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Presenting, in near real time, a common operating picture (COP) for cyber-hybrid operations (operations that combine cyberspace and real world actors) is a significant problem. Part of this problem is a data association issue that arises from the challenges associated with accurately correlating data related to cyber-physical and purely electronic activities and presenting them in a format that can be easily and quickly understood. While models exist for real world activities, similar models do not exist for correlating them with cyber actors and actions, making this a particularly difficult data organization problem. In particular, there is a notable lack of a unifying cyber-physical conflict model that describes how actors, actions, and artifacts interact to produce cyber-effects. This paper presents a maritime cyber model to address the multi-domain battle (MDB) data organization problem. The model extends Corbitt’s maritime conflict model into the cyberspace and information warfare domains. Cobbitt’s original model considered how commerce and information flowed across the primary media of his day, the sea, and the impact of certain maritime activities on both civilian life and military readiness and activities. The model presented in this paper describes and organizes cyber actors, actions, conflicts, and effects into a simplified framework. Mixed-methods research approaches are used to inductively construct the maritime cyber model using data from recent cyber-physical events. The maritime cyber model also clarifies MDB challenge understanding. We close the paper with examples of how the maritime cyber model can be used to address traditional COP MDB system design challenges.
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