Information Uncertainty Portrayal

We propose to develop novel representations of uncertain command and control (C2) data that will be semantically rich and support quick, accurate mental visualizations of battle states. We will analyze current information visualization methods andhuman-centered design principles to support situation awareness and decision making of intelligence officers for providing the commander with a complete and timely understanding of the opposition force. Information visualization and graphical methodswill be evaluated to assess their utility for application or adaptability to various types of C2 data. We will also describe approaches for heuristically and empirically investigating the usability and usefulness of information portrayals developed as partof the Phase I research. Metrics for assessing the quality of the portrayals will be developed. Phase II work will involve development of a prototype of an information visualization system that can provide the user (intelligence officer and commander) witha customizable operating picture of the battlespace and the ability to easily locate, integrate, and comprehend information from distributed sources of varying reliability. Work from Phase I will also provide initial support for the development of adomain and task specific ontology and user guide for the conceptual system.