Decision Support Systems: Modern information systems on the modern battlefield Steven P. Frysinger, Ph.D. Integrated Science and Technology and Computer Science Departments

What is a Decision Support System? A DSS integrates a variety of elements to support decision making –Data –Models –Analytical tools

What is a Decision Support System? A DSS integrates a variety of elements to support decision making –Data, e.g. Location and nature of assets Location and nature of threats –Models –Analytical tools

What is a Decision Support System? A DSS integrates a variety of elements to support decision making –Data –Models, e.g. Airborne plume dispersion models Radio communication models –Analytical tools

What is a Decision Support System? A DSS integrates a variety of elements to support decision making –Data –Models –Analytical tools, e.g. Monte Carlo Simulation Geographical Information Systems Expert Systems Optimization Visualization and audification

Focused Design A DSS is focused on –a particular decision problem –a particular decision maker One size does not fit all!

DSS in National Defense Computer-supported DSS has been used in the defense arena for decades, e.g. –Fire control systems –RADAR/Sonar detection systems Battlefield applications have become appropriate as the availability of highly portable and reliable computing increases

Battlefield Applications Risk assessment –e.g., weapon choice to minimize collateral damage Asset management –e.g. optimal placement of depots Intelligence gathering –e.g. data worth analysis

Three Specific Contributors to DSS Data mining – Dr. Julia Couto Artificial Intelligence – Dr. Joseph Marchal Spatial data analysis – Dr. Michael Deaton