NAVSEA Phase II SBIR N161-015 Collaborative Undersea Warfare Decision Application (CUDA)

The planning of Undersea Warfare operations for multiple platforms has become increasingly complex as the planning team is expected to generate plan options faster and integrate the outputs of an increasing number of tactical decision aids and data sources. The goal of the Phase II Collaborative Undersea Warfare Decision Application (CUDA) is to develop a central planning application and support services framework to facilitate improved situational awareness and accelerate accurate decision making by expanding the number of data sources used in today’s systems.   To achieve this goal, MTI will draw from Phase I research to develop a prototype system that extends the Phase I Rapid Environmental Parameter Optimization Management (REPOMan) algorithm to Phase II CUDA capabilities. These capabilities, tailored for submarine use, will enable communication with existing environment servers to obtain data for area analyses and produce a grid field of areas to facilitate the user and Tactical Decision Aids (TDAs) in area calculations. In addition to extending the REPOMan tool capabilities for tactical use in Phase II CUDA, MTI will code the Area Search Effectiveness Calculator (ASEC) to connect to CUDA and provide rapid TDAs for assessing search effectiveness. MTI will drive this effectiveness for improved situational awareness for submarines crews today, and in the future, to support an Artificial Intelligence plan generation capability.   To provide planners visualization tools to facilitate situational awareness and plan adjustments, MTI will extend the capabilities of Data Normalization and Distribution (DND) to efficiently integrate Geographic Information System (GIS) data from multiple sources. The DND will drive tactically relevant data delivery, display, and broadcasting via immersive Virtual/Augmented Reality applications. MTI will ensure all CUDA capabilities are designed for integration into the AN/BYG-1 Combat Control System via the Advanced Processor Build (APB) Step Process. Recognizing and supporting this process, MTI will provide builds of CUDA for evaluation, system documentation and test plans, and overall support to the Test, Evaluation, and Assessment Group (TEASG).   Developing and implementing the CUDA tools (i.e., REPOMan, ASEC, DND, and APB process) is integral to the MTI Work Plan for Phase II. In addition to these tools, MTI’s work plan includes designing a workflow-based CUDA UI based on extended Phase I capabilities and interviews with submarine subject matter experts, identifying authoritative data sources for decision support, and producing a final report summarizing the work performed.