On Control and Interaction in Complex Distributed Systems and Environments

Sammanfattning: The objective of this research was to integrate relevant and effective methods and tools to aid improvement of command and control procedures and design of future command and control systems. We pursued a broad research approach and adopted a combined theoretical and practical perspective to discover novel and effective ways to accomplish this objective. Experiences from this work made it possible to develop theories, methods and tools for modelling, analysis and accident prevention in precarious time-critical systems control in military missions and emergency response operations. Critical skills of individual operators and teams, mission resource management, and overall unit performance were the primary fields of study.Initially, we concentrated on identification, modelling and synthesis of fundamental command, control, and intelligence processes by means of case studies, field studies, and experiments in tactical time-critical, high-risk situations using a control theory framework. We studied various aspects of decision making as the main regulatory function of these processes. We integrated methods and tools from several scientific disciplines in order to facilitate identification and analysis of factors that cause limited or substandard performance in command, control and intelligence tasks, by investigating the requirements, flows, and processing of information and intelligence within and between tactical units performing time-critical missions in safety-critical environments under adverse operating conditions.Further on, in order to deepen and widen the knowledge base regarding the interaction between and within components of the tactical forces in relation to higher level commander's intentions, extensive studies and experiments were conducted in full-scale field exercises as well as in computer-assisted exercises with reduced manning. Interactive simulations were utilised to create realistic experimental conditions. This contributed considerably to the successful identification of performance-limiting factors for tactical mission accomplishment.In the last phase of this project, we explicitly studied functions that displayed strong dependency of well-functioning joint human-machine system interaction. We performed identification, modelling, and synthesis of Tactical Joint Cognitive Systems, and their inherent command, control, and intelligence activities. Significant relations between workload, time pressure, catecholamine levels in saliva samples and cognitive complexity were discovered. We used the results as a foundation to further examine how to generate fundamental system requirements by using the methods and tools that were found to be the most valid, robust and reliable of all those evaluated earlier. As a consequence, costly last-minute system modifications, due to insufficient pre-deployment testing, and surprises from unforeseen system failure modes can be avoided to a large extent. It is likely that these methods and tools will possess the maturity and properties that will facilitate widespread, joint military, civil and industrial use.