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■ Required vs. Desired. In addition to accuracy, other specifications, such as technical
parameters or level of output detail, generally have increased costs as the specifications
become more stringent.
■ Marginal Cost. Marginal or incremental cost bears a similar relationship to cost as
synergy does to value. One or many requirements might be satisfied with a single
element of cost, whether measured as a single minute, image, etc.
■ Cost Apportionment. The cost of a collection mission must be apportioned among
all the requirements against which collection was attempted, not just those for
which collection was successful.
The explanation of the impact of the situation on cost follows the discussion on issues,
unlike the section on value, for two reasons. First, other elements besides the consumption
of an asset’s time and the situational impact on consumption contribute to the determination
of cost. Second, the actual cost to collect information can vary radically from
the expected cost. The situation certainly impacts expected value, but value is determined
primarily in pre-collection planning mode. On the other hand, the cost of collection is
subject to the pitfalls of reality and the laws of probability during execution.
In addition to the generic factors itemized above, the following situational factors
could impact the calculation of an asset’s time to collect against a specific requirement. To
some degree, the collection requirements manager should be able to estimate the impact
of these factors on the time calculation.
■ Weather. Anticipated adverse weather conditions could cause a deviation in a normal
flight path or require a sensor to extend its dwell time in order to adequately
sense the target. Weather could also prevent collection from taking place at all.
■ Terrain. Like weather, terrain (especially man-made changes such as battle damage
or camouflage) could limit sensor access so that greater dwell time is required to
sense the target.
■ Enemy. The enemy could threaten an asset and hinder access so that fewer targets
could be sensed in a single mission. Hence the cost per requirement would be
greater.
■ Friendlies. Because of the imposition of restrictive rules of engagement, the time
required to collect certain information may increase. Flight paths may be curtailed
or the availability of certain desirable terrain, such as high ground, may be reserved
for operational forces.
■ Recent Asset History. The state of the asset, such as maintenance level, or of its
operators, including the level of sleep deprivation, will affect the efficiency of the
asset and hence time consumption. Overtasking could also result in inefficiencies
and human error.
■ Use of Marginal Assets. Because of issues related to asset capabilities, accessibilities,
and availabilities, in addition to the factors noted above, some assets may only
be marginally capable of collecting against a requirement. If marginal assets were
selected to execute the collection mission, their anticipated inefficiencies may
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