Imagery and information over the Defense Red Switch Network

This paper describes the successful project of the University of Texas at Austin and Electrospace Systems, Inc. for imagery and information over the Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN). Secure military command and control (C4I) is performed today over the Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN). The network provides an infrastructure for secure communications over commercial circuits. The network supports links that are 56 KBits, T1 (1.544 KBits), and ATM. The need is to provide imagery and video teleconferencing over the DRSN using commercial off-the-shelf equipment to as great an extent possible while still maintaining the integrity of the DRSN. Most of the command and control imagery and information applications involve accessing and processing vast amounts of information. Based on resource needs and complexity, the information can be broadly classified into the following three classes: Class 1-information retrieval: Applications in this class will support efficient navigation and browsing through large-scale data repositories, as well as retrieving information objects for clients over networks. Example: digital libraries of satellite imagery, terrain data, etc. Class II-information retrieval and processing: Applications in this class will be founded on methods for synthesizing meaningful information from large, complex data sets (containing textual, numeric, and image data) through simulations, and then visualizing the results through the use of interactive graphics and imagery. Example: determine the optimal locations for positioning radars for intercepting enemy communication messages in a battlefield. This requires the use of complex simulation models that access and process terrain data, information about atmospheric conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity level, etc.) and RF propagation characteristics. Class III-information retrieval and processing with real-time interactivity. Applications in this class can be characterized by the need to carry out distributed simulations, often involving real-time constraints and user interaction within realistic virtual environments. Examples: education and training systems for command and control of a battlefield. In addition to the requirements imposed by the three classes of applications mentioned above, most command and control operations will also require real-time communication between multiple distributed sites (e.g., telephone conversations or video conferencing). In this joint project, we take a step in the direction of enabling a wide range of command and control applications by developing methods for efficiently accessing, processing, transmitting and visualizing large amounts of data in multiple forms (e.g., text, image, video, animation, etc.)