Distributed situation awareness in dynamic systems: Theoretical development and application of an ergonomics methodology

The purpose of this paper is to propose foundations for a theory of situation awareness based on the analysis of interactions between agents (i.e., both human and non-human) in subsystems. This approach may help promote a better understanding of technology-mediated interaction in systems, as well as helping in the formulation of hypotheses and predictions concerning distributed situation awareness. It is proposed that agents within a system each hold their own situation awareness which may be very different from (although compatible with) other agents. It is argued that we should not always hope for, or indeed want, sharing of this awareness, as different system agents have different purposes. This view marks situation awareness as a 1 dynamic and collaborative process that binds agents together on tasks on a moment-by-moment basis. Implications of this viewpoint for development of a new theory of, and accompanying methodology for, distributed situation awareness are offered

The command team experimental test-bed stage 1: design and build of a submarine command room simulator

The command room system has developed across a century of submarine operations and so reflects a high state of evolution, but that does not mean that the system cannot be improved upon. Technological advances have resulted in the retrospective fitting of upgrades which may not have maximized the potential improvements offered. Future challenges for command teams in almost every domain include increasing amounts of data coupled with more automated systems and reduced manning. To optimise functionality new physical layouts, team structures, allocation of system functions, communication media, interfaces, and work design will be required. The aim of the ComTET (Command Team Experimental Test-Bed) project is to examine how a submarine command team currently functions, with specific regard to how information flows around the socio technical system. This information shall be used to evaluate limitations in the current system, promote ideas concerning where reduced crewing might be possible and highlight how extra data might best be integrated into the system. Phase 1 of ComTET involved the creation of a submarine command room with high physical and task fidelity. The ComTET team has designed and built a submarine command room simulator that is a representation of the currently operational ASTUTE submarine. The simulator is comprised of 10 workstations each with two stacked monitors, various input devices and a headset linked to a multi-channel communications network. The simulation engine is a custom build of Dangerous Waters software, a naval warfare simulation game. The software features many operator-controllable units from on board a submarine, allowing the completion of individual submariner command team tasks simultaneously to fulfil global (team) mission objectives. The ComTET laboratory has a range of devices for recording the personal communications of each operator, in addition to video recordings of each operator and ambient voice/video recordings. This will facilitate the construction of social, task and information networks to examine the command room from a socio-technical perspective. The laboratory is also equipped with physiological recording devices so that the workload of operatives can be examined using psycho-physiological approaches alongside commonly used standardised measures of workload, situation awareness and cognitive function. The data collected shall be based around three scenarios which capture the primary operations routinely completed by submariners in high and low work load condition

Defining the methodological challenges and opportunities for an effective science of sociotechnical systems and safety

An important part of the application of sociotechnical systems theory (STS) is the development of methods, tools and techniques to assess human factors and ergonomics workplace requirements. We focus in this paper on describing and evaluating current STS methods for workplace safety, as well as outlining a set of six case studies covering the application of these methods to a range of safety contexts. We also describe an evaluation of the methods in terms of ratings of their ability to address a set of theoretical and practical questions (e.g. the degree to which methods capture static/dynamic aspects of tasks and interactions between system levels). The outcomes from the evaluation highlight a set of gaps relating to the coverage and applicability of current methods for STS and safety (e.g. coverage of external influences on system functioning; method usability). The final sections of the paper describe a set of future challenges, as well as some practical suggestions for tackling these. Practitioner Summary: We provide an up-to-date review of STS methods, a set of case studies illustrating their use and an evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses. The paper concludes with a ‘roadmap’ for future work

Defining the methodological challenges and opportunities for an effective science of sociotechnical systems and safety

An important part of the application of sociotechnical systems theory (STS) is the development of methods, tools and techniques to assess human factors and ergonomics workplace requirements. We focus in this paper on describing and evaluating current STS methods for workplace safety, as well as outlining a set of six case studies covering the application of these methods to a range of safety contexts. We also describe an evaluation of the methods in terms of ratings of their ability to address a set of theoretical and practical questions (e.g. the degree to which methods capture static/dynamic aspects of tasks and interactions between system levels). The outcomes from the evaluation highlight a set of gaps relating to the coverage and applicability of current methods for STS and safety (e.g. coverage of external influences on system functioning; method usability). The final sections of the paper describe a set of future challenges, as well as some practical suggestions for tackling thes

Hiding in Plain Sight—The U.S. Navy and Dispersed Operations under EMCON, 1956–1972

As U.S. naval forces increasingly operate under the threat of antiship ballistic-missile attack while relying on rapid communication and information exchange, potential adversaries are likely to seek to target those forces and disrupt their communications and networks. Principles the U.S. Navy developed and practiced in the Cold War may still be workable responses

The Past, Present and Future of Social Networking and Outsourcing: Impact on Theory and Practice

Development practice continually evolves. Some of the latest evolutions are emerging as a combination of Social Networking and Outsourcing activity resulting in the emergence of crowdsourcing or Open-Global sourcing. This paper examines some examples from history of technology informed social networking activity along with examples of some current activity. The historical perspective helps to provide some interesting insights into how activity may evolve. Some of the changes may be subtle but far reaching. Open-Global sourcing is a Social Innovation that is redefining business practice and stretching existing theories. The paper identifies areas of theory that are being ‘stretched’ and argues that Open-Global sourcing is an area calling for theoretical development

A survey of simulation techniques in commerce and defence

Despite the developments in Modelling and Simulation (M&S) tools and techniques over the past years, there has been a gap in the M&S research and practice in healthcare on developing a toolkit to assist the modellers and simulation practitioners with selecting an appropriate set of techniques. This study is a preliminary step towards this goal. This paper presents some results from a systematic literature survey on applications of M&S in the commerce and defence domains that could inspire some improvements in the healthcare. Interim results show that in the commercial sector Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) has been the most widely used technique with System Dynamics (SD) in second place. However in the defence sector, SD has gained relatively more attention. SD has been found quite useful for qualitative and soft factors analysis. From both the surveys it becomes clear that there is a growing trend towards using hybrid M&S approaches