A System for Linking, Indexing, and Validating IO COAs (LIVIO)

Current military operations are increasingly dependent on Information Operations (IO), which demand an in-depth understanding of the impact of an IO course of action (COA) on targets in the Area of Operations (AO). Currently, IO COA planning follows the process of traditional kinetic COA generation, evaluation, and selection, but without a means to effectively evaluate alternative COAs because of a lack of deep understanding of both intended and unintended targets. To address this deficit, we propose to design, develop, and evaluate a system for Linking, Indexing, and Validating IO COAs (LIVIO). This effort consists of four key components. First, we will extend our Phase I Work Domain Analysis to better understand the IO planning process and how analytic support based on human behavior models could improve COA generation, evaluation, and selection. Second, we will develop a taxonomy for characterizing models from the perspective of the tactical user, and use that taxonomy to design tactically focused, adaptable “modeling objects.” Third, we will develop a system that uses the taxonomy and modeling objects to allow IO planners to rapidly generate, evaluate, and select IO COAs. Finally, we will evaluate the system and its components to guide future development and transition.