Measuring information gain in the objective force

• Main Author: Baird, Joseph A.
• Other Authors: Paulo, Eugene P.
• Format: Others
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Subjects: Information measurement; Information literacy
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/1032

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. === Many researchers are attempting to quantify or understand the value of information, especially for the Army as it enters its transformation. Information can be decomposed into various qualities. Three of these qualities, timeliness, accuracy, and completeness, form the basis for this thesis. This thesis uses a simulation framework developed by the author to analyze the three components of information listed above. The scenario selected is a typical vignette of an Objective Force company-sized element conducting offensive operations against threat elements. Knowledge of the threat was compromised by the presence of decoy elements as well as previously damaged or killed systems (BDA). In this scenario the fires are initiated from standoff ranges. The initial and running assessments of the threat composition are made based on the information provided by sensors on board the unit's organic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Analysis of the simulation results helps in understanding how components of information quality affect the overall effectiveness of the force as reflected in an efficiency measure. Additionally, critical thresholds for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of information are pinpointed to inform Objective Force decision makers. === Major, United States Army