DESIGNING DISPLAYS AND DECISION SUPPORTS USING COGNITIVE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

SCREENING BAGGAGE AND PASSENGERS FOR CONCEALED WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT COMPONENT OF THE AVIATION SECURITY SYSTEM. RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHAPE AND COMPOSITION OF CONCEALED ITEMS. HOWEVER, THE DEVELOPMENT OF DECISION SUPPORTS TO PRESENT THIS INFORMATION TO THE OPERATOR HAS LAGGED BEHIND. HOW A SYSTEM PRESENTS INFORMATION TO ITS HUMAN OPERATOR IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. THE INTERFACE MUST PRESENT INFORMATION TO THE OPERATOR IN AN INTUTITVE MANNER THAT IS CONSISENT WITH THE COGNITIVE PROCESSES NATURALLY INVOKED BY THE OPERATOR. WE PROPOSE TO APPLY COGNITIVE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING TO THE PROBLEM OF DESIGNING EFFECTIVE DECISION SUPPORTS FOR OPERATORS OF BAGGAGE AND PASSENGER SCREENING DEVICES. IN PHASE I OF THIS SBIR, WE WILL IDENTIFY THE COGNITIVE REQUIREMENTS OF OPERATOR PERFORMANCE, DEVELOP DISPLAY CONCEPTS THAT ADDRESS THESE REQUIREMENTS, INVESTIGATE THE UTILITY OF KNOWLEDGE-BASED DECISION SUPPORTS, AND DEVELOP STORYBOARDS THAT ILLUSTRATE THESE CONCEPTS. IN PHASE II, WE WILL BUILD AND EVALUATE PROTOTYPES OF THE DECISION SUPPORT CONCEPTS DERIVED FROM PHASE I. PHASE II WILL RESULT IN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DESIGN REQUIREMENTS AND CERTIFICATION CRITERIA FOR DECISION SUPPORTS. PHASE III WILL RESULT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE TOOLS IN THE AVIATION SECURITY SYSTEM.