An Augmented Reality Command and Control Sand Table Visualization of the User Interface Prototyping Toolkit (UIPT)

The User Interface Prototyping Toolkit (UIPT) constitutes a software application for the design and development of futuristic stylized user interfaces (UIs) for collaborative exploration and validation with regards to decision making and situational awareness by end users. The UIPT toolkit effort is targeted to Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and Cyber missions for the U.S. Navy. UIPT enables the Navy to significantly reduce the risks associated with pursuing revolutionary technology such as autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and distributed sensing in terms of the design of the user interface. With this in mind, augmented reality is examined to determine if this technology can be useful to the Navy’s mission in supporting the warfighter in the future vision of the Navy. This work examines the development and evaluation of an augmented reality virtual sand table presentation overlaid over the same set of information presented in the UIPT displayed on a large touch table. This new way to present the same information allows for a unique collaborative setting to be evaluated as a potential future user interface for the Navy. This is applied in the context where a group of warfighters gather in collaborative virtual space for decision making and situational awareness. The development and experimentation with an augmented reality interface initiates the means to validate a futuristic Navy vision of user interfaces that support the warfighter in a Command and Control environment.