Context Aware Scalable Dynamic Network (CASDN)

ABSTRACT: Current air, ground and space networks are very dynamic with large-scale mobility needing human in-the-loop configuration to adapt to unforeseen situations. Humans and current automated systems cannot reconfigure consistently or fast enough. This leads to network performance not meeting mission needs. Airborne, space and ground networks are very dynamic, complex, and hard for the current human-centric management systems to maintain optimal routes consistently. Non-optimal routes and reactions to network disruptions affect the warfighters ability to communicate with others, maintain situational awareness and effectively complete their missions. Current management methods do not scale to the physical distances of air and space networks. The Air Force has identified the need to use network context to manage dynamic networks automatically. ATC"s Context Aware Scalable Dynamic Network (CASDN) will use context to improve performance. CASDN will demonstrate the use of context, network states, user intents, and predictions in a complex and uncertain environment to enhance network routing and management. BENEFIT: CASDN fulfills the Air Force"s requirements for a context-aware network routing and management system capable of tracking, predicting and using context to optimize a dynamic network. CASDN will maintain mission assured network connectivity, and optimize network performance. The benefits to High-performance network routing & management will be a significant contribution to global sets of information available from the U.S. Space Surveillance Network and future DoD communications systems. Additional commercial benefits can directly support cross-communications and high-connectivity requirements of commercial systems. These systems have an increasing need to use automated systems to make routing and topology decisions necessary for properly managing diverse communications systems.