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Automated Detection And Mitigation Of Inefficient Visual Searching Using Electroencephalography And Machine Learning, Joshua P. Gallaher
Automated Detection And Mitigation Of Inefficient Visual Searching Using Electroencephalography And Machine Learning, Joshua P. Gallaher
Theses and Dissertations
Decisions made during the high-stress and fast-paced operations of the military are extremely prone to cognitive biases. A commonly known cognitive bias is a confirmation bias, or the inappropriate bolstering of an unknown hypothesis. One such critical military operation that can fall prey to a confirmation bias is a visual search. During a visual search, a military operator must perform a visual scan of an environment for a specific target. However, the visual search process can fall prey to the same confirmation bias which can cause inefficient searches. This study elicits inefficient visual search patterns and applies various mitigation techniques …
A Temporal Framework For Hypergame Analysis Of Cyber Physical Systems In Contested Environments, Nicholas S. Kovach
A Temporal Framework For Hypergame Analysis Of Cyber Physical Systems In Contested Environments, Nicholas S. Kovach
Theses and Dissertations
Game theory is used to model conflicts between one or more players over resources. It offers players a way to reason, allowing rationale for selecting strategies that avoid the worst outcome. Game theory lacks the ability to incorporate advantages one player may have over another player. A meta-game, known as a hypergame, occurs when one player does not know or fully understand all the strategies of a game. Hypergame theory builds upon the utility of game theory by allowing a player to outmaneuver an opponent, thus obtaining a more preferred outcome with higher utility. Recent work in hypergame theory has …
Tactical Ai In Real Time Strategy Games, Donald A. Gruber
Tactical Ai In Real Time Strategy Games, Donald A. Gruber
Theses and Dissertations
The real time strategy (RTS) tactical decision making problem is a difficult problem. It is generally more complex due to its high degree of time sensitivity. This research effort presents a novel approach to this problem within an educational, teaching objective. Particular decision focus is target selection for a artificial intelligence (AI) RTS game model. The use of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) in this tactical decision making problem allows an AI agent to make fast, effective solutions that do not require modification to the current environment. This approach allows for the creation of a generic solution building tool that is …
Assessing Resilience In Power Grids As A Particular Case Of Supply Chain Management, Gabriel Alejandro Montoya
Assessing Resilience In Power Grids As A Particular Case Of Supply Chain Management, Gabriel Alejandro Montoya
Theses and Dissertations
Electrical power grids represent a critical infrastructure for a nation as well as strategically important. Literature review identified that power grids share basic characteristics with Supply Chain Management. This thesis presents a linear programming model to assess power grid resilience as a particular case of Supply Chain Management. Since resilient behavior is not an individual or specific system's attribute but a holistic phenomenon based on the synergic interaction within complex systems, resilience drivers in power grids were identified. Resilience is a function of Reliability, Recovery Capability, Vulnerability and Pipeline Capacity. In order to embed heterogeneous variables into the model, parameterization …
Maximizing Strike Planning Efficiency For A Given Class Of Targets, Necip Dirik
Maximizing Strike Planning Efficiency For A Given Class Of Targets, Necip Dirik
Theses and Dissertations
Strike planning is one of the fundamental tasks of the Turkish Air Force and involves assignment of strike aircraft to targets with a maximum level of efficiency. Therefore, planning an optimal strike plan based on the preferences of the decision maker is crucial. The efficiency of the strike plan in this research implies attacking the maximum number of targets while considering target priority and the desired level of damage on each target. Another objective is to minimize the cost of the plan. This research develops an exact model that maximizes the efficiency of the strike plan using LINGO with Excel …
An Evaluation And Implementation Guide For Current Groundwater Mass Flux Measurement Practices, Jack G. Wheeldon Iii
An Evaluation And Implementation Guide For Current Groundwater Mass Flux Measurement Practices, Jack G. Wheeldon Iii
Theses and Dissertations
Contaminant mass flux is an important parameter needed for decision making at sites with contaminated groundwater. New and potentially better methods for measuring mass flux are emerging. This study looks at the conventional transect method (TM), and the newer passive flux meter (PFM), modified integral pump test (MIPT), and tandem circulating well (TCW) methods. In order to facilitate transfer and application of these innovative technologies, it is essential that potential technology users have access to credible information that addresses technology capabilities, limitations, and costs. This study provides such information on each of the methods by reviewing implementation practices and comparing …
Selecting Energy Efficient Building Envelope Retrofits To Existing Department Of Defense Building Using Value Focused Thinking, David M. Pratt
Selecting Energy Efficient Building Envelope Retrofits To Existing Department Of Defense Building Using Value Focused Thinking, David M. Pratt
Theses and Dissertations
The Department of Defense (DoD) has hundreds of thousands of facilities in its inventory, which consume billions of BTUSs of energy per year. Much of that energy is used to heat and cool the facility, and a great deal of this energy is lost through the building envelope. While new military construction works towards energy efficiency, the majority of DoD facilities were built over forty years ago with little regard to energy efficiency, and it is these facilities that have the greatest potential for energy efficient building envelope retrofits. There are hundreds of various new building envelope technologies available to …
Using Prospect Theory To Investigate Decision-Making Bias Within An Information Security Context, Neil J. Schroeder
Using Prospect Theory To Investigate Decision-Making Bias Within An Information Security Context, Neil J. Schroeder
Theses and Dissertations
Information security is an issue that has increased in importance over the past decade. In this time both practitioner and academic circles have researched and developed practices and process to more effectively handle information security. Even with growth in these areas there has been little research conducted into how decision makers actually behave. This is problematic because decision makers in the Department of Defense have been observed exhibiting risk seeking behavior when making information security decisions that seemingly violate accepted norms. There are presently no models in the literature that provide sufficient insight into this phenomenon. This study used Prospect …
A Framework For Routing And Topological Decision-Making Within A Transformational Communications Architecture, Alexander I. Smith
A Framework For Routing And Topological Decision-Making Within A Transformational Communications Architecture, Alexander I. Smith
Theses and Dissertations
A Transformational Communications Architecture (TCA) has been proposed by the US government with the goal of creating "an Internet in the sky." This thesis presents a framework which places user requirements at the heart of routing and topological decision-making within the TCA. It provides new terminology to describe data transmissions and link characteristics and an approach to formulating cost functions to better meet user needs. The framework is intended to stimulate interest and focus efforts on how to meet military specific requirements by taking advantage of the TCA's diverse capabilities and topology. Cost functions using newly-defined parameters are simulated and …
A Visual Language For Composable Simulation Scenarios, Carolyn R. Bartley
A Visual Language For Composable Simulation Scenarios, Carolyn R. Bartley
Theses and Dissertations
Modeling and Simulation plays an important role in how the Air Force trains and fights, Scenarios are used in simulation to give users the ability to specify entities and behaviors that should be simulated by a model: however, building and understanding scenarios can be a difficult and time-consuming process, furthermore, as composable simulations become more prominent, the need for a common descriptor for simulation scenarios has become evident. In order to reduce the complexity of creating and understanding simulation scenarios, a visual language was created, The research on visual languages presented in this thesis examines methods of visually specifying the …
Selecting A Software Engineering Methodology Using Multiobjective Decision Analysis, Scott A. O'Malley
Selecting A Software Engineering Methodology Using Multiobjective Decision Analysis, Scott A. O'Malley
Theses and Dissertations
With the emergence of agent-oriented software engineering methodologies, software developers have a new set of tools to solve complex software requirements. One problem software developers face is to determine which methodology is the best approach to take to developing a solution. A number of factors go into the decision process. This thesis defines a decision making process that can be used by a software engineer to determine whether or not a software engineering approach is an appropriate system development strategy. This decision analysis process allows the software engineer to classify and evaluate a set of methodologies while specifically considering the …
The Effects Of Budgetary Constraints, Multiple Strategy Selection, And Rationality On Equilibrium Attainment In An Information Warfare Simulation, Steven W. Tait
Theses and Dissertations
Information warfare (IW) has developed into a significant threat to the national security of the United States. Our critical infrastructures, linked together by information systems, are increasingly vulnerable to information attack. This study seeks to understand some of those factors which affect the ability of an individual to make accurate decisions in an IW environment. The study used game theory to analyze the behavior of decision-makers within an IW simulation. The IW game model is based on a set of games known as infinitely repeated games of incomplete information. It uses the Bayesian Nash equilibrium concept to determine the strategy …
A Method Of Focusing The Attention Of The Decision-Maker On Uncertain Information, John F. Moesner Iv
A Method Of Focusing The Attention Of The Decision-Maker On Uncertain Information, John F. Moesner Iv
Theses and Dissertations
Military decision-makers need to be able to synthesize large amounts of information quickly and make accurate and timely decisions. However, all too often, when a decision-maker is bombarded with important information that has an uncertainty associated with it, that information is often neglected. One method of dealing with this type of information overload is through proper data orientation. By reducing the clutter of irrelevant information, the proportions of useful and relevant data can be increased. At the same time, the attention of the decision-maker is directed to the critical tasks or centers of gravity. The WATCHDOG Decision Support Tool is …
Improving The Analyst And Decision-Maker’S Perspective Through Uncertainty Visualization, Evan T. Watkins
Improving The Analyst And Decision-Maker’S Perspective Through Uncertainty Visualization, Evan T. Watkins
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis constructs the Taxonomy of Uncertainty and an approach for enhancing the information in decision support systems. The hierarchical categorization of numerous causes for uncertainty defines the taxonomy, which fostered the development of a technique for visualizing uncertainty. This technique is fundamental to expressing the multi-dimensional uncertainty that can be associated with any object. By including and intuitively expressing uncertainty, the approach facilitates and enhances intuition and decision-making without undue information overload. The resulting approach for enhancing the information involves recording uncertainty, identifying the relevant items, computing and visualizing uncertainty, and providing interaction with the selection of uncertainty. A …
Development Of An Operations Research Software Package For Army Divisions., Blane C. Wilson
Development Of An Operations Research Software Package For Army Divisions., Blane C. Wilson
Theses and Dissertations
There exists great potential for applying operations research techniques to solve specific problems in the areas of operations, installation support, and training at the Army division level. Because of the operational tempo of today's active-duty and reserve component units, command must focus on accomplishing the daily missions. Also, due their limited knowledge of the field, planners may not be aware of how operations research can be used to enhance planning and operations. Time, training funds, resources, safety, personnel, and equipment are all critical factors in this process. Operations research techniques could be used to improve division-level operations by saving time, …