High-level Information Fusion: An Overview

Data and information fusion (DIF) involves a process of combining data from multiple inputs (from one or more sources such as sensors and textual reports).1 The aim is to obtain information that is better (more useful and meaningful) than that would be derived from each of the sources individually (that is, without fusing). DIF is emerging as an important field of multidisciplinary study [113, 316]. This is due to increase in data and information flow, as well as improvement in communication, computing and sensor technology. The first applications of DIF techniques were in the military arena [177, 179, 455]. The use of DIF techniques for problem-solving has extended to many non-military applications in the commercial and industrial sectors [177, 179, 199, 228]. In general, data and information fusion can provide enhancement to the outcomes of processes for solving various application problems. Some advantages of carrying out DIF include [316]: 2 improvement in the accuracy of data, as well as reduction in uncertainty and ambiguity within data, and 2 improvement in situation awareness (SAW) and inference that lead to better decision making.