Information Evaluation: Discussion about STANAG 2022 Recommendations.

摘要

An important step in the intelligence gathering process is the fusion of information provided by multiple sources. The objective of this process is to build an up-to-date and correct view of the current situation on which to base adequate decision making. To succeed in this process, it is important to associate each available piece of information with characteristics like the number of sources that support it, their reliability, and the degree of truth of the information. Currently, these attributes are managed and fused by human operators, and there is no standard methodology for doing this. What is needed is computerized help. But before relaying this fusion process to a machine, one needs to develop formal definitions and algorithms to manage these attributes in addition to fusing information. Furthermore, in a context in which different systems exchange information, common definitions of these attributes have to be shared. The Standardization Agreements (STANAG) 2022 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) define a framework for common definitions. This paper reviews the STANAG 2022 recommendations on information evaluation, particularly the criteria for reliability and credibility, and then analyzes different evaluation concepts, including reliability, independence, and conflict. The paper then presents a formal model of information evaluation that attempts to be unambiguous. Twenty-nine briefing charts summarize the presentation. (8 refs.).