An assessment, survey, and systems engineering design of information sharing and discovery systems in a network-centric environment

Abstract

Information, and the knowledge gained from it, has been the key component to strategic planning since the earliest combat operations. Success in the Information Age is defined by the military's ability to communicate effectively in a dynamic environment and share relevant information seamlessly. Sharing information is a critical element to understanding missions that employ the operational concept of Network-Centric Operations and Warfare (NCOW). Discovering valuable information is vital towards our capacity to predict and/or prevent circumstances in our current war against terrorist organizations. This thesis describes fundamental concepts of information sharing and information discovery. Through the use of a systems engineering approach, this thesis created a common vision of an information sharing and discovery (ISD) system, evaluates the role of ISD in network-centric systems (NCS), and discusses the relationship of NCS to NCOW. This study also employs the system architecture method to establish the operational concept of ISD systems

derive requirements for future acquisitions of ISD systems

analyze the interactions that ISD systems have with external systems

and establish a functional architecture for the ISD system. This research approach provides guidance for the development and integration of future ISD systems in order to meet the needs of future DoD NCS.