A value-based protocol for message scheduling in a C/sup 3/ workstation

The authors investigate the use of a command, control, and communications workstation (C3WS) to automate the processing and display of incoming messages, status information, and outgoing orders. A protocol has been developed for the scheduling of incoming messages which, by considering their relative importance and criticality, displays them for processing by the commander. Improved decision-making is achieved by presenting the list of pending (unread) messages to the commander in an optimal order, thereby reducing decision cycle times. This aspect is referred to as value-based scheduling of information. To test the concept of value-based message scheduling, a software prototype of a C/sup 3/ workstation has been developed. The functional components of the C3WS software are described, and test trials that have been made are discussed.<<ETX>>