Next Generation Data Fusion Architecture

The task of defining a data fusion system architecture for real-world use dictates a system engineering approach. It is not enough to simply identify the "most optimal" algorithms for combining the data of interest. Real-world concerns demand a litany of compromises be made, most of which result in the system diverging from its optimal operating point. Equally important is the need to consider the difficulties that will be encountered in the implementation, integration testing, and maintenance phases of the system life-cycle. Too often these tasks are insufficiently addressed in the design phase. This inevitably results in interoperability and software/hardware upgrade issues that render the system performance and/or cost/benefit ratio less optimal than it could have been if these concerns had been accommodated in the system architecture design. A generic system architecture design can ensure a suitably flexible product that addresses the problems encountered in real-world airborne command post systems. Functional allocation and infrastructure design ultimately define the capability of an architecture to adapt to unexpected environments and changing requirements. In addition, such an architecture could be utilized as the starting point for application to virtually any data fusion system.