Abstract: An Open Source Social Science Data Repository for HSCB Research

From MilcordWiki

Current DoD initiatives that promote the use of open source data include the J-CIM Joint Civil Information Management Joint Test, which develops and evaluates the collection and management of civil information by Joint Forces, and Information Sharing Branch at the Pentagon that is developing a federated search of Unified Combatant Command web portals. While there are hundreds of open source social science datasets that can be used for HSCB dataset repository, these data sets do not have a common vocabulary for civil-military affairs, and do not offer a common data search and retrieval capability. Underlying these concerns is the fundamental need for a common data repository to support data sharing and to enable federated query over disparate datasets for analytics, modeling, and simulation. Here we present a data repository of open source social science datasets where data fusion is accomplished by mapping each dataset variable onto an analytic framework of indicators based on concepts from COIN FM 3-24. The benefits of the analytic framework are that the resultant repository is curated in a coherent fashion that is operationally useful to both civilian and military users. Our approach supports analysts, planners, and trainers of military and civilian strategy and tactics in asymmetric operations and geographies by providing HSCB datasets and metadata to integrated information architectures that support the development of data models and analytical applications in intelligence analysis and decision-making. We demonstrate the utility of our approach in developing a strategic planning application to forecast low level intensity conflict.