In today's 'big-data', fast paced, factual information based science, engineering, medical/health, government, and business activities, sophisticated data driven tools and displays are extremely important. They can be, and often are, the keys to insight and understanding for those requiring rapid but adaptably detailed information. In its broadest sense, informatics is the scientific study of information. Informatics organizes, data, information, knowledge, and displays, and conveys data based insights in ways which are meaningful to users.

The image below is based on a conceptual design for an Informatics based decision support center / 'war-room' for one of ETC' DOD clients. This 'war-room' is designed for senior officials, leaders and C-level executives to evaluate and assess technology and R&D investments and outcomes, personnel, facility, funding, and additional information in a timely and consistent fashion. In particular, ETC outlined and provided some details for developing and delivering a flexible and scalable tool for communicating extremely complex information very quickly.

The image shows the functions of an ETC designed timeline tool working over multiple display monitors in a "War Room" setting that facilitates deep, historically based understanding of past needs, issues, and successful solutions, and most importantly, allow all involved to see a 'common operational picture' of current problem spaces, current and future requirements, current, capabilities and gaps, and past and possible future successful solution spaces.

The display shows the war room/informatics center with timeline displays for world-wide conflicts and challenges, national, DOD, and Department of Navy responses, science and technology advances, and specific Naval RDT&E Enterprise responses. The responses include historical detail as well as current activities. A tablet based user interface is depicted. As an illustration, the insert user looks at a user based call out, examining facts associated with the WWII Mk14 torpedo exploder issue successfully resolved by the Naval Research Development Testing and Evaluation community (in time to successfully support WWII efforts).