Collaboration Tools: Meeting Interoperability Requirements in Today's Military
Abstract
Recent advances in communication and information technology have changed the face of military collaboration. The shift to network-centric operations at both the tactical and strategic levels provide the warfighter with improved abilities for sharing and leveraging information. This shift to a knowledge-based force will have a direct impact on shared situational awareness, intelligence analysis, and decision-making. Despite these improvements, however, information technology is not without its problems. Because of the tremendous amount of data available, collaboration teams are often faced with information overload. Much of that information comes from open sources such as the internet. As a result, knowledge uncertainty becomes a primary concern. In addition, military intelligence is dynamic in nature, and is, therefore, constantly changing. Military strategists and operational personnel must continually monitor the flow of information to ensure accurate and timely mission planning and execution. Geographically distributed collaboration teams face additional burdens. Co-located teams have the advantage of "real-time" collaboration. On the other hand, distributed teams often receive information asynchronously. In addition, the widening realm of contributors often results in teams that represent a wide range of experience, knowledge, and cultural backgrounds. To complicate the collaborative effort further, accessibility of enhanced commercial and military technology has resulted in a market flooded with diverse, often incompatible collaboration tools. Without significant oversight, this enhanced technology will serve to impede collaboration rather than improve it.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA476888
Entities
People
- Elizabeth M. Wroblewski
- Norman W. Warner
Organizations
- Naval Air Systems Command