Challenges and Potential of Service-Oriented Architectures for Net-Centric Operations
Abstract
NATO is currently moving away from system-centric solutions based on the exchange of messages between individual systems towards information-centric solutions based on service-oriented architectures. The core idea is to share services in a net-enabled environment to bring all the information a military user needs to him, no matter what he does, where he is, or what system he currently uses. Within the US, the Global Information Grid (GIG) is currently in use and first examples have been implemented to evaluate the feasibility of these concepts. Some of these first components and services were successfully used in Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, while service-oriented architectures (SOA) technically have the potential to find every piece of information relevant for an operation no matter where it is, they also challenge the user and the developers to ignore thousands of additionally available pieces of information that are not currently relevant. To what extent virtual and augmented reality technologies can help to cope with such issues is the topic of the current research, but it is obvious that technology and education must be aligned to ensure feasibility and usability. This paper gives a short overview of technical constraints, concepts, and implementations. It contributes to the discussion of where Human Factors expertise is urgently required to make these new concepts a success for the military user.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA473305
Entities
People
- Andreas Tolk
- Ryland C. Gaskins
Organizations
- Old Dominion University