Command and Control Information Systems Engineering: Progress and Prospects

Abstract

Systems engineering engrosses all the activities that extend over the life cycle of a system, including requirements definitions, functional designs, development, testing, and evaluation. This chapter describes and provides an analysis of the generic information systems engineering (ISE) process, the domain of military command and control (C 2 ), and the application of the principles of multidisciplinary information systems engineering to C 2 information and decision systems engineering. The chapter also presents some command and control ISE case studies intended to illustrate the most salient features of the ISE process. ISE represents an innovative way to think about systems design and development; C 2 represents an expanding applications domain; the marriage between ISE and C 2 is likely to yield some creative system solutions to existing and future requirements. System solutions are not found only in structured design methodology; but also in the application of advanced and emerging technologies. ISE is structured, yet flexible enough to exploit new technological opportunities. New opportunities for the application of advanced information technology are rising dramatically. Next-generation C 2 information and decision systems will appear very different to users; they will be far more powerful, much easier to use, and able to communicate with problem-solving cousins distributed across large, secure and reconstitutable networks.