The Design and Evaluation of a Speech Interface for Generation of Air Tasking Orders

Abstract

This paper discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a prototype speech recognition interface to the Theater Air Planning (TAP) module of Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS). This effort was in support of a Kenney Battlelab Initiative proposal submitted to the Command and Control Battlelab at Hurlburt Field, FL to assess the operational benefits of speech recognition for data entry applications in a Joint Air Operations Center environment. Several factors contributing to the design of the “TAPTalk” speech interface included interviews with subject matter experts, speech system selection, grammar development, and integration into TAP, which required only minor modification of existing software. Results from the two week operational assessment with sixteen subjects from the Command and Control Training and Innovation Group, numbered Air Forces, Navy, and Marine Corp indicated that the Theater Air Planning process could be accomplished significantly faster with no increase in error rates. Subjectively, the sixteen planners unanimously agreed that the TAPTalk speech interface was a valuable addition to TAP and would recommend its inclusion in a future upgrade. Recommendations for further improving the TAPTalk system are discussed.

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