BBN Technologies to Develop System to Link Every Warfighter to Global Information Grid

BBN Technologies, an advanced technology solutions firm, announced today it has been awarded $2.8 million in funding by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop a system that will allow all warfighters to access the information they need, when and where they need it, regardless of their connection device and the available bandwidth. As the prime contractor, BBN Technologies is leading a team that includes Boeing, the Institute for Human Machine Cognition, and Vanderbilt University.Communications are critical to effective battlefield operations, but hostile and changing conditions, unreliable bandwidth and connectivity, and the variety of devices on the battlefield make it challenging for today's agile teams to get the information they need when they need it. For example, a convoy traveling through a hostile urban area may need both historical and real time information about their situation, such as past threats and up-to-the-minute maps and road condition information. A simple event, such as a truck stalling on their planned route, can require immediate replanning and, consequently, require an immediate update to all situational awareness information. Today, such information is limited, and those relying on disadvantaged links or devices may not receive adequate information quickly enough to adapt to the changing situation.

Using the prototype system that BBN Technologies will develop and demonstrate under this contract, the convoy team could first submit requests for information based on their mission and planned route. The system could deliver the available historical data about threats such as ambush and IED sites superimposed on real-time photographs of the route. If their planned course changed, the convoy troops would relay this information to the communications system, which would then deliver relevant information about the new route in formats that are compatible with the mission, role, device, and bandwidth of each user.

Called Quality of Service Enabled Dissemination, or QED, the prototype system will incorporate both quality-of-service and disruption tolerance capabilities to ensure that troops in tactical situations get timely delivery of the information they need. The quality of service (QoS) capability means that the system will be able to prioritize the information delivery for various applications, users, or data flows while guaranteeing the minimum data flow required for operational effectiveness. For example, a user on a radio set or field telephone with a secondary or support role in the mission may not be able to receive dense data such as a photograph with superimposed text information. The QoS capability will ensure that the user receives adequate information to carry out his or her mission, such as a lightweight text version of the same information.

Additionally, the prototype system will be disruption tolerant so that it continues to operate and advance message traffic despite temporary disruptions or intermittent communications. Finally, the system will be scaleable to large numbers of users, operations, and resources.

"Military personnel, search and rescue teams, and aid workers put their lives on the line to bring stability and comfort to areas of political unrest," said Tad Elmer, president and CEO, BBN Technologies. "The QED system will help AFRL meet the Joint Vision 2010 goal of getting the right information to the right user at the right time in the right format-naturally we are honored to support that."