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Complex Decision Research Group

School of
Psychological Science
La Trobe University
Bundoora, VIC, 3086
Australia

Tel +61 3 9479 3704


School of Psychological Science

Complex Decision Research Group
Networked Fire Chief - Features

Development of the Networked Fire Chief program has been funded by the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Research Council for the purpose of conducting research into basic issues relating to command and control decision making. The program has now been extensively used for research, both in Australia and in Europe. It can, however, be equally well customised for use in specific training contexts (e.g. as a training tool for management personnel)


Overview / Availability Features
Screen Shots Minimum Requirements

Features
Recent programming advances have greatly extended Networked Fire Chief's capabilities as an all-purpose research and training tool. Some of the existing and new features are briefly outlined below;

 
    Flexibility in Appearance and Functional Behaviour
  • NFC can be run over a number of networked computers. Program flexibility includes the provision of facilities to customise landscape and appliance characteristics, to differentially allocate information and control resources across networked client stations. Unlimited number of (a) appliance types, (b) appliances of each type, (c) types of landscape segments, (d) landscape segments, and (e) fire fighting resources (e.g., water, foam, fuel etc.)
  
Fire Fighting Appliance Artificial Intelligence
  • Fire fighting appliance behaviour has been implemented to enable the user to differentially specify for each appliance type (a) a search radius within which that appliance type can automatically locate and extinguish any fires, and (b) the criteria used in selecting which fire to attack next. The larger this search radius, the less tactical decision making required by the human participant.
 
Landscape Contour Editor
  • Currently a relatively simple contour editor feature has been programmed, whereby elevations can be placed onto the landscape map and fire incidents spread differentially according to slope. As this feature is still cumbersome to use we do not include this
    feature with the program as normally distributed. However a special registry key can be supplied, and this feature can greatly enhance the ecological validity of NFC as a training tool for bushfire management
  Selective Information Updating
  • The provision of an option to selectively withhold the display information on the current fire status to a particular set of client stations
  Eye-Tracking Sprite
  • Recently a sprite was programmed into NFC. This interfaces with the results obtained from experiments using the video-based eye-tracking device to give a record of the parts of the simultion the participant was attending to at any given time
   
  Internet Enabled Network Sessions
  • A TCP/IP communications protocol allows for real-time networking across the internet using quite low data transmission rates. Even with slow internet connections (56 Kbps modem interfaces) teams of 4 stations can run typical Networked Fire Chief team scenarios
  Full data logging
  • All participant input and program output can be saved for subsequent analysis and for subsequent participant debriefing. Data are generated which enable the identification and assessment of specific decision sequences and assessment of overall decision performance.
  Real-time replay
  • A full simulation replay facility with pause/resume and fast-forward options allows for the generation and collection of detailed verbal protocol data (as participants’ replay-cued recollections).


Content Approved by: Head of School
Page developed by: Glenn Elliott
Page maintained by: Matthew Walshe
Last Updated: 26 August, 2003


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