Visualizing dynamic and uncertain battlefield information: Lessons from cognitive science

The Army aims to enhance Soldier Situational Awareness (SA) and performance through the development of technologies, including sensors to collect novel sources of information, AI-driven algorithms to integrate information sources and recommend courses of actions, and display technologies like augmented reality to communicate this information to Soldiers. However, the operational effectiveness of these technologies relies on Soldiers' ability to quickly and accurately perceive, interpret, and make decisions with the displayed information. How do we determine whether and when one visualization method is more beneficial than another? We propose a research approach that leverages foundational cognitive science to identify cognitively informed trade-off spaces for different visualization methods, given Soldier needs and the dynamics of battlefield and operational information across mission phases. This approach will also enable understanding of how variables such as stress and time pressure moderate these trade-off spaces. The goal is to derive recommendations for visualization design, including novel methods of visualization that align with and support both the abilities and limitations of human cognition. We use the context of spatial knowledge and navigation as an illustrative example, exploring how different visualizations may effectively accommodate or overcome phenomena of human decision-making (e.g., biases and heuristics) given dynamic and uncertain battlefield information. In this review paper, we discuss the types of tactical information used to perform specific tasks, the underlying cognitive processes supporting these tasks, and the implications that aspects of human cognition have for visualization methods, ultimately motivating the research approach above.