the effects of change? Or is he asked to engage in free search, that
is, to report anything of significance? In addition, we are much in-
terested in the viewing techniques that he employs to accomplish his
work, in the methods he uses to conduct his search, in his scan proce-
dures, in the diagnostic features or the clues that he selectively uses
in interpreting & particular photograph, and finally, in his use of re-
ferences and other &ids--keys, dictionaries, electronic comparators,
standard stereoscope, and tube magnifiers. How do &ll of these affect
performance?
In the output stage--the domain of information reporting--interest
is in both total performance and fractions that make up total perfor-
mance--the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of the report. We
are also interested in the communication of relevant information to
action people, the nature of the PI's written response, and the proce-
dures he uses.
Five projects are planned under the initial IMAGE INTERPRETATION
subtask. In the first project, the nature of the job of image inter-
pretation is being studied. Does the individual who does the best job
of interpreting large scale images do the best job of interpreting de-
graded images? If a person does well in comparative search, does he do
as well in directed search, or does a perceptual factor tend to make him
do better in one type than in another? This kind of study will help to
determine what measures are needed for selection and assignment of photo-
interpreter personnel. Because of the variety of image types used or
likely to be used by the Army, the advantages and limitations of each
type of sensor must be studied, &s well as effective ways of combining
them into a multi-sensor approach. Performance measures both of in-
dividuals and of image interpretation systems will be developed for use
in subsequent task projects.
The second project is in essence an attempt to identify more effec-
tive ways of going about the job of interpreting itself. The performance
of proficient photointerpreters and of those that are less proficient
will be carefully examined with the objective of extracting, identifying,
and formulating more effective interpreting procedures.
The third project is concerned with determining what it is a man
needs to know about a target as compared to what he needs to see within
a given photograph that leads to proper identification. The clues that
lead to misidentification are important here. Large sums of money are
going into the construction of keys; however, there is some question as
to whether current approaches to key construction are sufficiently em-
pirical. A research approach to improving interpretation of degraded
images is particularly important where little is known about the components
necessary to make proper identification. In particular, very little is
known about associational and background features of poor quality photo-
graphs that can be used selectively in arriving at correct identifications.
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