Niki C. Goerger

Using an Ontology for Entity Situational Awareness in a Simple Scenario

The use of ontologies to represent data and knowledge combined with service-based software provides new opportunities for the integration of command and control systems, simulations, and dynamic data. The U.S. Department of Defenses Global Information Grid (GIG) is envisioned to integrate complex communications networks, data from disparate sources, and services-oriented applications. The GIG will provide analysis, decision support, and information visualization to both human and automated users. This paper describes concepts and architecture for an experiment which demonstrates the use of knowledge-based technologies to support tactical maneuver. Open source and in-house software were linked together to conduct a simple simulation of a realistic mission (move from A to B along a “safe” route). Events which may affect the route are injected, reported, and stored in the knowledge base to simulate battlespace dynamics. Through the use of an automated reasoner, events which affect the route are identified and passed to the decision maker to stimulate possible replanning. Follow-on efforts will convert the maneuver related software into web services, moving closer to the GIG concept. Discussed is the value of a formal ontology within the domain of military maneuver, architectural approach, and lessons learned.

Knowledge Representation for Military Mobility Decision-Making by Humans and Intelligent Software

The U.S. military is constructing a Global Information Grid that provides key software services to complex networks of computers and software clients in an operational theater. Commanders’ need for accurate and timely information in support of complex decisions requires that application programs, intelligent agents and humans be able to exchange, analyze, interpret and report information to one another. While interoperability of human soldiers has traditionally been accomplished by the creation of tacit and explicit knowledge through training, construction of software applications and intelligent agents for the GIG requires a standardized vocabulary and semantically rich formalization of common sense knowledge for the various domains of operation spanned by military planning and operations. This formalization is appropriately captured in ontologies which both provide representation vocabularies and facilitate information exchange. Our recent project to define a data model and ontology for the Mobility Common Operating Picture and our ongoing work to support dynamically computed Common Maneuver Networks illustrale the knowledge engineering challenges inherent in a domain where humans have traditionally relied on tacit knowledge to evaluate information as it influences key decisions. Distinguishing concepts that are inherently relational in nature from those that represent object attributes is a key success factor.