Introduction
With the advancement of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics (BDA), these emerging cutting-edge technologies are now helping organisations solve complex problems today and tackle the challenges of tomorrow. It is now possible for organisations to create a virtual synthetic environment mimicking the real life environment with surround sound, special effects and animated 3D graphics.
What is Synthetic Environment (SE)?
A Synthetic Environment (SE) using computer generated simulation such as VR and AR is widely adopted by the organisations largely for training and rehearsal purposes (to “test the water”). SE is created to analyse the current situation which provides an opportunity to further predict the future using historical data together with business rules and algorithm to generate computer animated graphics simulated scenarios that are predicted likely to happen in the future based on the outcome of the analysis. The objective is to provide an effective environment for learning and building a critical experience by mimicking the real life environment as closely as possible to get the users mentally prepared before the real life situations arise.
Benefits of Synthetic Environment
Simulation offers a range of compelling benefits, including significant cost advantages (e.g.: savings in the wear and tear on equipment, machinery, tools, apparels etc.). It also provides a tremendous time saving advantage by not having to construct physical scenes. Synthetic Environment (SE) could be built within days, if not hours, compared to a Physical Environment which takes a lot longer to build or on occasions even impossible to achieve due to financial and time constraints. One of the reasons why the SE is so attractive to organisations is that it can bring the improvement of:
• Training
• Mission planning and rehearsal
• Operational decision-making.
What is Single Synthetic Environment (SSE)?
Unlike the traditional Synthetic Environment, a Single Synthetic Environment (SSE) provides a common synthetic environment to enable users to share the same experience together remotely from anywhere in the world without having to physically travel to a designated location. SSE has completely changed the paradigm in the virtual world by replacing the location based simulators with portable devices (e.g.: laptop-powered AR/VR headsets and handsets) that easily can be transported and installed to users anywhere at any time.
Critical Success Factors
In order to optimise the SSE to achieve the goals, organisations should establish the critical success factors. Below are just a few examples:
• Clear and accurate simulation of:
o Natural environments: terrain, ocean, vegetation
o Artificial environments: buildings, bridges, tunnels, roads and other man-made objects
o Psychological environments: demography, culture, sentiment and cognitive activities
• Most up-to-date and accurate geospatial data
• Flexibly and easily to change autonomously based on various simulations for the real-time modification of the synthetic environment with database used within the virtual and constructive simulations.
• Modification of the database without stopping the simulations in response to events such as: actions taken by human-in-the-loop trainees who are involved in a training or mission rehearsal exercises as well as the actions taken by computer-generated forces entities that are interacting with the synthetic environment.
• Reliable effects on the environment including:
• Climate and weather
• Weapon detonations
• Disruption of security and safety
• Disruption of health care system
• Economic impact
• Level of possibility and probability
• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
• Simultaneous real-time operations across the globe
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria are the requirements before building the SSE whether it is in-house or commercial-of-the-shelf or a mixture of both. Below are just a few examples:
• Common database is to be adopted to eliminate the issues of database correlation and interoperability thus saving time and engineering effort.
• Support the eco system of multi-agency users
• Provide a general synthetic environment that is persistent across the board and is not constrained to any one domain to accommodate multi-agency exercise and training (e.g.: joint exercise between military, emergency services and critical national infrastructure) and with all synthetic environment content which can be shared across all domains.
• Interoperability amongst devices – desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and other operational technology devices and the internet-of-things (IoT)
• Portability – light in weight and small in size for easy hand carry
• Able to use virtual simulation for multiple joint and coalition exercises and in command centres for operational decision-making
• Scalability for future expansion
• Meet the security requirements
• Intuitive and easy to use with minimum learning curve
Decision-making, Command & Control within the SSE
The disparate locations of the participants within the SSE could sometimes make it quite tricky in the absence of a face-to-face in person communications. If not managed properly, communications could be lost and could impact the success of the exercise. The disciplines of decision-making, command & control implied in the SSE could further improve the success of the outcomes.
Decision-making
Decision-making is a cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action amongst available alternative possibilities. There are 4 styles of decision-making namely:
1. Directive: Efficient, logical, making fast decisions. Low tolerance for ambiguity, rational way of thinking
2. Analytical: Careful in decision making, slow, able to adapt to or cope with changing situations. High tolerance for ambiguity and a rational way of thinking
3. Conceptual: Focus on long run, good at finding creative solutions. Very board outlook, develop many alternatives
4. Behavioural: Take decision on consensus, hold meetings, receptive to suggestions from subordinates, work well with others
Any actions taken as a result of decision making must be recorded in the:
• Use Case Scenario logs
• Decision logs
• Risk Logs
• Lesson learnt logs
Command and Control (C2)
C2 is the authority and direction by a properly designated commanding officer over assigned and attached services in the accomplishment of the mission. The purpose of C2 is a system empowering designated personnel to exercise lawful authority and direction over assigned units / organisations.
Decisions are made by the decision makers and passed to the Commanding Officers who are assisted in executing tasks by specialised staff officers and enlisted personnel who have the subject matter expertise. In the above scenario, the Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) represent military, emergency services such as police, fire, ambulance and hospitals, public services such as local authorities, energy, food suppliers. The purpose of enlisting SME’s is that they provide accurate and timely information which by category represents information on which command decisions are based.
Once the commands are made, the tasks are passed to the control team to execute the tasks according to the instructions provided by the command team. The results of all the executions are to be recorded and reported back to the command team. The commanding team will assess the outcome and report back to the decision makers.
SSE Scenario – Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak continued to Winter 2020
The current Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has already infected over 2.5 millions of the global population and caused nearly 200,000 deaths (as of end of April 2020). The UN Security-General Antonio Guterres has warned the world is currently facing the worst crisis since WW2 as UK, France, Italy, Spain record highest daily death toll. Mr. Guterres has called for a stronger and more effective global response as this outbreak will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in recent past, flash mob, civil unrests, riots, food shortage (as a result of food producers and transportation logistic personnel struck down by the virus or going through quarantine, closure of borders between countries).
Emergency services and supply chains around the world are working hard to prepare themselves in the pandemic response for now and for the future. Many organisations such as military, emergency services such as police, fire, ambulance and hospitals, public services such as local authorities, utility and food suppliers are already starting to develop or consider, if they haven’t done so, the pandemic simulation using a Synthetic Environment technology to enable them to make informed decisions to be better equipped how to react before the events and to tackle the problems anticipated to be emerged from the outbreak. Below is an imaginary scenario the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak in the UK continued to winter 2020 as shown on the above diagram.
Scenario Date: Winter 2020 Situation:
• Death tolls in the UK have reached 5 million with 10 million infected and the number is rising
• Cures for the Coronavirus COVID-19 are still not available
• NHS hospitals are running out of beds & facing staff shortage causing the increase of deaths from Coronavirus COVID-19
• Border closure to and from the UK and the rest of the world
• Food supply shortage due to reduced supply & boarder closure
• Over 30% unemployment causing civil unrests
• Police forces under immense pressure to tackle violent crimes, riots & demonstrations
• Military drafted in to help police to keep peace
• Economic Recession with negative GDP Growth
• Telecommunication service overloaded with surge of demand on working from home due to lockdown
• Problems in utility supply due to high number of sickness in critical national infrastructure workforce
• Extremely high number of people claiming income support due to high unemployment
• All schools & universities remain closed
With the above scenario in the SSE, decisions need to be made by multi-agency decision makers remotely from different locations to tackle the civil unrests, food shortage, reduce the death rate, reduce unemployment, reopen the borders, lift the lockdown and curfew, and reopen schools and universities. The VR and AR simulations are used to mimic the above scenario situations for examples riots and deceased bodies transported from hospitals to the mortuaries. The Synthetic Environment is a tool to provide the sentiment as closed as real life situation to assist decision makers to make decisions.
The decision-making process starts from the identification of Scenario where vision, mission, objectives, strategies and directions are established. This is followed by the identification of the appropriate simulation tools. Once the tools are identified, an SSE is created ready for the commencement of the exercise. Decisions are made to tackle the problems and to improve the situations. All decisions are recorded in the Decision Logs. Decisions are then passed to the Command Team. Command Team will then assess the decisions and produce tasks to pass to the Control Team to execute the tasks. After the completion of the execution, results of each task are recorded in the Task Result Logs and reported back from the Control Team to the Command Team. The Command Team will review the results with the Decision makers to identify benefits, impact and lesson learnt.
The below diagram illustrates the Decision-making, Command & Control built on a single Synthetic Environment (SSE) End-to-End Processes:
Conclusion
In the above scenario, event such as global pandemic like the Coronavirus COVID-19 which potentially could kill millions of people as well as economic recession and chaos in the society. The solutions are extremely complex. The SSE can leverage the advancements of virtual reality, augmented reality, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and cyber security to provide a nearly real life look-and-feel environment to stimulate the thought process for decision making. The C2 also play an important part to inject disciplines in the synthetic environment so as to ensure communications are transmitted in timely and accurate manner.