ABSTRACT
Situational awareness of disparate activities within a global environment requires intuitive visualization techniques that display the context from which the information presented is derived. As computer networks have become an increasing part of the global communication infrastructure, the health and security of computer networks operations has become increasingly crucial in ensuring information superiority and national security. Clear avenues of communication guarantee the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of the information and information systems used in planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling forces in the accomplishment of the mission across the full spectrum of support to national security operations. While maintaining network health and security is a globally orchestrated coordinated effort, regional differences in network traffic, configuration, rule sets, and analysts practices exist. A case study is presented examining information assurance analysts’ use of visualization tools at regional sites throughout the globe. The results of the study indicate the need for a method of displaying contextual indicators.
