<s>
The	O
Improved	O
Performance	O
Research	O
Integration	O
Tool	O
(	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
discrete-event	B-General_Concept
simulation	I-General_Concept
and	O
human	O
performance	O
modeling	O
software	O
tool	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Army	O
Research	O
Laboratory	O
and	O
Micro	O
Analysis	O
and	O
Design	O
(	O
acquired	O
by	O
Alion	O
Science	O
and	O
Technology	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
developed	O
using	O
the	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
discrete-event	B-General_Concept
simulations	I-General_Concept
as	O
visual	O
task	O
networks	O
with	O
logic	O
defined	O
using	O
the	O
C#	B-Application
programming	I-Application
language	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
is	O
primarily	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Defense	O
to	O
simulate	O
the	O
cognitive	O
workload	O
of	O
its	O
personnel	O
when	O
interacting	O
with	O
new	O
and	O
existing	O
technology	O
to	O
determine	O
manpower	O
requirements	O
and	O
evaluate	O
human	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
develop	O
and	O
run	O
stochastic	O
models	O
of	O
operator	O
and	O
team	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
includes	O
three	O
different	O
modules	O
:	O
1	O
)	O
Operations	O
,	O
2	O
)	O
Maintenance	O
,	O
and	O
3	O
)	O
Forces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Operations	O
module	O
,	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
users	O
develop	O
networks	O
of	O
discrete	O
events	O
(	O
tasks	O
)	O
that	O
are	O
performed	O
to	O
achieve	O
mission	O
outcomes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
tasks	O
are	O
associated	O
with	O
operator	O
workload	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
assigns	O
with	O
guidance	O
in	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
helps	O
users	O
to	O
assess	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
personnel	O
and	O
system	O
performance	O
throughout	O
the	O
system	O
lifecycle	O
—	O
from	O
concept	O
and	O
design	O
to	O
field	O
testing	O
and	O
system	O
upgrades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
can	O
help	O
predict	O
the	O
effects	O
training	O
or	O
personnel	O
factors	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
as	O
defined	O
by	O
Military	O
Occupational	O
Specialty	O
)	O
on	O
human	O
performance	O
and	O
mission	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
also	O
has	O
built-in	O
functions	O
to	O
predict	O
the	O
effects	O
of	O
stressors	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
heat	O
,	O
cold	O
,	O
vibration	O
,	O
fatigue	O
,	O
use	O
of	O
protective	O
clothing	O
)	O
on	O
operator	O
performance	O
(	O
task	O
completion	O
time	O
,	O
task	O
accuracy	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
Operations	O
module	O
uses	O
a	O
task	O
network	O
,	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
functions	O
which	O
decompose	O
into	O
tasks	O
,	O
to	O
create	O
human	O
performance	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Functions	O
and	O
tasks	O
in	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
models	O
usually	O
represent	O
atomic	O
units	O
of	O
larger	O
human	O
or	O
system	O
behaviors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
's	O
main	O
features	O
is	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
model	O
human	O
workload	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
tool	O
grew	O
out	O
of	O
common	O
U.S.	O
Air	O
Force	O
,	O
Navy	O
,	O
and	O
Army	O
manpower	O
,	O
personnel	O
,	O
and	O
training	O
(	O
MPT	O
)	O
concerns	O
identified	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1970s	O
:	O
How	O
to	O
estimate	O
MPT	O
constraints	O
and	O
requirements	O
early	O
in	O
system	O
acquisition	O
and	O
how	O
to	O
enter	O
those	O
considerations	O
into	O
the	O
design	O
and	O
decision-making	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
named	O
:	O
Integrated	O
MANPRINT	O
Tools	O
and	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
was	O
renamed	O
to	O
the	O
Improved	O
Performance	O
Research	O
Integration	O
Tool	O
–	O
the	O
name	O
changed	O
but	O
the	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
acronym	O
remained	O
the	O
same	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
1995	O
and	O
2006	O
several	O
enhancements	O
were	O
made	O
to	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
and	O
new	O
releases	O
(	O
Versions	O
2	O
through	O
6	O
)	O
were	O
made	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
Pro	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
featured	O
a	O
new	O
interface	O
design	O
and	O
complete	O
integration	O
with	O
the	O
Micro	B-Application
Saint	I-Application
Sharp	I-Application
simulation	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
beginning	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
has	O
continued	O
to	O
evolve	O
,	O
new	O
enhancements	O
have	O
been	O
continually	O
added	O
,	O
and	O
new	O
releases	O
made	O
freely	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
has	O
over	O
800	O
users	O
supporting	O
Army	O
,	O
Navy	O
,	O
Air	O
Force	O
,	O
Marine	O
,	O
NASA	O
,	O
DHS	O
,	O
DoT	O
,	O
Joint	O
and	O
other	O
organizations	O
across	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simulations	O
,	O
or	O
Missions	O
as	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
refers	O
to	O
them	O
,	O
contain	O
a	O
task	O
network	O
called	O
a	O
Network	O
Diagram	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
also	O
includes	O
more	O
low	O
level	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
global	O
variables	O
and	O
subroutines	O
called	O
macros	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Task	O
Effects	O
are	O
programmer	O
specified	O
C#	B-Application
expressions	O
where	O
programmers	O
can	O
manipulate	O
variables	O
and	O
data	B-General_Concept
structures	I-General_Concept
when	O
a	O
task	O
is	O
invoked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Task	O
duration	O
can	O
be	O
specified	O
by	O
the	O
programmer	O
as	O
a	O
specific	O
value	O
,	O
through	O
a	O
probability	O
distribution	O
,	O
or	O
using	O
a	O
C#	B-Application
expression	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
provides	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
other	O
nodes	O
which	O
include	O
special	O
functionality	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Events	O
are	O
occurrences	O
that	O
happen	O
in	O
an	O
instant	O
of	O
simulated	O
time	O
within	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
that	O
change	O
the	O
global	O
state	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
stochastic	O
nature	O
of	O
discrete-event	B-General_Concept
simulation	I-General_Concept
,	O
an	O
event	O
will	O
often	O
trigger	O
the	O
generation	O
of	O
a	O
random	O
variate	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
next	O
time	O
that	O
same	O
event	O
will	O
occur	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nodes	O
can	O
connect	O
to	O
any	O
number	O
of	O
other	O
tasks	O
,	O
so	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
provides	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
pathing	O
options	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
task	O
to	O
which	O
the	O
entity	O
moves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactical	O
pathing	O
allows	O
the	O
programmer	O
to	O
use	O
C#	B-Application
predicates	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
pathing	O
of	O
an	O
entity	O
to	O
each	O
adjacent	O
node	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
has	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
global	O
variables	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
system	O
throughout	O
a	O
simulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
provides	O
the	O
public	O
global	O
variable	O
Clock	O
which	O
tracks	O
the	O
simulation	O
's	O
current	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
also	O
has	O
private	O
variables	O
such	O
as	O
operator	O
workload	O
values	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
allows	O
the	O
modeler	O
to	O
create	O
custom	O
global	O
variables	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
and	O
modified	O
in	O
any	O
task	O
node	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Variables	O
can	O
be	O
of	O
any	O
type	O
native	O
to	O
C#	B-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
software	O
provides	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
suggested	O
variable	O
types	O
including	O
C#	B-Application
primitive	O
data	O
types	O
and	O
basic	O
data	B-General_Concept
structures	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
also	O
provides	O
the	O
programmer	O
with	O
the	O
functionality	O
to	O
create	O
globally	O
accessible	O
subroutines	O
called	O
macros	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Macros	O
work	O
as	O
C#	B-Application
functions	O
and	O
can	O
specify	O
parameters	O
,	O
manipulate	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
return	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
's	O
workload	O
management	O
abilities	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
model	O
realistic	O
operator	O
actions	O
under	O
different	O
work	O
overload	O
conditions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
specify	O
Warfighters	O
which	O
represent	O
human	O
operators	O
in	O
the	O
modeled	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
task	O
in	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
is	O
associated	O
with	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
Warfighter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Warfighters	O
can	O
be	O
assigned	O
to	O
any	O
number	O
of	O
tasks	O
,	O
including	O
tasks	O
which	O
execute	O
concurrently	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
tasks	O
can	O
be	O
assigned	O
VACP	O
workload	O
values	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
VACP	O
method	O
allows	O
modelers	O
to	O
identify	O
the	O
visual	O
,	O
auditory	O
,	O
cognitive	O
,	O
and	O
psychomotor	O
workload	O
of	O
each	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
task	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
task	O
,	O
each	O
resource	O
can	O
be	O
given	O
a	O
workload	O
value	O
between	O
0	O
and	O
7	O
,	O
with	O
0	O
being	O
the	O
lowest	O
possible	O
workload	O
,	O
and	O
7	O
being	O
the	O
highest	O
possible	O
workload	O
for	O
that	O
resource	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
plugin	O
module	O
was	O
proposed	O
in	O
2013	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
cognitive	O
workload	O
estimation	O
within	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
and	O
make	O
the	O
overall	O
calculation	O
less	O
linear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
's	O
custom	O
reporting	O
feature	O
allows	O
modelers	O
to	O
view	O
the	O
workload	O
over	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
Warfighters	O
in	O
their	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IMPRINT	B-Application
has	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
scientists	O
at	O
the	O
Army	O
Research	O
Lab	O
to	O
study	O
Unmanned	O
Aerial	O
Systems	O
,	O
workload	O
of	O
warfighter	O
crews	O
,	O
and	O
human-robot	O
interaction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
United	O
States	O
Air	O
Force	O
and	O
Air	O
Force	O
Institute	O
of	O
Technology	O
have	O
used	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
to	O
study	O
automated	O
systems	O
,	O
human	O
systems	O
integration	O
,	O
and	O
adaptive	B-Operating_System
automation	I-Operating_System
among	O
other	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Air	O
Force	O
Institute	O
of	O
Technology	O
in	O
specific	O
is	O
using	O
IMPRINT	B-Application
to	O
research	O
the	O
prediction	O
of	O
operator	O
performance	O
,	O
mental	O
workload	O
,	O
situational	O
awareness	O
,	O
trust	O
,	O
and	O
fatigue	O
in	O
complex	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
