Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems

Abstract

Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) is the Army's Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) family of systems (FoS) for joint, interagency, allied, coalition, and National data analysis, information sharing, and collaboration. DCGS-A is the ISR component of the modular and future forcesBattle Command System, the Army's component of the Defense Intelligence Information Enterprise (DI2E), and the Army's system for ISR sensor tasking, data processing, data exploitation, data dissemination, of combat information and intelligence. It provides commanders from maneuver company to Army Service Component Command access to the DI2E and National intelligence collection, analysis, and targeting capabilities. DCGS-A provides a single integrated ground processing system composed of common Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and Government off-the-shelf (GOTS) components that are interoperable with National, theater, and tactical sensors, other information sources, Army and joint battle command systems and the DI2E, which includes the DoD DCGS FoS. DCGS-A software is tailored by echelon and is scalable to each units mission. DCGS-A provides commanders and staffs the ability to maintain an accurate and up to date understanding of the operational environment. DCGS-A's contributions to commanders' visualization and situational awareness, rapid planning, and the synchronization of all warfighting functions enable Army units to operate within the enemy's decision cycle. This capability enhances tactical and operational maneuver and the conduct of full spectrum operations across the range of military operations from humanitarian to major combat operations. DCGS-A core functions are to receive and process space, aerial, ground, and maritime sensor data; to control select Army and joint sensors systems; to synchronize planning and operations; to integrate reconnaissance and surveillance; to fuse theater-wide information; and to direct and distribute relevant and timely threat, weather, and terrain data, information, and intelligence. It is designated a Major Automated Information System (MAIS) program that operates across multiple security levels throughout the DI2E. As enhanced capabilities are developed and tested, annual software releases are integrated into Army Common/commodity hardware and fielded to units IAW the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) process. The DCGS-A configurations range from laptops to systems integrated in tactical shelters and mounted on tactical vehicles to large commodity servers operating in a Cloud Processing Architecture. Main cloud nodes will be placed in data centers strategically located across the globe, while tactical edge cloud nodes will be integrated within select existing equipment currently on units Modified Tables of Organization & Equipment (MTOE) lists. The fundamental intent and tenet of this approach is to reduce forward deployed equipment/footprint by co-locating the advanced analytics capabilities within the DCGS-A baseline with the regional data centers, where the data is stored. This infrastructure consolidation simultaneously reduces processor and communications requirements in tactical units by limiting the number of large data files transported across tactical communications systems. The first DCGS-A cloud node was deployed to Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) in 1QFY11. The design and deployment strategy of the tactical edge nodes will be finalized in FY11 as well. Following a successful operational assessment and Milestone C Oct 11/Full Deployment Decision in Sep 12, DCGS-A Software Baseline (DSB) 1.0 capability will be deployed across the DCGS-A enterprise. DCGS-A consolidates and modernizes the tasking, processing, exploitation, and dissemination (TPED) capabilities found in the following programs: Joint Intelligence Operations Capability-Iraq (JIOC-I), All Source Analysis System (ASAS) FoS, Tactical Exploitation System (TES) FoS, Integrated Meteorological System (IMETS) FoS, Digital Topographic Support System (DTSS) FoS, Counterintelligence and Interrogation Operations (CI&I Ops) workstation, Guardrail Common Sensor Intelligence Processing Facility/Guardrail Ground Baseline, Common Ground Station, Prophet Control, and Enhanced Trackwolf processing capabilities. DCGS-A provides these technologically advanced PED capabilities in tailored and scalable mobile and fixed configurations in all combat and combat support units from company to Army Service Component Command, and in select combat service support units brigade and above. The program will also develop software packages that will be embedded into battle command and other select systems to provide required ISR/analytic capabilities. DCGS-A is a key component of the DoD ISR Task Force modernization efforts and a critical Army priority

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2012
• Source ID: 0305208A_7_2040_PB_2012
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• C4I
• Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Afghanistan Conflict
• Application Software
• Combat Operations
• Computing System Architectures
• Data Centers
• Data Processing
• Department Of Defense
• Detectors
• Ground Control Stations
• Information Systems
• Intelligence Collection
• Measurement And Signature Intelligence
• Military Operations
• Program Management
• Surveillance
• Test And Evaluation

Readers

• Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.

Technology Areas

• Space