Leveraging information technology to enable network centric engineer reconnaissance operations

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003.Vita.Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-91).The Naval Construction Force has traditionally depended on outside sources to obtain and analyze engineering data in contingency situations. The Navy has embarked on an initiative to develop Seabee Engineer Reconnaissance Teams to perform this function, both as a basis for projects slated for in-house construction and as a product to deliver to other organizations. Exercises and operations have thus far shown that the concept is viable, but Seabee Engineer Reconnaissance Teams have encountered problems with data gathering and reporting, and transmission of data and images. Concurrently, the Department of Defense is pursuing a transformation toward network-centric warfare. Network Centric Warfare represents a powerful set of warfighting concepts and associated military capabilities that allow warfighters to take full advantage of all available information in order to bring all available assets to bear in a rapid and flexible manner. This research explores the state of the practice of military engineer reconnaissance as described by established Army doctrine and as enacted by Navy Seabee Engineer Reconnaissance Teams. Commercial information technology applications are reviewed in the areas of geographic information systems, collaborative design, and wireless communications. Solutions are proposed for their potential to enable network centric engineer reconnaissance operations. Network Centric Warfare concepts provide a framework for analyzing the state of the practice in military engineer reconnaissance versus the state of the art in information technology. Current status is assessed and a methodology is proposed to move the Navy quickly forward on the continuum of the Network Centric Operations Maturity Model that enables shared situational awareness, with a brief discussion on the implications for decentralized decision-making.by Keith W. Barton.S.M