| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Gorgon Stare surveillance system in the Air Force had occurred within the same organization. The incident involved the system failing key tests before deployment to Afghanistan due to issues such as poor-quality video, glitches in video stream downloading, and problems with accurate map coordinates [3838]. The Air Force acknowledged the issues and stated that most of the system's kinks had been worked out, with fixes in place for identified problems [3838].
(b) There is no information in the provided article about a similar software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where testers at the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida claimed in a draft report that the Gorgon Stare sensor system was "not operationally effective" and “not operationally suitable” due to alleged problems such as poor-quality video, glitches in the process for downloading video streams, and issues with ground-terminal compatibility and producing accurate map coordinates [3838].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the article where testers complained of poor video quality, stating that Gorgon Stare could track vehicles but not people. This indicates a failure in the operation or utilization of the system, as the testers expected higher-resolution video similar to existing drone sensors, which was not the intended design of Gorgon Stare [3838]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Gorgon Stare surveillance system was primarily within the system. The article mentions that the testers at the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida identified issues such as poor-quality video, glitches in downloading video streams, and a problem with the drone blinding itself with a laser [3838]. These issues were internal to the system and needed to be addressed before deployment to Afghanistan. Additionally, the Air Force spokesman mentioned that some of the identified issues were related to ground-terminal compatibility and the system's ability to produce accurate map coordinates, which were internal system issues that required fixes [3838].
(b) However, there were also aspects of the software failure incident that could be attributed to factors outside the system. The article mentions that the testers had unfair expectations of the system, reflecting a misunderstanding of the system's intended capabilities. For example, there was a discrepancy between the testers' expectations of high-resolution video tracking individuals and the system's actual design for wide-area motion detection [3838]. This discrepancy in expectations could be considered an external factor influencing the perception of the system's performance. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 3838 was primarily attributed to non-human actions, specifically related to technical issues and flaws in the system itself. The article mentions problems such as poor-quality video, glitches in downloading video streams, and issues with ground-terminal compatibility and map coordinate accuracy. These issues were identified by testers during key tests of the Air Force surveillance system, Gorgon Stare, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The testers recommended delaying the system's deployment to Afghanistan to address these bugs and technical challenges. Additionally, there were concerns raised about the system's design limitations and the mismatch between expectations and the actual capabilities of Gorgon Stare, indicating that the failure was more related to technical shortcomings rather than human actions [3838].
(b) While the article does not explicitly mention any software failure incidents caused by human actions, it does highlight instances where human actions, such as overselling the capabilities of the system by Air Force generals, may have contributed to misconceptions about the system's functionalities. For example, the article mentions how Air Force intelligence chief Maj. Gen. James Poss made statements that may have exaggerated the capabilities of Gorgon Stare, leading to unrealistic expectations about the system's performance. However, these human actions did not directly cause the software failure incident but rather contributed to misinterpretations and misunderstandings about the system's capabilities [3838]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 3838 was not primarily due to hardware issues but rather due to contributing factors originating in software. The article mentions problems with the Gorgon Stare surveillance system such as poor-quality video, glitches in downloading video streams, and issues with producing accurate map coordinates. These issues are related to software functionality rather than hardware components [3838]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The articles do not mention any malicious intent or actions contributing to the software failure incident related to the Gorgon Stare surveillance system. The issues highlighted in the tests were mainly related to operational effectiveness, suitability, video quality, ground-terminal compatibility, and accuracy of map coordinates. There is no indication of intentional harm to the system by any individual or group [3838].
(b) The software failure incident related to the Gorgon Stare surveillance system appears to be non-malicious in nature. The reported flaws in the system were attributed to issues such as poor-quality video, glitches in video stream downloading, ground-terminal compatibility, and accuracy of map coordinates. These issues were seen as challenges in the system's development and testing phases rather than deliberate actions to harm the system [3838]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Gorgon Stare surveillance system was not primarily due to poor decisions but rather due to the testers' unfair expectations and the way the test program was constructed. The Air Force and military insiders mentioned that many of the system's kinks had already been worked out, and some of the reported flaws were not bugs but rather reflected unfair expectations of the system's capabilities [3838]. Additionally, the testers' focus on certain aspects like still-frame resolution instead of the system's actual design to detect motion was highlighted as a flaw in the evaluation process [3838].
(b) The software failure incident was not primarily due to accidental decisions but rather due to the testers' misinterpretation of the system's intended capabilities and the way the test program was structured. The issues reported with the Gorgon Stare surveillance system were more related to the testers' expectations and evaluation methods rather than accidental mistakes or unintended decisions [3838]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 3838 was not primarily due to development incompetence. The article mentions that the flaws in the Gorgon Stare surveillance system were attributed to issues in the tests themselves, poor-quality video, glitches in video stream downloading, and other technical challenges. The Air Force spokesperson mentioned that many of the bugs had already been fixed, and some issues were related to paperwork, ground-terminal compatibility, and map coordinate accuracy, indicating that the problems were being addressed by the development team [3838].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 3838 can be attributed to accidental factors. The article highlights that the testers raised concerns about the system's poor video quality, issues with blinding the drone with a laser, and challenges in tracking people due to lower resolution imagery. These issues were not intentional but rather accidental outcomes of the system's design and testing processes. Additionally, the article mentions that the test program was not constructed adequately to objectively evaluate the system's capabilities, indicating unintentional oversights in the testing approach [3838]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article seems to be temporary rather than permanent. The article mentions that the Gorgon Stare surveillance system had encountered key tests that it had flunked, leading to issues such as poor-quality video, glitches in downloading video streams, and problems with accurate map coordinates [3838]. However, the Air Force and military insiders stated that most of the system's kinks had already been worked out, with fixes in place for identified issues. The flaws were attributed to the tests themselves, unfair expectations, and the need for tweaks in ground-terminal compatibility and map coordinate accuracy. These factors indicate that the software failure incident was temporary and could be addressed through adjustments and improvements. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions that the Gorgon Stare surveillance system experienced issues such as poor-quality video, glitches in downloading video streams, and a problem with the drone blinding itself with a laser. These issues could lead to a system crash where it loses state and fails to perform its intended functions [3838].
(b) omission: The testers reported that the Gorgon Stare system had poor video quality, making it unable to track people effectively, although it could track vehicles. This indicates an omission in performing its intended functions as it failed to provide the necessary level of detail in the video feed [3838].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the articles provided.
(d) value: The testers noted that the Gorgon Stare system did not produce accurate map coordinates, which could be considered a failure in performing its intended functions correctly [3838].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any instances of the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the Gorgon Stare system that was not explicitly covered in the options provided is related to the system's design intent. The testers highlighted that the system was not meant to provide high-resolution video like the "soda straw" drone sensors but rather wide-area coverage with lower resolution. This discrepancy in expectations and design intent could be considered as a different type of behavior leading to the reported issues [3838]. |