Web-delivered training for dismounted soldiers in Active Surveillance and Threat Indicator Identification.

Developed to support the Army G2’s Every Soldier a Sensor initiative, this application was created in ninety days from contract award to delivery. Training focuses on two of five tenets of the Every Soldier a Sensor initiative: Active Surveillance and Threat Indicator Identification. Delivered through web-download, the application allows the trainee to navigate a “3D” Middle Eastern urban environment, observing and interacting with “2D” photographic “sprite” objects from Current Operational Environment (COE) official Government photo sources. Users may engage in all manner of interaction from talking with civilians in order to develop local understanding, to searching and detaining suspicious individuals. Success comes by attaining the Commander’s Critical Information Requirements, winning “Hearts and Minds” and correctly reporting the most important observations. The application is fully end-user authorable, allowing for the creation of new missions, objects, characters and dialogue. The application won the Department of Defense 2006 Annual Modeling & Simulation Award for Training and is now part of Basic Combat Training (BCT) for all Soldiers entering the Army.

CTI principals conceived, designed and directed this project while at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies.