A Human Factors Assessment of the Maneuver Command and Control (MC2) Interface at Company Level and Below

Abstract

Research for the November 2003 Unit of Action Developmental Experiment 1, which was conducted by the Human Research and Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, had three objectives. The first was to assess the level of functionality of the maneuver command and control (MC2) system as a C2 interface at company level and below. The second was to determine operator situational awareness (SA) and workload levels. The third objective was to examine aspects of the interface design, such as visual display, to determine if the Soldier-machine interface was satisfactory. The MC2 was subjectively rated by users at company level and below as performing poorly on many key functions necessary for C2 in an automated manner and in assisting users in performing these functions. These functions included maintain SA; access relevant information; collaboratively develop plans; develop operations orders (OPORDs) and create graphics; distribute OPORDs and graphics; rehearse the plan; maneuver forces; call for fires; control fires; notice changes in the situation in a timely manner; and respond to changes in a timely manner. This could be a result of the limited training (three days) that the personnel received but also reflects the need to improve interface design. Given the results noted here, it is no surprise that the SA of MC2 users was insufficient with a mean rating of 6 (insufficient; not aware of all the information required to perform the task) on a scale of 10 (higher numbers = higher SA) for all trials. However, even though the interface did not help users much on critical functions, workload was rated moderate with a mean of 5 (reduced spare capacity on a scale of 10 (higher numbers = higher workload) for all tasks.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA428176

Entities

People

  • Bruce S. Sterling
  • Cheryl A. Burns

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Control Systems
  • Databases
  • Engineering
  • Graphics
  • Maintenance
  • Military Research
  • Operating Systems
  • Personnel Management
  • Robotics
  • Situational Awareness
  • Training
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare
  • Web Browsers
  • Workload

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control