Using Large Group Displays to Support Intensive Team Activities in C2

Abstract : The use of Large Group Displays (LGDs) is becoming widespread in Command and Control (C2) facilities to support teams involved in the conduct and planning of operations. They should, in theory, provide significant benefits to C2 teams, particularly in situations where they are engaged in intense collaborative tasks to support coordinated decision-making, collaborative planning and synchronized action. There are several documented examples of how LGDs have been deployed and used, both within defence and non-defence environments. Much of the focus has been on the use of LGDs for shared situation awareness, particularly in relation to providing a "picture" of the external or target environment. However, there is significant scope for extending their usage to support new modes of awareness, interaction, and collaboration. This paper draws from an extensive base of knowledge generated and consolidated across the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Canada and Australia which was used to develop considerations and guidelines for the design, development and use of LGDs in C2. Analysis of this information identified three main inter-related challenge areas that need to be addressed by future R&D: Information Content, Content and Display Management, and Integration and Interaction. We also draw on this work to consider how LGDs might best be incorporated and used in future C2 facilities to support highly dynamic situations involving high levels of interaction between team members, rapidly changing and evolving information needs, and situations where teams may not be geographically co-located.