Modeling of information dominance in complex systems: A system partitioning and hybrid control framework

This paper provides a view of modeling the information dominance problem of military systems as representative of modeling other complex systems. The ideas are an extension of earlier efforts to base analysis of information assurance for complex systems on system partitioning into a system of systems. The approach discussed rests upon the notion that the system at hand is intended to achieve some useful purpose and that a system of systems approach provides a feasible methodology for composing the system functionality (behaviors) as an aggregation of sub-systems functionality. Many subsystem processes have continuous process models while higher system models are usually discrete. Composition of components requires consideration of interaction of subsystems, especially when feedback loops are present. A model of Information Assurance (IA) processes consistent with this hybrid system model of complex processes is described. Information dominance is defined as superior situation understanding and superior support for making decisions under uncertainty. The information dominance model is then presented as an extension of the IA model. The paper concludes with a conjecture that more effective intrusion detection can be achieved by using the known purpose of an information system (e.g. achieving information dominance in support of an operation) to guide allocation of intrusion detection resources. Index terms – Hybrid Systems, Information Assurance, Information Dominance