, Army doctrine, specific Commanders Critical Information Requirements (CCIR), and Essential Elements of Friendly Information (EEFI). Specific RFIs are heavily influenced by the knowledge and experience of commanders and their staffs. But this actually results in limitations in crafting RFIs since anything beyond the scope of their knowledge and experience will be overlooked. Moreover, individual biases and blind spots come into play, which also can result in critical information being overlooked. This is of particular concern during counter-insurgency and anti-terrorist operations, where knowledge of indigenous cultures, customs, and social networks is extremely important. The US Army requires the capability to automatically and proactively find information that is relevant to a units situation and offer the information to the commanders staff. Services for Proactive Automated Information Requests (SPAIR) analyzes Commanders Critical Information Requirements to detect gaps based on a combat model, automatically collects information to fill the gaps, and presents the information to the commander.