Supporting aeromedical evacuation planning through information visualization

One of the key elements in the design of a cooperative decision support system (with a human and an automated system jointly working toward a solution) is the information visualization requirements. A variety of research efforts have shown how typical automated systems tend to remove the human partner from the decision-making role and into a supervisory role. However, enhanced visualization tools can promote interaction with the automated system and keep the human partner "in the loop" as the central decision maker. This paper describes several problem areas with respect to the development of a global medical regulation and evacuation command and control system and approaches to improve the user's ability to collaborate with this automated system to jointly construct a solution through enhanced visualization techniques. These techniques focus on supporting information needs to enhance the operator's ability to sift through a data-intense problem domain, gain an understanding of the state of the world, and comprehend complex solutions provided by the automated system.