Increasing Situational Awareness by Visualizing Uncertainty

Abstract : There are many sources of data available to enhance commanders situational awareness. Whether the mission is war fighting, stability operations, or the defense of the homeland, decisions must be made based on the information available. Information comes from many varied sources, in many formats, with a continuum of validity, and is presented in a variety of ways. Situational awareness and decision superiority opportunity is increased when relevant data is effectively presented in a timely manner and with a measure of confidence. Exact, precise data is easier to present than uncertain data; but often uncertain data may be enough for a decision, based on rules of engagement and the value of the action to the mission. We have developed visualization techniques that focus on uncertainty for the purpose of providing decision-quality command and control information for both ground-based and airborne applications. A key focus of our work is to manage the visualization techniques so they do not clutter the display, as a cluttered display can actually decrease situational awareness by masking relevant information. Data can be presented on a 2D or 3D visual display. This paper proposes a method for managing 2D visualizations to increase situational awareness.