Representability of METT-TC Factors in JC3IEDM

Abstract : Commanders require relevant information about background information in order to exercise effective command and control (C2). METT-TC factors (Mission, Enemy, Terrain & Weather, Troops, Time Available and Civil Considerations) represent the canonical, militarily significant background against which information is evaluated and military decisions are made. If this background is to be encoded, shared, and, ultimately, processed and reasoned about by computers or computer-assisted C2 systems, the METT-TC background must be represented in some standard format with a shared computer-processable semantics. The JC3IEDM (Joint Command, Control, and Consultation Information Exchange Data Model) represents several years of effort by NATO's Multinational Interoperability Programme at developing a representation of military situations in order to support communication and interoperability among NATO forces. All information to be shared by participants must, therefore, be representable within JC3IEDM. In this paper, we point out aspects of METT-TC that are not currently or not completely representable in JC3IEDM. These include aspects such as cover and concealment, fields of fire, and mission purpose. We end by suggesting ways in which JC3IEDM can be extended to represent these aspects of METT-TC factors.