Command moves C2Pedia to unclassified network

By MC2 (AW) Nikki CarterUSJFCOM Public Affairs Office

Kevin Marlowe, USJFCOM’s Joint Systems Integration Command (JSIC) command and control (C2) analysis director, said C2Pedia provides an online knowledge base with information about more than 200 C2 systems, accessible to anyone with a Department of Defense (DoD) Common Access Card.

He added that C2Pedia also should help the C2 community discuss the universe of systems from a common starting point.

“While there may be some hesitation for this data to be shared widely; all agree that we have to work as a DoD team to understand what systems we’re fielding, how they’re being used, and how well they perform,” said Marlowe.

Upcoming C2Pedia efforts for JSIC include folding in emerging data command analysts capture as a part of other tasks and continuing efforts to find more authoritative data.

He said the ability to see information about hundreds of systems in one place at https://C2.jsic.jfcom.mil, and to know that the information is constantly being updated, gives DoD analysts a powerful tool for developing efficient systems.

“Since each of the military services train and equip their own, there is always the possibility that each [service] develops solutions independently of the others, and it’s well-understood that sometimes different organizations come up with different solutions for the same problem,” Marlowe said. “C2Pedia gives analysts a way to review system characteristics to look for overlaps or missing pieces quickly; they can then use existing processes like capability portfolio management (CPM) to try to promote the survival of the fittest.”

He said C2Pedia provides advanced visual analysis tools making complicated information easier to see and discuss. For example, the C2 Hypertree illustrates connections between warfighting capabilities and systems providing users the ability to see if there are several systems satisfying a given capability, or only a few.

“We’ve found that using these tools gets people talking about potential capability gaps, possible redundancies, and an ‘I didn’t know system X did Y’ moments,” he said.

Marlowe said another key feature of C2Pedia is its design with the same easy-to-use underlying technology as the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

According to Marlowe, the system’s tracking function allows JSIC to know exactly who uses and updates information, and even identifies data that came from otherwise authoritative databases.

“JSIC analysts can track down conflicts in data, and the community can review the results to ensure everyone is on the same page,” Marlowe said. “It’s much faster than relying on published documentation; it’s also much more accessible to anyone with the need to see it.”

Marlowe explained C2Pedia provides an editable system to thousands of servicemembers and C2 analysts to improve the data or to point out inconsistencies.