In the past, when the US Department of Defense (DOD) sensors collected information, this information was first processed (forwarded to systems and people for analysis) then later posted (once the analytic product was finalized). The users (planners, warfighters, etc.) could not access the information until processing was completed and the final product posted.
Waiting for analysis and finished work products took too long – this resulted in varying degrees of strategic and operational error (e.g., bombs dropped in the wrong place). It became obvious this strategy must be changed.
As part of its network-centric warfare strategy, the DOD established the principle of "posting before processing." This means the data is made available to the users at the moment it becomes available. Analysts get this information at the same time and when their work product is finalized, it is then posted as additional information. By posting before processing, users have been able to make real-time operational decisions based on more current, albeit raw and uncorrelated, information. This has been hugely successful.
And while this transformation was well executed and a big step forward, I envision the next giant step forward will involve processing and posting at the same time. This means as theater sensors collect information, this information will be immediately placed into context with the historical data previously collected, previous analytic work products, open source and so on. This rich context will be constructed in real-time and posted in real-time.
From a network-centric warfare point of view – processing and posting at the same time is a form of Perpetual Analytics.
When DOD is able to process and post simultaneously, two very critical operational capabilities will emerge: 1) Persistent Context will be available to the user providing a uniquely comprehensive real-time operational picture, and 2) more importantly, as sensor data arrives and is contextualized, when selected conditions are met the user will be immediately notified of relevance. This second point is paramount because we cannot expect users to ask every question, rather, the data must find the data and the relevance must find the user.
Scenario: The military unit is moving from point A to point B. Along this vector a collection system has just recognized some significant changes (e.g., nine new trucks parked along side the road or the presence of RF [radio frequency] broadcasting that did not exist at any earlier time). Perpetual analytics can detect such conditions in real time and push such intelligence to the military unit – instantly.
OTHER RELATED POSTS:
Introducing the Concept of Network-Centric Warfare and "Post Before Processing"
Post Before Processing
Dumb things develop themselves and sometimes it doesn't take too many smarts to correct them. There are many dumb things but it is surprising how few see "dumb" written on the wall.
I was never that smart but I could read dumb. Often the situation is the same old dumb and only the magnitude is different.
"Do no dumb" was a secret standard of performance with surprising success in making people think I was smart.
This story relates to that idea and posting and processing. My boss thought I was smart, some sailors thought I was great because I cut them more liberty. I only avoided being dumb.
My supply ship was stationed in Sasebo, Japan but we spent a month at a time out replenishing ships off Vietnam from 20,000 items of stock we carried on board.
Material to replenish our stocks flowed to Sasebo and we took it on board when we returned for a week in port. After it came on board I received the paper work and posted receipt to my stock records. We were still putting things away and posting receipt while transiting the Straights of Taiwan headed for Vietnam.
Bright idea: Leave two sailors behind to pull the paper work off items arriving in the warehouse while we were gone. Post the receipts immediately upon return. Empty the warehouse. That created an opportunity to find out what I had, what I did not get (equally important) and order it for expedited delivery from Yokosuka before we left. It also gave me a double check on receipt since documents from receipt in the warehouse were matched to those from receipt on board. Paperwork was not always the top priority of the Material Division.
Being smart is often the flip side of not being dumb. I take pride in my career as being on the smart side of the coin but in all humility I know the secret behind it was often on the other side.
Old Sea Story: The departing CO told his relief that he left the secret to being a good CO in his safe. The new CO later opened the safe and found a piece of paper that said: Port = Left, Right = Starboard.
Posted by: Tim Lester | February 24, 2007 at 08:31 AM