A Design for Computationally Enabled Analyses Supporting the Pre-Intervention Analytical Framework (PIAF)

Abstract : The Pre-Intervention Analytical Framework (PIAF) for sensemaking includes a conceptual design and a design for computationally enabled analysis. The conceptual design, previously developed by the Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (Whalley et al. 2014), included sensemaking factor maps that are derived from peerreviewed literature findings and organized in terms of underlying sociocultural drivers. The design for computationally enabled analysis, described here, exploits computer technology to connect the conceptual design with current military doctrine, particularly the Joint Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (JIPOE). The purpose of this technology is to identify tools and methods that may facilitate analysis and decision making. The design for this technology is shaped by two factors: (1) the wickedness of understanding and accounting for the influence of sociocultural factors on military operations and (2) the centrality of sensemaking to all phases of operation. Wicked problems are high-stakes, complex problems, arguably unique in each instance, and without definitive formulations or optimal solutions. Sensemaking is a human-centric, iterative process with numerous feedback loops. It involves activities including information foraging, encoding, and reasoning. These two factors suggest important requirements for tools and methods designed to facilitate analysis and decision making.

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