Natassia Goode, Michael G. Lenné and Paul M. Salmon
Vehicle motion is one of the key human factors problems associated with the implementation of advanced technologies in mobile command and control units [1,2]. This paper compares results from a simulator [3] and an on-road [4] study to investigate whether motion simulation is a behaviourally valid tool for studying the impact of vehicle motion of the use of touch screen BMS. The studies examined the impact of “normal” and “high” levels of vehicle motion across a range of touch screen Battle Management System (BMS) task types (such as reading, writing, panning and zooming, and drawing). The current study compared completion task times and accuracy in the simulator and on-road study for each task type. Overall, the results suggest that simulated motion is appropriate for studying the direction of effects on BMS touch screen tasks, but not the magnitude of those effects. The findings suggest that the behavioural validity of simulators may be highly task specific, as the magnitude of observed effects varied across BMS task types. Challenges for using simulators to investigate the human factors problems associated with C2 on the move are discussed.
Vesa Kuikka and Marko Suojanen
Capabilities are commonly used in planning and modelling of military power. In this work we introduce a method for modelling the impact of future technologies and new systems on capabilities. Based on probability theory, a mathematically tractable definition of capability is given. The model relates the capability of a system to the capability area (such as situational awareness, for example). We show how to “drill down” from high level capabilities into system capabilities. Relationships between different parts of the system of systems are defined in a quantified manner. The modelling method is demonstrated with data from a questionnaire where changes of capabilities were evaluated.
Peter Dobias and James A. Wanliss
The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is applied to violence data from Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012. Several key behaviours are identified at distinct time scales ranging from days, through weeks to months, through months to a year, and finally spanning multiple years. The identified behaviour was compared to the traditionally-used multiplicative seasonal decomposition. Unlike seasonal decomposition, the EMD does not make a-priori assumptions about periodicity, and thus was better able to identify the multi-year cycle, without the skewed trend in the vicinity of turning points of the near-annual cycle. In addition, the EMD isolated shorter time scales with distinct statistical behaviour thus enriching the opportunities for analysis of drivers at different scales. Overall, the EMD demonstrated its usefulness and applicability, enhancing the analysis of violence data. The next step is to apply it to other types of time-series in the defence context to establish it firmly as a part of the defence analysis toolbox.
Julia E. Carins and Terry T. Moon
Measuring the consumption of combat ration packs (CRP) in a military field environment provides two important types of information: an individual’s food consumption and hence their nutritional intake, and the consumption of food items at individual and system level (product performance data), which is important for optimizing CRP consumption and reducing wastage. Established methods to determine nutritional intake or product performance in other settings are not well suited to such field work; firstly due to practical reasons associated with working in a military field environment, and secondly because they typically provide only one type of information sought. A ration tracker system (RTS) was thus developed to accurately track the consumption of CRP items during military field trials providing simultaneously the two types of information sought. The challenges in developing such a system are identified, results from the first trial of the RTS presented and future development opportunities discussed. A field trial of the prototype RTS demonstrated how the use of CRP can be better monitored. This information can then be used for continual product improvement (CPI) of CRP to meet the nutritional requirements of personnel and to ensure the CRP system is effective, efficient and economical.
Paul Salmon, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
