Fighting in the Fog: C4I Displays to Support Decision Making Under Uncertainty

Advanced information technologies create enormous increases in data availability and the potential for information overload. In addition, the pace of warfare will accelerate. C4I functions, attempting to meet the demands for accelerated planning cycles, will continue to require decision making under uncertainty. Next-generation C4I information management and decision support systems will need carefully designed human-computer interfaces to allow commanders and staff members to handle the uncertainty. It is critical that these interfaces support intuitive decision-making strategies, or else they may not be used, or may actually result in degraded performance. We propose to take advantage of recent breakthroughs in the field of naturalistic decision making. We will identify the key strategies used for managing uncertainty, and define human-computer interface features to support these strategies. The project will select a C4I system in development. To demonstrate the feasibility of building C4I displays that can help decision makers manage uncertainty, we will develop storyboards for an interface that will increase the effectiveness of the system. Phase II will cover software development and evaluation, and the presentation of design procedures the U.S. Marine Corps can use to enhance its C4I systems.