Rapid Ethnographic Assessment Program

As the Department of Defense continues to emphasize the importance of more effective stabilization and reconstruction operations, the need is clear for decision support tools that can help troops working day-to-day in different cultures. The objective of this Phase I SBIR is to provide OSD and Human Terrain Team analysts with additional insight into the potential cultural effects of different military missions. An ethnographic data collection plan will be developed and automated to synthesize data from multiple sources. Innovative algorithms will be developed to provide military planners insight into potential cultural risks as a result of military missions. The resulting Ethnographic Planning Tool will be capable of comparing task options to minimize potential risks and impacts to host-country cultural elements. The data fusion framework integrating the ethnographic data sources will be built on an infrastructure initiated by investments from the Missile Defense and Navy offices to provide a robust decision trade-space during acquisition decisions. The Phase I program will solidify the Phase II requirements by having selected OSD analysts interact with the proof-of-concept graphical user interface and database structure to conduct ethnographic-based mission planning. The Phase II program will develop a prototype tool and validate its operation and use concept.