Special Operations Rapid Decision-making Environment (SORDE) SBIR Phase II

Coordination and collaboration tools have become more sophisticated, allowing distributed collaboration to occur between operational centers and forward-deployed Special Operations units. With distributed, asynchronous collaboration, however, the opportunity for uncertainty in team members’ actions and status increases. Such uncertainty can significantly inhibit the effectiveness of Special Operations missions. To reduce this uncertainty, Aptima, Inc. is developing SORDE, the Special Operations Rapid Decision-making Environment, which will provide the capability to quantitatively model and visually represent uncertainty in collaboration. These visualizations will enable distributed warfighting units to quickly reduce uncertainty and increase team and shared situation awareness. Graphical depictions of team activities will be driven by a model of team interaction that leverages Aptima’s portfolio of communications and data capture tools. Aptima’s SORDE application will strengthen existing research and will augment fielded approaches to coordination and collaboration. It will also address the operational need for rapid decision-making in areas as diverse as military Special Operations and municipal first responder teams.