Concept Of Situation Awareness Research Articles

Time and Distance Perception in Highly Dynamic Environments

Abstract Space- and time-based tasks, like flying airplanes, driving cars, or the manual controlled rendezvous and docking of spacecrafts can be very demanding for pilots, drivers, or astronauts, depending on selected trajectories, approaching speeds, or distracting information. One characteristic of highly dynamic environments is that persons have to consider their spatial position in relation to surrounding elements based on passing time, detected speed, and trajectories to avoid collisions with other objects. An inadequate perception of the own position in relation to other objects and passing time can lead to impaired decision-making processes, resulting in errors or collisions. A framework for the explanation of cognitive processes involved in perception, anticipation, and decision-making in dynamic environments is provided by the concept of situation awareness. Based on this framework persons must perceive relevant elements, integrate them in a coherent mental representation and anticipate the development of the current situation in the near future, to plan safe upcoming maneuvers. Thus, for safe maneuvers anticipation processes are playing a major role in decision-making and action selection. In this paper it is proposed that time and distance perceptions are central features of anticipation processes in dynamic situations. It is suggested to combine theories like the attentional-gate model and time-to-contact with the framework of situation awareness to explain anticipation processes in dynamic environments. The major aim is to develop precise cognitive models of persons acting in dynamic situations. Such cognitive models can be the basis for the development and parameterization of assistance systems, supporting anticipation in dynamic environments.

Reality anchor methodology: how to design a digital twin to support situation awareness

This work focuses on the opportunity to use the Digital Twin of a complex system, as a Decision Support System. In studying the phenomenon of human Decision Making, the concept of Situation Awareness appears to be of primary importance when dealing with these complex systems. Given the complexity of the system to be represented in the DT, its own complexity, and the need to integrate the user's abilities to allow the acquisition of SA, the concept of reality anchor is proposed to identify the elements of the studied situation necessary for users to perceive, understand and project the situation they face. A methodology, called the Reality Anchor Methodology, has been defined to ensure the elicitation and implementation of these elements in a DT. This methodology is composed of three steps that aim (1) to elicit the reality anchors through a study of the operators’ tasks and activities, (2) to design a prototype to carry out human-in-the-loop tests and (3) to validate the definition of Reality Anchors by analysing the SA, experience feedback and the activities performed during the tests. This method was applied to a case study in the oil-and-gas industry and showed the importance of the defined reality anchors.

Perception–Intention–Action Cycle in Human–Robot Collaborative Tasks: The Collaborative Lightweight Object Transportation Use-Case

AbstractThis study proposes to improve the reliability, robustness and human-like nature of Human–Robot Collaboration (HRC). For that, the classical Perception–Action cycle is extended to a Perception–Intention–Action (PIA) cycle, which includes an Intention stage at the same level as the Perception one, being in charge of obtaining both the implicit and the explicit intention of the human, opposing to classical approaches based on inferring everything from perception. This complete cycle is exposed theoretically including its use of the concept of Situation Awareness, which is shown as a key element for the correct understanding of the current situation and future action prediction. This enables the assignment of roles to the agents involved in a collaborative task and the building of collaborative plans. To visualize the cycle, a collaborative transportation task is used as a use-case. A force-based model is designed to combine the robot’s perception of its environment with the force exerted by the human and other factors in an illustrative way. Finally, a total of 58 volunteers participate in two rounds of experiments. In these, it is shown that the human agrees to explicitly state their intention without undue extra effort and that the human understands that this helps to minimize robot errors or misunderstandings. It is also shown that a system that correctly combines inference with explicit elicitation of the human’s intention is the best rated by the human on multiple parameters related to effective Human–Robot Interaction (HRI), such as perceived safety or trust in the robot.

Current Status and Perspective of Vulnerability Assessment of Cyber-Physical Power Systems Based on Complex Network Theory

The increasing factors of uncertainty faced by the system are due to the deep coupling of the electric power cyber network and the physical network. Consequently, ensuring the efficient, secure, and stable operation of the cyber–physical power system (CPPS) has become a key concern. To achieve this, vulnerability assessment plays a crucial role, as it identifies and protects the vulnerable points of the system. The application of complex network theory to assess the vulnerability of CPPSs has garnered significant attention from scholars. This paper delves into the research connotation of vulnerability assessment for CPPSs, starting with the origin, definition, and classification of vulnerability. Subsequently, the assessment framework of vulnerability based on complex network theory is presented, and the status of current domestic and international research in this field is summarized. Furthermore, the interrelationship between system vulnerability and cascading failures is analyzed from the perspective of complex network theory. In conclusion, the ideas of CPPS coupling modeling in vulnerability assessment are summarized, the concept of situation awareness is introduced, and a prospective approach for dynamic vulnerability assessment is proposed. This approach is based on situation awareness combined with complex network theory. Security protection and optimal operation of CPPSs based on vulnerability assessment are also discussed, along with the assessment of vulnerability within integrated energy cyber–physical systems (IECPSs).

The effect of preparatory bridge simulator training on development of situation awareness skills of watchkeepers

The paper deals with the concept of situational awareness of Officer of the Watch (OOW). For the purpose of the paper 100 accident investigation reports were analysed and it was concluded that lack of SA was a main contributing factor in the most of accidents. The issue of simulator training is also considered in the article. The analysis of STCW competencies and methods of competency demonstration for initial OOW certification was performed and it was found that a major part of competencies can be acquired through simulator training, including some of bridge watchkeeping competencies. Nowadays candidates for the first certification (cadets) join ships for their fist on-board training (OBT) without having any watchkeeping experience, so they have to acquire all relevant skills on board. Taking this into account, the authors propose to arrange preliminary bridge simulator training for cadets prior to their first OBT in order to develop basic watchkeeping and SA skills. The authors also consider the idea to reduce OBT time through appropriate simulator training. To support these ideas a group of acting seafarers was questioned and the data was processed with the use of fuzzy logic. According to experts’ opinion, preliminary bridge simulator training can be useful for cadets, allowing them to develop initial situational awareness skills by 40%. However, experts do not consider that simulator training can effectively substitute actual on-board experience and as for their opinions OBT time can be reduced by 5.3 weeks only. Thus, the issue such reduction requires further detailed research

Public Managers’ Awarness: Toward a More Conscious Management

The concept of situation awareness, still little used in management science, can play an important role in the decision-making process of public managers. This contribution focuses on the role of public managers, and more specifically local managers, in the transformation of the Public Service. It seeks to show that a manager who has

Interdependence Analysis in collaborative robot applications from a joint cognitive functional perspective

This paper sets up a framework to assess co-agency in human-robot interactions, and applies it specifically to the socio-technical safety analysis of collaborative robots. We also examine to what extent the concept of Situation Awareness can be applied to assess collaborative robots as efficient team members in socio-technical systems. We explain some theoretical concerns with traditional concepts of Situation Awareness and defend why the concept of Joint Cognitive Systems, which maps the conceptualization of the cognitive system onto the work system as a whole, is best suited for issues of distributed cognition and controllability in human-robot interaction. Thereafter we present a five-step methodology specifically conceived for cobot applications serving the aim of goal coordination between multiple agents by functional interactions. The proposed framework merges two existing safety and resilience analysis methods, being the Functional Resonance Analysis Method and Interdependence Analysis. These methods are used in combination to assess shared control in safe and efficient human-robot interaction from a systems-thinking perspective. This allows to describe the systemic conditions for Distributed Situation Awareness in terms of observable system interactions and as an emergent object of distributed cognition. Instead of looking at undesirable safety outcomes, we have imposed the focus of co-agency as the unit of analysis in line with the Joint Cognitive Systems perspective. The theoretical insights from this paper are additionally applied to a hypothetical but credible demonstration case study with collaborative warehouse robots.

Situational Awareness and Problems of Its Formation in the Tasks of UAV Behavior Control

Situational awareness formation is one of the most critical elements in solving the problem of UAV behavior control. It aims to provide information support for UAV behavior control according to its objectives and tasks to be completed. We consider the UAV to be a type of controlled dynamic system. The article shows the place of UAVs in the hierarchy of dynamic systems. We introduce the concepts of UAV behavior and activity and formulate requirements for algorithms for controlling UAV behavior. We propose the concept of situational awareness as applied to the problem of behavior control of highly autonomous UAVs (HA-UAVs) and analyze the levels and types of this situational awareness. We show the specifics of situational awareness formation for UAVs and analyze its differences from situational awareness for manned aviation and remotely piloted UAVs. We propose the concept of situational awareness as applied to the problem of UAV behavior control and analyze the levels and types of this situational awareness. We highlight and discuss in more detail two crucial elements of situational awareness for HA-UAVs. The first of them is related to the analysis and prediction of the behavior of objects in the vicinity of the HA-UAV. The general considerations involved in solving this problem, including the problem of analyzing the group behavior of such objects, are discussed. As an illustrative example, the solution to the problem of tracking an aircraft maneuvering in the vicinity of a HA-UAV is given. The second element of situational awareness is related to the processing of visual information, which is one of the primary sources of situational awareness formation required for the operation of the HA-UAV control system. As an example here, we consider solving the problem of semantic segmentation of images processed when selecting a landing site for the HA-UAV in unfamiliar terrain. Both of these problems are solved using machine learning methods and tools. In the field of situational awareness for HA-UAVs, there are several problems that need to be solved. We formulate some of these problems and briefly describe them.

From common operational picture to common situational understanding: An analysis based on practitioner perspectives

The concepts of Situational Awareness (SA) and Common Operational Picture (COP) are closely related and well-acknowledged to be crucial factors for effective emergency management. In multi-agency operations, such as extreme weather events, the involved first responders manage the event with different mandates, objectives, and tools which can make it challenging to build a COP. Effective collaboration requires a common situational understanding, based on knowledge about each other’s responsibilities and tasks, mutual respect and trust, as well as common communication tools for emergency communication and information sharing. This paper argues that the COP serves as a basis for deciding on further action, and thus represents a first stage in the process of establishing common situational understanding among the involved actors. The empirical basis for the study includes interviews with Norwegian emergency management stakeholders, analysis of audio-logs, and review of public documents. Based on the analysis we present a framework comprising activities and processes involved in establishing a COP as a basis for common situational understanding.

Regulatory Requirements on the Competence of Remote Operator in Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship: Situation Awareness, Ship Sense and Goal-Based Gap Analysis

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) has been developed recently, and demonstration projects have been carried out internationally. Considering the full autonomous level is unlikely to be addressed shortly, remote control centre and Remote Operator (RO) will play a vital role in the MASS system. Although competence of watchkeeping at the ship’s bridge is inevitable for RO to avoid ship accidents caused by human errors, international requirements have not been introduced yet. This paper presents a way to develop the regulatory framework on the competence of RO based on the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) by exploring the concept of Situation Awareness (SA). Goal-Based Gap Analysis (GBGA) is constructed based on the human-behaviour model and the required information for SA. A case study through the mini focus group discussion with interviews by a total of three (3) veteran instructors of training ships is conducted utilising the information including the results of previous demonstration projects on the remote control. The results show the relationship between required information and ship sense, shortage of these factors when RO is operating, additional competence and possible regulatory requirements for RO. The findings support the usefulness of GBGA and pave the way to develop a regulatory framework for RO further.

Design of integrated network security management system based on situation awareness

At present, network centers in universities must try to efficiently, accurately and intelligently locate network attacks, and automatically handle security events. In this paper, we extend the concept of situational awareness based on the OODA Loop theory, and apply network security situation awareness (NSSA) to four stages: observe, orientation, decision, and action, which consist of a control process loop. We also propose the network security management and control platform based on NSSA concept to provide enough support for building an integrated campus network security management system.

Fear of Hospital-Acquired Infections: The Combined Impact of Patient's Hygiene Sensitivity and Perceived Staff Preventive Behavior.

Over the years, the public has paid growing attention to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Currently, infection prevention and control are considered a number one national priority in leading developed countries. However, while some hospital visitors are knowledgeable of the topic, others may be ignorant or careless as regards sterility and hygiene-related matters. This study, conducted in Israel, compared people cognizant of hygiene-related issues to those who are less so, in an attempt to account for differences in terms of attitudes and perceptions regarding the hospital environment. Based on Endsley's (in: Proceedings of the IEEE 1988 national aerospace and electronics conference, IEEE, 1988, 1995) situation awareness concept, we hypothesized that people attending the hospital with different hygiene schema would react differently when faced with HAI-related triggers. Based on a survey of 208 respondents, the results support the hypotheses, and showed a significant moderating effect of hygiene-sensitivity on the relationship between the staffs' hospital acquired infection-related proactive behavior and avoidance tendencies among hospital visitors. Theoretical as well as practical recommendations are discussed.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-АНАЛІТИЧНЕ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ УПРАВЛІННЯ ФІНАНСОВО-ЕКОНОМІЧНОЮ БЕЗПЕКОЮ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ НА ОСНОВІ СТРАТЕГІЇ CYBER SITUATION AWARENESS

The article considers the development of a model of information and analytical support for the operational management of agricultural enterprises. The main factors that impede the automation of the operational management of agricultural enterprises are identified: many specific management objects – types of crop and livestock products, an infinite number of possible situations that are characterized by unpredictability and non-determinism. It is noted that the essence of the concept of information support for the management of agricultural enterprises should be formed in accordance with the applied methods and methods of aggregating information, methods for constructing indicators and their analytical interpretation of the location in the management system, taking into account the priority and the totality of factors affecting the success of the implementation of the management decision. The new operational management paradigm can be represented as situational awareness of the internal state and the environment and an adequate response to the level of identified threat. Obviously, the use of the Cyber Situation Awareness concept is possible in the operational management of agricultural enterprises and ensuring the quality of information on the basis of which management decisions are made.

Situation awareness information requirements for maritime navigation: A goal directed task analysis

Maritime shipping transports about 90% of the international trade and is considered a high-risk industry. Among all daily operations carried out by merchant ships, navigation is deemed the most critical. With the ever-increasing dimensions of ocean-going ships and the threat possessed by dangerous cargoes in the event of an accident to individual lives and environment alike, the human factors which affect the navigation of merchant ships require paramount consideration to enhance safety in maritime operations. In this study, we explore the concept of Situation Awareness (SA) within the maritime domain, identifying the SA information requirements of navigators and factors affecting their SA. A total of 7 experienced navigators were interviewed in this exploratory study to determine the SA information requirements by a Goal-Directed Task Analysis (GDTA). Three Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) possessing Captain’s license for merchant ships were used for validation of initial findings. The findings reveal the information navigators use during the pilotage phase of navigation and further classify them in three levels. The findings shed light on the factors that affect SA of navigators and are discussed with their potential implications for the procedures and practices which better support SA in maritime navigation.

A multidimensional framework to study situation awareness in u-learning systems

This research is devoted to the study of the situation awareness from ubiquitous learning (u-learning) systems’ perspective. Related researches identified literature provide different visions and sometimes conflicting ones to the concept of situation awareness. Given this misunderstanding, this paper aims to bring a common and organized characterisation of this concept for the u-learning field. A multidimensional framework dedicated for situation-aware u-learning systems is then defined. This framework is composed of four different and complementary worlds. Each world helps to understand, analyse and describe in-depth a particular aspect of situation awareness in u-learning systems. The paper presents a structured description of the framework’s worlds. An evaluation of the research works identified in literature based on the framework’s worlds is then presented. The provided assessment helps identifying problems involving situation awareness in u-learning systems which could be a starting point for possible future research opportunities.

From Situational Awareness to Actionability

People are increasingly sharing information on social media during disaster events. This information could be valuable to emergency responders, but there remain challenges for using it to inform response efforts---including filtering relevant information from the large volumes of noise. Previous research has largely focused on identifying information that can contribute to a generalized concept of situational awareness. Our work explores the value of approaching this problem from a different perspective---one of actionablity---with the idea that information relevance may vary across responder role, domain, and other factors. This approach asks how we can get the right information to the right person at the right time? We interviewed and surveyed diverse responders to understand what "actionable" information is, allowing that actionability might differ from one responder to another. Through the findings, we (a) offer a nuanced understanding of actionability and differentiate it from situational awareness; (b) describe responders' perspective of what distinguishes good information when making rapid judgments; and (c) suggest opportunities for augmenting social media use to highlight information that needs immediate attention. We offer researchers an opportunity to frame different models of actionability to suit the requirements of a responding role.

Landslide Emergency Monitoring and Early Warning Based on Situation Awareness Sensing

Compared with the traditional landslide monitoring and early warning technology, landslide emergency monitoring and early warning based on situation awareness sensing has the advantages of active sensing, real-time online diagnosis, combination of timing and triggering acquisition and monitoring. Through the comparison and analysis of the engineering application and traditional technology, this paper shows that the system applies the concept of situation awareness to the field of landslide emergency monitoring effectively and accurately. Besides, the vibration and tilt change of the landslide deformation body is obviously earlier than that of displacement, so it is better to monitor the vibration and tilt change of the landslide deformation body than the change of the displacement of the landslide deformation body.

Safe buzz: adaptive security for multi-agents through situational awareness

Multi-agent systems deal with interactive agents that possess some degree of autonomy and cooperate towards the achievement of their goals. Multi-agent systems often need to operate in unsafe environments, and hence there is a need for situational awareness and risk assessment security mechanism that can evaluate agent data to detect threats and analyse the risk posed by them. Basic belief-desire-intention (BDI) architecture lacks a framework that would facilitate effective communication, to bring about situational awareness among agents in an insecure environment. This paper addresses the problems faced by a group of agents lacking global knowledge and global communications, by the introduction of a belief sharing and risk assessment mechanism. We have extended basic BDI architecture with the concept of situational awareness and adaptive risk management. With the proposed architecture, agents can gain awareness by exchanging beliefs, ascertaining the truth of such beliefs and measuring the credibility of a peer agent. Moreover agents can modify their level of alertness by monitoring the risks faced by them and by their peers. This enables the agents to detect and assess risks faced by them in an efficient manner, thereby increasing operational efficiency and resistance against attacks.

Safe buzz: adaptive security for multi-agents through situational awareness

Multi-agent systems deal with interactive agents that possess some degree of autonomy and cooperate towards the achievement of their goals. Multi-agent systems often need to operate in unsafe environments, and hence there is a need for situational awareness and risk assessment security mechanism that can evaluate agent data to detect threats and analyse the risk posed by them. Basic belief-desire-intention (BDI) architecture lacks a framework that would facilitate effective communication, to bring about situational awareness among agents in an insecure environment. This paper addresses the problems faced by a group of agents lacking global knowledge and global communications, by the introduction of a belief sharing and risk assessment mechanism. We have extended basic BDI architecture with the concept of situational awareness and adaptive risk management. With the proposed architecture, agents can gain awareness by exchanging beliefs, ascertaining the truth of such beliefs and measuring the credibility of a peer agent. Moreover agents can modify their level of alertness by monitoring the risks faced by them and by their peers. This enables the agents to detect and assess risks faced by them in an efficient manner, thereby increasing operational efficiency and resistance against attacks.

Automated reservoir management using multi-objective simulation optimization and SA model

Technology advancements steer implication of automation in the cognitive functionality of reservoir management, emerging chiefly in optimization and its peripheral concepts. Smart field development has been modeled upon real-time management, consequently, closed-loop management has taken a step further integrating data assimilation and optimization in a near-continuous process. Nevertheless, automation in planning domain threats the concealed concept of Situation Awareness (SA) which is a predominant planning concern in complex dynamic systems.SA incorporates the perception of environmental elements and events, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in future to make conscious decisions. In current practices of smart reservoir management, evaluation of reservoir status and setting-up future goals are temporally accomplished upon interactions of engineers and simulation optimization. However, this traditional effort to preserve SA upon human interference results in descent of automation and suspension of its demonstrated beneficial advantages in real practices.An effective and practical automated reservoir management should self-sufficiently consider SA in automation mechanism. In this paper, the goal is to present an innovative theoretical model of automated reservoir management, which considers SA as a mindful gadget that pertinently define multi-objective optimization problem, regarding reservoir dynamic situation in line with economic, technical and operational managerial targets.The proposed model is compatible with previous models and moreover supplements them with a conscious automatic planning potential. Utilizing this model, multi-objective optimization will provide higher level of automation upon definition of temporal objectives and preferences without human interference. This model introduces higher degree of freedom in decision making and generates production/injection profiles flexible with predefined objectives and preferences of the management, which is advocated through a case study of water injection reservoir. Conceivable sets of dynamic objectives in different optimized production/injection profiles illustrate the establish role of SA in automatic reservoir management.