Sunday, April 10, 2011

Metadata solution to battlefield information overload

Neil Pittaway reports in Asia Pacific Defence Reporter (March 2011) on " ISR imagery - information overload". He argues that large amounts of video information from UAVs and other sensor systems are overloading the military communications systems used on a battlefield. He discusses systems such as the Hawklink used by the US Navy to get around bottlenecks with other networks, the use of satellite communications (SATCOMS) for Command Control, Communications and Computer Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance(C4ISR). But as well as the acronyms, I suggest the amount of data to be transmitted can be trimmed, with a little care.

Even if military systems could transmit all of the high resolution imagery to every solider on the battlefield, this would hinder, rather than help. The operators would be drown in a mass of information. Instead what is needed is a way to get what is needed to those who need it. Where telecommunications links are limited, this will also allow only what is needed to be transmitted. Most ISR systems, including the most advanced UAVs are dumb when it comes to data. They transmit everything they see, at the resolution they see it. As a result the links have to be sized for maximum transmission. However, the Internet and the web have had technologies built into them to show just the information needed to be transmitted. Web servers can now run on computers the size of a matchbox which cost a few hundred dollars. Paradoxically, promoted by the low cost it is likely that smaller nations with limted budgets and private organisations will have this advanced capability before the military larger countries.

With intelligence built into the surveillance system, the sensor system need only transmit what the client wants, at a resolution required and which the link and their receiving device can handle. If the soldier on the ground is using a hand held pocket size screen, there is little point is sending ultra high resolution imagery, as they will not be able to see it. Apart from the standard Internet and web protocols, what is needed is an Electronic Document and Records management system using metadata (tags on the data) to identify where the imagery is from and when. Then those who need it will be able to find it (or better still register to receive it when it is updated).

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