Knowledge Systems for Coalition Operations 2010

Conference Information

KSCO - Knowledge Systems for Coalition Operations is an international community of interest exploring research in Knowledge Systems for Coalition Operations. KSCO regularly organizes a technical conference where practitioners and key decision makers in coalition operations meet and discuss with researchers from areas of knowledge-based systems, planning and multi-agent systems, exchange experience and ideas, share inspiration and suggest novel concepts. It can also lead to joint project proposals.

After successful events in Edinburgh UK, Toulouse France, Prague Czech Republic, Waltham MA USA and Southampton UK, the KSCO conference in 2010 washeld at Simon Fraser University, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

KSCO-2010 welcomed submission of original research and application papers related to coalition operations management. A coalition includes, but not limited to, military, inter-agency and cross organization alliances engaged in a cooperative endeavour and joining forces together for a common cause.

Topics were related to knowledge systems requirements and knowledge systems potential or actual use for coalition and inter-agencies operations (i.e., multi-national and multi-agency, civil authorities, home land safety and security, expeditionary or domestic operations). Both full-length (10 page) and poster session (4 page) submissions are welcome. We will review theoretical, experimental, methodological papers, but we are especially interested in case studies, prototype evaluations and application reports. KSCO organizers particularly encouraged submission of reports presenting larger coalition and inter-agencies related national and international projects and programs. Authors wishing to present emerging efforts, especially student projects, were encouraged to submit papers for the poster session.

Key KSCO topics include:

• Innovative theory and techniques for formation of coalitions and similar "virtual organizations"
• Requirements for knowledge-based coalition planning and operations
• Knowledge-based approaches to command and control
• Knowledge-based approaches to coalition logistics
• Knowledge-based approaches to inter-agency and domestic operations
• Knowledge-based approaches to safety and security operations
• Knowledge-based decision support
• Coalition and inter-agencies modelling
• Applications and requirements for knowledge-based coalition planning
• Knowledge-based approaches to Operations-Other-Than-War
• Multi-agent systems and the concept of agency in coalitions
• Tools and techniques for knowledge-based simulation and modelling of coalition operations
• Security and maintenance of private information or knowledge in coalition operations
• Autonomous vs. centrally managed coalition operations
• Mobility, agile and autonomous computing in coalition operation
• Cyberspace issues for coalitions
• Complexity issues and scalability in coalition operations
• Cross-cultural issues in coalition operations
• Deployed systems, case studies

Conference Location

Organizers

• General Chair: Jitu Patel <jmpatel@dstl.gov.uk> Dstl, UK
• Program Chair: James Lawton <James.Lawton@london.af.mil> AFRL/EOARD, USA in UK
• Conference Chair: Adel Guitouni <Adel.Guitouni@drdc-rddc.gc.ca> DRDC, Canada
• Other Organizing Committee Members:
  • Uwe Glaesser, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • Roozbeh Farahbod, DRDC, Canada
  • Paul Losiewicz, ONR Global, USA in UK
  • Michal Pechoucek, Gerstner Laboratory, Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic
  • Austin Tate, AIAI, The University of Edinburgh, UK
  • Gerhard Wickler, AIAI, The University of Edinburgh, UK

Sponsors

The organizers wish to thank the following for their contribution to the conference:

• Defence Research and Development Canada - Recherche et Développement pour la Défense Canada (DRDC-RDDC)
• Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), UK
• European Office of Aerospace Research and Development, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, United States Air Force Research Laboratory
• Office of Naval Research Global, United States Navy
• Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Additional support from:

• Artificial Intelligence Application Institute
• MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd (MDA)
• University of Victoria
• Thales Aerospace, Space, Defence and Security
• Fujitsu

Contact

• General Chair: Jitu Patel <jmpatel@dstl.gov.uk> Dstl, UK
• Web Site Changes: Austin Tate <a.tate@ed.ac.uk> AIAI, Edinburgh, UK