Information fusion and agent-based systems provide core capabilities in the NEC operational environment: uncertainty reduction and coordinated action. These are key enablers of situation assessment and effective resource allocation. In the military domain, uncertainty encompasses ambiguity and incompleteness, requiring flexible information fusion algorithms. Results and analysis are presented here for a Bayesian consensus algorithm applied to fault recovery in a sensor network, where some of

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... sensor fault types are unknown. The need for coordination raises architectural questions about where coordination is done and about its information exchange requirements. Two options are analysed: distributed coordination in which nodes establish shared situation awareness and run replicated central coordination algorithms, and decentralised agent-based coordination which is based on a market-based control representation. Decentralised coordination is shown to be more responsive than distributed coordination in sparsely connected networks with delays. Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.