Human-Machine Interfaces for Coordination Decision Support in Tactical Settings

Mobile Army commanders must frequently adjust their planned course of action (COA) in response to events and changes in the battlespace. Advances in the battlefield information infrastructure and related technologies provide new opportunities for the development of human-machine collaborative systems to support decision-making in this context. The objective of this effort is to develop a prototype collaborative user interface implemented on a handheld computer that will enable mobile commanders to work collaboratively with software agents to evaluate, coordinate, refine and decide on optimal Courses of Action. This project complements the DARPA COORDINATOR project, which focuses on software agent development. A mixture of user interface technologies will be employed within a Joint Cognitive System architecture. In our solution, the user interface provides a common framework for information exchange between the human and machine, as well as a mechanism for the human to guide the machine expert. The resulting system will support functions ranging from monitoring the battle situation, detecting deviations from the plan, developing / selecting alternative COAs, and coordinating these COAs with other combat units at various levels of command.