Capturing the value of information in complex military environments: A fuzzy-based approach

Abstract

Today's military operations require information from an unprecedented number of sources resulting in an overwhelming volume of collected data. A primary challenge for military commanders and their staff is separating the important information from the routine. Currently, the Value of Information (VOI) assigned a piece of information is a multiple step process requiring intelligence collectors and analysts to judge its value within a host of differing operational situations. The cognitive processes behind these conclusions resist codification with exact precision suggesting that new methodologies are required to deal with this significant issue. This paper presents an approach for calculating the VOI in complex military environments using a fuzzy associative memory model as an effective framework for contextually tuning the VOI based on the information's content, source reliability and latency

Enhancing Battlefield Situational Awareness through Fuzzy-Based Value of Information

“…However, the decision was made to use two, 2-dimensional FAMs connected "in series" to produce the overall VoI result. The rationale for this choice was presented in detail in [29] but basically it provided a simpler knowledge elicitation process for the SMEs, decreased the total number of fuzzy rules, and provided the output of the first FAM as a useful product of its own.…”

Utilizing Type-2 Fuzzy Sets as an Alternative Approach for Valuing Military Information

“…Instead of using one 3-dimensional FAM, two 2-dimensional FAMs were used. The reasoning behind this decision was presented in detail in Hammell II et al [2], but essentially it provided a simpler knowledge elicitation process for the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), decreased the total number of fuzzy rules, and provided a potential for the output of the first FAM to be useful on its own.…”

“…Over the past several years, work has been completed to prototype an automated VoI decision support tool for military intelligence analysts [2,3]. This system was constructed using a fuzzy logic-based computational intelligence approach, where knowledge elicitation techniques were used to gather information from experts to construct the fuzzy rules [4].…”

Discerning the Role Context Plays in the Value of Information

“…A key feature of such a process would be a method for judging the importance of pieces of information. The Value of Information (VoI) metric is such a feature [4,5].…”