The Knowledge Matrix Approach to Intelligence Fusion

Abstract

As the U.S. military transforms to an information-based force, it will need processes and methods to collect, combine, and utilize the intelligence that is generated by its assets. The process known as fusion will play an important role in determining whether this intelligence is used in the most beneficial manner. The process of fusion, combining pieces of information to produce higher-quality information, knowledge, and understanding, is often poorly represented in constructive models and simulations that are used to analyze intelligence issues. This report describes one approach to capturing the fusion process in a constructive simulation, providing detailed examples to aid in further development and instantiation. The sequential fusion method in intended to determine whether separate intelligence observations are close enough geographically, have consistently identified the same battlefield entity, and contain high-quality information, all of which must be considered before fusion of intelligence can occur. The fusion process described in this report is, for the most part, an implicit representation of the generation of battlefield intelligence and can be used in a constructive simulation or fusion model to better understand the dynamics of intelligence-gathering systems and their effect on intelligence metrics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA473459

Entities

People

  • Christopher Pernin
  • Katherine Comanor
  • Louis Moore

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Battlefields
  • Combat Simulations
  • Data Fusion
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Detection
  • Ground Moving Target Indicators
  • Intelligence Collection
  • National Security
  • Probability
  • Random Variables
  • Signals Intelligence
  • Simulations
  • Surveillance
  • Synthetic Aperture Radar
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.