Model-based Communication Networks and VIRT: Filtering Information by Value to Improve Collaborative Decision-Making

Command-control and other distributed, collaborative systems should achieve the best possible results with resources available. We should measure these systems in terms of the quality of decisions made. Better decisions lead to better outcomes, because superior choices are made about what to do, with what assets, where and when. Just as we measure manufacturing processes in terms of value added at each stage, we want each processing step in distributed collaborative operations to maximize the ratio of added value to cost. Both computerized agents and human personnel receive information from others, process it, and then produce additional information for others downstream in the operational processes. This paper shows that current architectures do not promote high productivity. Specifically, most current approaches encourage an increase in information supply and exchange per se, producing glut rather than value. This paper explains how we can significantly increase the productivity of each operator and the success of overall missions. The approach, called VIRT, treats collaborators as participants with shared models. These models determine which information is high value and for whom. The architecture gives priority to conveying high value information. Similarly, low value bits are filtered out, saving resources and optimizing value attained. 1 This work was supported by a research initiation grant from NPS to the author. Hayes-Roth: “Model-based Communication Networks and VIRT” p.