Tactical Situation Assessement Technologies
Dr LorRaine Duffy
SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego
Abstract
The management of consistency in operational situation assessment among
distributed warfighters is a primary method for maintaining a
synchronized tactical battle rhythm. The primary tool for consistency in
situation assessment understanding is the common operational picture and
the continuous flow of text chat updates that inform the daily
briefings, the relevant information objects in the battle picture, their
relationships, their intent, and the intended response to that intent.
The primary method for capturing this information resides in written and
voice communications, with an increasing reliance on tactical text chat
on highly discontinuous networks within the net-centric architecture.
Yet there is little in the military research arsenal that points to
improvements in tactical text chat.
Predictions of what chat will look like in the next decade have not been
forthcoming. It is our charter to extend the concept of chat into the
next generation, net-centric environment. This paper will provide a
description of a revolutionary device in the production and
dissemination of situation assessment information via text chat among
distributed, net-centric warfighters, hampered by: cumbersome
chemical-biological resistant equipment, restrictions based on
maintaining covertness, constraints based on terrain and
non-line-of-sight environmental conditions and inaccessibility to
standard keystroke entry devices. We will demonstrate several integrated
technologies that will provide the warfighter with an "iconic chat" data
glove, allowing text chat entry in a net-centric environment, without a
keyboard, and without reliance on line of sight determination. The
intent is to make situation assessment updates and context dissemination
ubiquitous in the next generation battlefield.