Adaptive Battlespace Analysis Toolset for Geospatial Information Management

Satisfying the diverse geospatial information and intelligence needs of the tactical user calls for techniques that can rapidly infer user requirements and manage the information dissemination process. To address this challenge we propose the developmentof an Adaptive Battlespace Analysis Toolset for Geospatial Information Management. The toolset relies on an advanced GIS-based representation of the battlespace and on inferential GIS techniques to develop a knowledge-based description of the currenttactical situation. An information requirements inferencing component combines this description with the decision-maker's profile to derive individualized information requirements. A scheduling component disseminates information from geospatialrepositories and intelligence sources to the decision-makers, while optimizing the overall employment of resources. The toolset also includes an adaptive component for developing rules for inferring information requirements based on feedback elicited fromdecision-makers during training and simulation sessions. Any unmatched information requirements reported by the decision-makers are associated with the tactical context at the time of the request to develop new rules. The proposed toolset will be developedusing robust COTS for GIS and learning, and will interface with existing US Army systems, such as the Combat Terrain Information System, and the Digital Topographic Support System. We see several potential commercial applications of the developedtechnology. The Situation Description Engine can be used to extract key features of a tactical situation in real-time into a knowledge-based format, and to enable decision-support tools to act in response to a changing operational environment. Suchdecision-support tools range from situation awareness and mission planning components, to information retrieval and dissemination. The developed core technology also has a high potential application in the development of the commercial version of ourMilitary Activity Viewing Environment. Further applications extend from disaster relief and emergency management, to homeland security.