Assessing the knowledge, skills, and judgment of warfighters is an inexact and expensive process. ScenPro developed the Virtual Soldier Skills Assessor and Situational Awareness Assessment Toolset (ViSSA+) to provide repeatable and inexpensive warfighter assessment for the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The ViSSA+ development effort won the 2004 Army Quality Award.
ScenPro analysts performed knowledge acquisition with domain experts to identify key training features and decision points in the virtual world. The resulting domain model reflects the way warfighters interact in the virtual world.
ViSSA+ assesses warfighters immersed in a DIS-based virtual environment. The system automatically compares warfighter actions with predefined standards. Comparisons can be based on most of the virtual environment and virtual warfighter model variables, including movement, orientation, posture, weapons use, and communications. ViSSA+ can provide real-time assessment of the following warfighter skills:
- Decision-making
- Situational Awareness
- Performance
- Tactical Skill
As an example, ViSSA+ can assess a dismounted infantryman for proper use of cover and concealment during urban operations. ViSSA+ monitors how often and how long the soldier lingers in the middle of the street, whether he pauses to look down side streets, and whether he quickly seeks cover if he hears shots fired.
This tactical assessment can also become a decision-making assessment by observing the soldier’s response to a group of armed individuals emerging from a side street.
During a virtual exercise ViSSA+ assesses the warfighter in real time. The system automatically detects Significant Events but also allows the observer/controller to manually enter Significant Events. When the virtual exercise ends, the system orchestrates an after-action review that focuses on the automated and manual Significant Events.
The system works with all DIS-compliant simulation systems including the Soldier Visualization Station (SVS), OneSAF/OTB/OOS, and DISAF. The system can work in an HLA federation such as JSIMS, WARSIM, and JSAF. Additionally, using simple gateways, the system is capable of assessing TENA and JNTC exercises. Finally, ViSSA is capable of logging ASTi-based audio communications and assessing warfighter communications.
ScenPro developed ViSSA+ under Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) through the US Army Research Institute.