Paper describes research into methods for analyzing and visualizing chat communications in a team training context

SAN MATEO, CA, September 29, 2009 – Stottler Henke today announced that a paper it will present at the 2009 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference (I/ITSEC) is one of six papers I/ITSEC nominated for its Best Paper award, selected from hundreds of submissions. The paper won the best paper award in the Training category. Attendees will vote to select the best paper among the six nominees during the I/ITSEC conference to be held November 30 through December 3, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.

Each year, tens of thousands attend I/ITSEC (http://www.iitsec.org/), the nation’s premier professional event for training, simulation, and education methods and technologies for national defense. I/ITSEC promotes cooperation among the armed services, industry, academia and Government agencies who pursue improved training and education programs, identify common training issues, and develop multi-service programs.

Stottler Henke’s paper, After Action Review Tools for Team Training with Chat Communications, describes the challenges of automated analysis of chat communications in a team training contexts, and approaches to addressing them. A tool called the Intelligent Diagnostic Assistant, or IDA, is being developed as a platform for investigating the effectiveness of these approaches. IDA helps instructors review and interpret on-line chat communications generated by large teams of military planners tackling complex, time-sensitive planning problems during training exercises. Using this tool, instructors will be able to identify specific instances of communication and coordination problems more quickly and consistently, so they can be discussed during after-action reviews immediately following exercises. The project team is identifying and developing innovative capabilities for browsing, filtering, and visualizing the chat data.

The paper is authored by Dr. Sowmya Ramachandran, Randy Jensen, Oscar Bascara, and Dr. Tamitha Carpenter from Stottler Henke, and Mr. Todd Denning and Lt. Shaun Sucillon at the Air Force Research Laboratory. At the conference, Stottler Henke researchers will present this paper (#9256) and two others that describe recent advances in intelligent software technologies for training: Scenario-Based Conversational Intelligent Tutoring Systems for Decision-Making Skills (#9119), and Assessing Perceived Truth Versus Ground Truth in After Action Review (#9274). Stottler Henke will also present Game AI Solutions for Serious Games, a tutorial (#920) that describes how to apply artificial intelligence to create more effective and engaging game-based training.

Founded in 1988, Stottler Henke Associates, Inc. applies artificial intelligence and other advanced software technologies to solve problems that defy solution using traditional approaches. The company delivers intelligent software solutions for education and training, planning and scheduling, knowledge management and discovery, decision support, and software development. In 2006, Stottler Henke was the subject of a NASA “Hallmarks of Success” video profile for its work developing and later commercializing advanced planning and training software systems. Stottler Henke received a 2004 “Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning” award for innovative technology. Stottler Henke was named as one of the “Top 100” companies making a significant impact on the military training industry by Military Training Technology magazine for 2009 and five previous years. In 2005, Stottler Henke received a Blue Ribbon recognizing it as a company that leads the industry in innovation. Web: https://www.stottlerhenke.com. Email: