Situation awareness software features
Situation awareness software features helps users become more aware of their situation and therefore, make better decisions. Conceptualised by military leaders, situation awareness software first became available in military aircraft. Today, it’s popular with many different businesses.
Growing demand for situation awareness software features
The term ‘situation awareness’ is historically associated with military applications.
For example, Napoleon Bonaparte‘s incredible military success is attributed to his ability to be aware of his army’s situation, holding simultaneously multiple variables such as landscape, weather and troop movement, all in his head. But, today’s software replaces the need to be a military genius and can handle many more variables than Napoleon ever could. Moreover, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, its usage now extends far beyond the military.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted nearly every business operation on earth and exposed the lack of operational resilience in most of them. As a result, operational resilience is now a standing board room agenda item. And, any product that helps businesses address disruptive factors, whether that be pandemic, protest or power outage, is in demand.
Goal of situation awareness software features
Mica Endsley, US Air Force’s former Chief Scientist defines the goal of situation awareness software as:
1. Perception: View the status, attributes, and dynamics of relevant factors. For example. events, people, systems and environmental factors. Along with their current status; location, condition, modes and action.
2. Synthesis: Synthesise information to aid pattern recognition, interpretation, and evaluation. As a result, the user can understand how their environment will impact their goals and objectives. This includes a comprehensive picture of the world, or of that portion of the world of concern to the user.
3. Prediction: Predict or forecast forward future states to understand its impact on the operational environment.
The following features achieve these goals.
Situation awareness software features
Typically, the following features are available:
Data integration
Integration of data from multiple sources. For example, sensors, databases and user inputs. This data can range from real-time environmental conditions to logistical information.
Visualisation
Data visualisation provides an easy to understand format. For example, maps, charts, and 3D models.
Alerts and notifications
Alerts and notifications help users quickly respond to events or changes in the environment.
Predictive analysis
Predictions of future scenarios based on current data.
Decision support
Decision support tools recommend options based on data analysis and provide a decision log.
Communication and collaboration
Communicate and collaborate with stakeholders and third parties to coordinate response.
Real-time monitor
Monitor the environment in real-time to provide up-to-date situation awareness.
Scale and customisation
Scale according to the size and complexity of the situation and customise to meet user needs.
All these features help manage operational risk.
Situation awareness software features in risk management
Risk managers adopt software to help manage their operational business risk. Factors such as;
- transport;
- public health;
- utilities;
- environment and
- security can all interrupt business operations and threaten long-term business viability.
Risk managers receive the following benefits.
Benefits for risk managers
Traditionally risk managers rely on a mix of mediums to receive, record and communicate information. Namely, email, text and phone calls. Although useful, situation awareness software features represents an upgrade. It gives risk managers a better chance of avoiding, mitigating, managing and recovering from disruptive events because it has the following benefits:
Manage complexity
Risk managers often need to handle a lot of complex information. Situation awareness software features helps risk managers navigate this complexity because it will contextualise information through prioritisation, monitoring and threshold alarm notifications. As a consequence, risk managers are free to manage by exception.
Learning
Features such as collaboration and post event review tools are a significant benefit. With ‘n’ heads better than one, risk managers learn more and better decisions are more likely.
Compliance
Risk managers use decision support tools to ensure their decisions are compliant with best practice, codes of conduct and local laws.
Multiple event instances
Often more than one, unrelated event instance is underway at a time. Multiple, simultaneous event instances are managed at once; this helps reduce confusion and risk managers can focus on each event as the need arises.
Defense
To counter post event claims, it’s important decisions are defendable. Situation awareness software features helps build defendable decisions because it provides:
- Text and visual decision logs
- Playback with timestamps
- Easy to follow audit trail
Situation awareness software features by SIRV
SIRV provides risk managers with a scalable, intuitive solution built to meet their specific needs. It’s simple enough for any stakeholder to understand and powerful enough to handle complex situations.
