QuEST for information fusion

Qualia-based Exploitation of Sensing Technology (QuEST) is an approach to create a cognitive exoskeleton to improve human-machine decision quality. In this paper, we discuss the motivation of QuEST as it pertains to man-machine information fusion. Operator-based situation awareness includes both elements of external sensory perception and internal cognitive explanation. We outline QuEST elements and tenets towards a reasoning approach that achieves human intelligence amplification (IA) as opposed to data aggregation from machine artificial intelligence (AI). In a use case example for automatic target exploitation, we showcase the need for enhanced understanding of the man (mind-body cognition) and the machine (sensor-based reasoning) for establishing a cohesive narrative of situational activities.