SituSpace - Space battlespace awareness application

As we progress towards the network-centric environment envisioned by JV2010 and JV2020, our dependency upon space assets to meet our force enhancement (C4, weather, navigation, intelligence, surveillance, etc.) requirements is expected to growexponentially. This trend is not only for our forces, but the forces of our potential adversaries, as well. With so many mission critical assets parked in various orbit types above the battlefield, it is important for the commander and his staff to beoperationally aware of activities in this fourth medium, space. The commander's battlespace awareness must now extend many miles above the earth's surface into this arena.Indeed, the task of space control is rapidly becoming a necessity. The success of terrestrial forces requires a comprehensive space situational awareness (SSA) and, very soon, will necessitate a space control capability. 21st Century Systems, Inc. isessentially proposing an SSA/decision support application that provides a single integrated space picture capable of being used in the space control arena. It will employ intelligent agent technology to generate a three dimensional view of objects on orbitabove the battlefield. This project will also use XML objects as the medium of information distribution and storage.This SBIR will culminate in an integrated SituSpace software package that will assist the commander and his staff in visualizing the upper battlespace arena and the disposition of friendly and unfriendly on-orbit forces. This application, paired with anASAT capability, would assist in the future space control activity. This will be a unique product. Many commercial applications, which require their own aggregated picture of objects on orbit, would benefit strongly from the SituSpace concept: commercialsatellite launch companies, NASA, air traffic control, and others. The SituSpace product will be delivered through 21CSI's open architecture AEDGE(TM) environment.Beyond the SituSpace core product, transition of the decision support system (DSS) technology itself also will have very significant potential. DSS agents have wide potential applicability to just about every industry involving humans in the loop(including the consumer sector). Our first commercial, non-military product incorporating SituSpace technology will thus likely be an agent-based decision aid for operations in commercial space management, intransit visibility in transportation orintelligent flexible manufacturing. The commercial SituSpace variant tool will plug into the existing online resources, including space object and transportation networks, relevant databases, and others. The tool will be used both for support ofdecision-making and for distributed training.