Uncertainty Evaluation of Temporal Trust in a Fusion System Using the URREF Ontology

Abstract

To be employed effectively, an information fusion system must be trusted. As information fusion systems grow more complex, the question of trust grows more pressing. This paper addresses the question of evaluating trust in the uncertainty representation and reasoning aspects of an information fusion system. The four main aspects of trust in information fusion systems considered in this paper are: (1) how trust manifests itself in an information fusion system; (2) the temporal aspects of trust and its effect on the decision process; (3) the uncertainty associated with trust; and (4) exploring the evaluation of the uncertainty associated with trust using the Uncertainty Representation and Reasoning Framework (URREF) ontology and other trust related ontologies. The focus of the paper is on measuring trust related uncertainty to engage users towards adopting information fusion systems in mission systems. Mapping trust constructs into the Uncertainty Representation and Reasoning Framework provides measurable criteria for trust uncertainty analysis and evaluation. The ideas put forward in this paper serve as a foundation for further discussions within the Evaluation Techniques for Uncertainty Representation Working Group (ETURWG) on how to evaluate the uncertainty aspects of trust in information fusion systems, and to further cement application of the URREF ontology for the evaluation of trust uncertainty.