Real-Time, Bandwidth Optimized Collaboration Mission Planning Infrastructure

When a system-of-systems is distributed across the Global Information Grid (GIG), cooperative planning is largely achieved through ad-hoc information sharing, using basic network protocol capabilities, including fire-and-forget mechanisms such as email or similar"manual"forms of electronic file exchange, across a Disconnected, Intermittent, Limited (DIL) communications network. These methods are inherently non-real time, limited in the scope of information that can be communicated, and have significant potential for errors due to manual communication methods. Given the limitations of the DIL communication networks, a capability to eliminate the potential for errors in manual communication methods, reduce the time and manual effort involved, and perform machine-to-machine synchronization is required in lieu of the manual, out-of-band, unreliable and minimal capability in place today. Collaboration Mission Planning applications exchange several information types, with the most common being"Resource Management","Alert Management","Force Management","Track Management"and"Sensor Metrics". Command and Control Alert Management Services requirements will be used for the first article prototype, with transition to the USW-DSS Program. The technical and operational goals are: to assure operators and decision makers do not miss critical information due to out of sight or not perceived, due to such phenomena as change blindness.