Terrain Aware Network Planning Tools

The objective of this proposal is to research, develop, and prototype a lightweight network planning tool with an embedded modeling and simulation capability to support future Army tactical communications networks. This new lightweight tool will be notebook computer-based, allowing soldiers on the battlefield to quickly analyze the combined effects of network topology, terrain, propagation, and node mobility to perform dynamic network planning and course of action studies. The Army's Objective Force (OF) and Future Combat Systems (FCS) Programs will enable the Warfighter to conduct network-centric warfare with multiple communications assets to achieve information superiority and mission success. A lightweight, simple to use, network planning tool will enable the Warfigther to design and provision tactical mobile ad hoc networks, rapidly validate and verify networks on the move, and study alternative courses of action based on the battle plan, node mobility, situational awareness, RF propagation, and terrain data. Modeling and simulation (M&S) offers many benefits to the DoD including the ability to evaluate and optimize C4ISR systems in a variety of pre- and post-deployment scenarios. Currently, there is no available COTS M&S software that can effectively utilize terrain, propagation, node mobility, weather, network topology, and traffic data to support the Army's requirements for rapid network planning using a lightweight, field deployable PC. OPNET's proposal focuses on approaches to solve this problem (based on simulation techniques and non-simulation based "point" tools) and also describes key attributes of the prototype Terrain Aware Network Planning Tool that will result from this Phase I SBIR program.