Sketch-Thru-Plan

A Multimodal Interface for Command and Control

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - Apr 27, 2015) - The April 2015 edition of the Communications of the ACM (CACM) features a cover article on Adapx's® Sketch-Thru-Plan multimodal plan capture system and accompanying video. CACM is the masthead magazine of this premier computing organization, representing over 100,000 computing professionals worldwide. Ken Schneider, CEO of Adapx, commented how "proud he is of the effort [his] team has made developing a complex system for capturing natural user inputs like speech and sketch together, so that members of the military at all levels can be extremely proficient and efficient digital technology users."

Former Adapx Board Member and Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Gen. Peter Chiarelli was quick to add, "The unique way Adapx designs software to quickly and efficiently capture information and communicate it to others is exemplified in this article! Sketch-thru-Plan (STP) isn't like any other command and control tool in the DOD's arsenal. Instead, operators, intelligence professionals and combat support planners can employ the natural multi-modal language of the joint force, accurately sketching and communicating full scenarios and plan changes. STP captures these spoken, written and sketched statements easily, transforming them automatically into operational tasks and control measures. It obviates the need to learn new software interfaces for evolving apps for command and control, ISR activities and combat support operations."

The article, submitted by current and former employees, describes the state of the art advances that Adapx engineers have made in human-computer interfaces in support of planners and, in part, despite its obvious benefit, the challenges Adapx has faced in transitioning the technology funded by the Defense Department into one or more of its branches.