Handheld Apps for Warfighters

An Android based solution for presenting the Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) with a graphical view of the radio frequency (RF) field intensity distribution in urban environments is proposed. The field distribution is presented as a semi-transparent overlay to a satellite image. The solution will provide the RTO with a tool for selecting the best transmitter location based on knowledge of nearby RF"hotspots", or areas of relatively high field intensity. The field distribution will be computed on a remote server and the results relayed to the Android client using a connection oriented socket. All data exchange between client and server will be structured as XML. The Google Maps Library will be leveraged for map access and navigation and the location services available with the Android SDK will be used for determining the operator location and bearing. A generic framework for generating map overlays from remote data streams will be developed in order to accommodate alternative applications such as disseminating a patrol base fire plan or illustrating actions at the objective. A usability study will be performed to assess the effectiveness of the user interface and explore options for improvement.