White Papers - Blue Force Tracking and Situational Awareness Systems

Author: Will Coffey, Military Analyst

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Within the Military Community, there is a need for a user friendly Blue-Force tracking and Situational Awareness system that can provide information to and from troops quickly and reliably. A system like this would provide greater visibility of assets, access to information for decision makers in rear-areas, and a trustworthy communication link to troops on the ground. Military users in particular face a significant risk when operating in environments with low visibility of other units. In particular, friendly units have an increased incidence of fratricide due to lack of SA. Minimizing the risk to troops, and increasing the amount of real-time battlefield intelligence depends on the operator’s ability to have easy access to a SA system that is readily available in any situation. System scalability is needed in order to reach users in rear-areas, vehicles, and dismounted situations, and data needs to be compatible with legacy Command and Control (C2) applications.

The Military has an operational requirement to maintain real-time Situational Awareness, Command and Control, and Combat Identification (CID) of both friendly and enemy troops in the battle area. A troop’s need for electronic information about opposing forces, neutrals and noncombatants, terrain maps, spot reports and messages is essential to situational awareness. This can also include the collection and dissemination of intelligence information such as imagery, Global Positioning System (GPS) information, and threat detection information, to and from troops on the ground. The ability for troops to be continually aware of their surroundings, while efficiently operating in threatening or hostile environments, improves their situational awareness, lethality, and survivability.

The Military uses multiple communications links to exchange information. Effective integration of these available assets is an important factor in providing a significant advantage in sharing situational awareness data with the tactical user. Command Operation Centers are often the tactical hub for decision-makers. Command and Control and Situational Awareness information should be collected from multiple sources and distributed to every echelon by using several different sources.

In particular, an effective Situational Awareness tool can be very useful during convoy operations to track both the vehicle and human assets. With a map-based system, reporting Global Positioning System (GPS) Information, the ability to for all levels of leadership to track vehicles and dismounted soldiers will create a significant tactical advantage on the battlefield. This is particularly useful in urban environments. When united with data communications, troops can target enemies and work together instead of against each other.

Tactical messaging gives soldiers the ability to send messages quickly and effectively, without having to divert their attention for any length of time. This tool is extremely valuable for military personnel, especially in hazardous or stressful conditions that require swift and well-organized action. Having the ability to have standard messages such as spot reports, position reports, Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) reports, Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) threat reports, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threat reports, and free text messaging at all levels creates a cohesive network allowing for informed decisions in any situation which will save lives and increase combat effectiveness.

Beyond traditional tactical applications, dismounted Blue-force Tracking and Situational awareness systems employing standardized symbology and messaging protocols are able to easily interface with existing applications, creating a robust network beyond the initial application. Operational planning, risk management and review can be conducted through the interpretation of the data collected. Route planning and overview could be conducted and distributed immediately, without timely radio communications. An efficient system would allow less time to be concentrated on the administration, setup, and use of the system, bringing more troops to the fight and boosting the fighting power of the force using it.

BACKGROUND
Potential solutions for these needs rely on the employment of a small, scalable system that provides operators with a user friendly interface, capable of forming a data exchange environment using the communications devices currently available to them. The goal is to field a system that can communicate over any tactical link with a variety of other links providing a seamless data exchange network using a common protocol. Specifically, some of the features that should be addressed are:

     • Small, light-weight, unobtrusive form factor – Manageability relies on small and unobtrusive form factor.
     • Flexible, easy to use operator interface – Provides control for the application, presenting utilities to the operator in a simplified and intuitive manner.
     • Scalability – Systems should support as many or as little users as needed.
     • Rugged design – Military applications require field-capable devices.
     • Compatibility, Interoperability – Systems should not be reliant upon, or communicate solely to a dedicated communication link.
     • Standardization – Messaging and data format will contribute to seamless data exchange.

TRIDENT SYSTEMS DISMOUNTED INTELLIGENCE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (DISM) SYSTEM
Trident Systems, Inc. has developed a potential solution to this need in the form of their Dismounted Intelligence Situational Mapboard (DISM). DISM was developed for the military, and offers a total solution to the Blue-Force tracking and Situational Awareness needs of today’s armed forces. DISM is a scalable solution that can be tailored to fit any mission need. It allows for mounted, dismounted, and rear area operations to all share and exchange a common operational picture. Through a combination of easy to use software, and hardware that interfaces with existing communications equipment with no modifications, DISM provides decision-makers and operators with an essential capability.

DISM is easy to setup and operate and provides a map-based Blue-force tracking, Situational Awareness and Command and Control information, and data exchange capabilities using the existing communication backbone. An intuitive software interface is used to provide the operator with the capability to send standard messages and exchange files within the DISM network and beyond. Some of the Messages that can be sent using DISM include: Situation Reports (SITREPS), Position Reports (POSREPS), Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) reports, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) reports, Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) reports, Logistics Status (LOGSTAT) reports, free text messages, and configurable brevity codes. DISM also includes a file transfer capability which allows users to send pictures or other files across the tactical data-exchange network created by DISM.

DISM uses Military Standard 2525 A/B symbols to display individual identification icons on the map-based interface. This allows standardization of individual and unit information to be used for force-tracking and planning purposes. Overlays can be created for any situation, and then distributed, helping to save time and keep all units up to the minute on tactical decisions being made. DISM supports standard NIMA imagery such as CADRG, and DFAD, and can use other, alternative imagery sources for map coverage of an area.

Peripheral range bands allow DISM to track units that are beyond the edge of the map, so users can see friendly and enemy information for symbols off the map. These range bands are user-definable and can be set to incorporate multiple layers of range bands to assess symbol distance and determine proximity.

All DISM symbol information for friendly units is GPS based. The GPS system is embedded into the Trident Radio Network Interface Controller (RNIC). The RNIC is a small, rugged piece of equipment that allows the computing device to attach to a tactical radio to create the data exchange network for DISM. The RNIC are dimensions and weight are 3.250”x4.125”x1.125”, and 1.2lbs with 4 AA batteries. It connects to the computing device using a standard DB-9 serial cable. From the RNIC to the tactical radio a custom cable is used that is radio dependant. DISM supports the tactical radios that the Military currently employees (PRC-119, PRC-117, PRC-148, PRC-150, PSC-5) as well as being able to use the tactical local are network (TACLAN). A wireless closed area networking capability is also built in to the RNIC to allow for other systems to integrate into the existing data network.

The RNIC communicates using Military Standard Joint Variable Message Format (JVMF) 188-220 format. The RNIC also is used in the DISM Cross-Connect (DXC) to allow multiple radio types, and/or radios on multiple channels to exchange data. This data can then be injected into legacy systems, which will allow DISM data to be disseminated at every level and shared with leaders that are not directly in the battle area, or even on the same continent.

The DISM system can be integrated into Command Operations Centers (COC), Vehicles, and used by dismounted troops on the battlefield. DISM uses various computing platforms (Laptop, Tablet PC, Rugged PDA) to provide the extended capability to users at each echelon. DISM runs on standard Windows operating systems (2000/XP), and can also be used on CE devices.

CONCLUSION
Trident Systems’ Dismounted Intelligence Situational Mapboard provides a total force solution for Blue-Force Tracking, Situational Awareness, and Command and Control. Designed for the Military, DISM offers the flexibility, ruggedness, and robustness needed to succeed in any environment.

Contact: John Broglio
(703) 691-7763