Human Engineering Factors in Distributed and Net-Centric Fusion Systems

This chapter begins with a discussion of military intelligence analysis, its characteristics as a work domain, and the challenges it poses for human analysts. It highlights potential features of fusion systems that can mitigate these challenges for different stages of the intelligence analysis process. The chapter utilizes the design of a fusion system that aids a hypothetical intelligence analysis process as a case study. The chapter deals with design characteristics and rationale for a set of touch points for human control and interaction with a distributed, hard-soft information fusion system. It describes the high-level challenges and system capabilities relevant to the support of human operators in fusion systems. Cognitive systems engineering and its associated methodologies for characterizing work domains; human-centered system engineering represent an approach that focuses on both human and system performance and their interrelationships. Considering domain characteristics and complexities allows identification of fusion system capabilities which support human performance in the challenging environment.