Emerging Radio and MANET Technology Study: Research Support for a Survey of State-of-the-art Commercial and Military Hardware/Software for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
Abstract
This paper documents the results of a study into the architectural options for a situational awareness and command and control (SA C2) device that could be used by tactical units. This device would connect individual unit members through a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET)-based mesh topology to relay tactical information in a secure and robust manner while retaining the mobility needed for dismounted soldier operations. This study presents six architectural options for the proposed device each of which includes a graphical display and radio communications component. The currently available commercial off the shelf (COTS), military off the shelf (MOTS) and open source technologies in the areas of tablet devices, Wi-Fi network devices and broad spectrum radios are evaluated in the context of the proposed architectures. Of specific interest is the degree to which these components can be modified at a device or firmware level to support the development of additional situational awareness applications in support of tactical missions. The benefits and limitations of fully open architectures available through the open source community as compared with the closed architectures of vendor based products are discussed. Based on the interpretation of the information gathered, a recommended SA C2device hardware and software configuration is provided. Additionally, extensions to the architecture that would support enhancements to the baseline SA C2 capability are proposed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- AD1018013
Entities
People
- Bell Canada
- Glen Henderson
- William Pase
Organizations
- Bell Canada