The human in command and modern information technology
Publish date: 2001-01-11
Report number: FOA-R--99-01330-505
Pages: 20
Written in: English
Abstract
The administration of information in large organisations is often perceived as a complex and significant problem. Recent advances in modern information technology have raised hopes of a more efficient and accurate administration of information, but these hopes are often very vaguely formulated. In reality, a number of technical solutions for communication support have been developed more or less independently of one another, each attempting to solve some aspect of the problem of information administration. Communication within a socially constructed system, such as a defence system, is basically a human process of integration, and technical applications do not automatically correspond to actual human needs regarding communication. An efficient adaptation of new technical communication systems would require a definition of which human communication needs it will support. It is possible to identify at least five basic strategies underlying modern communication systems all of them supporting different aspects of human communication. The ´Hierarchical Model´ and the ´Internet Model´ concern organisational structure - how the information flow within an organisation is systematised. ´Dialogue´, ´Artificial Intelligence´ and´ Modelled Information´ concern information handling - how the transfer of information is conducted. Hypothetically, all the communication strategies mentioned in this paper are necessary to fulfil the communication needs of the commander. Thus an efficient information system must be able to administer information according to all five principles.