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Tactical Video Distribution to Shipboard Consoles, Video Walls, and Tablets
Navy SBIR 2016.1 - Topic N161-032 NAVSEA - Mr. Dean Putnam - [email protected] Opens: January 11, 2016 - Closes: February 17, 2016 N161-032 TITLE: Tactical Video Distribution to Shipboard Consoles, Video Walls, and Tablets TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Battlespace, Electronics, Sensors ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO IWS 10.0, SSDS Integrated Combat System OBJECTIVE: Develop an innovative video distribution capability to improve Command and Control information sharing to warfighters for mission execution. DESCRIPTION: The Surface Navy requires a system that distributes all tactical displays to Combat System consoles, video walls in Command Control spaces, and to portable tablets to allow for information sharing regardless of physical location throughout the ship. The innovative designs developed will allow the Navy to incorporate a video distribution system that will capture all critical video displays and transmit them to consoles, video walls, and portable tablets while aboard Carriers and Amphibious ships. Warfighters onboard ships rely on timely information to make crucial decisions to execute their warfare missions. Consoles, which contain the information required to evaluate situations and make decisions, are not always available to shipboard personnel due to their location on the ship at any given time. Critical Command and Control information is resident in limited systems onboard ships and is very rarely distributed to the many workspaces. Greater critical information has become available on ships, which provide complete and accurate information to make tactical decisions. Improved technologies (Ref. 1 and 2), now make it possible to provide complete information to the warfighters onboard the ships. The desired technology is needed to capture the multiple video displays and distribute them to tactical consoles, video walls, and portable tactical tablets for warfighters in a secure fashion throughout the ship to improve mission execution. The Video Distribution currently employed on Navy ships is limited to tactical spaces and does not provide the flexibility of providing video feeds of critical information throughout the ship. The availability of these video feeds should consider the structural design of the ship, and will require an analysis for determination of specific transmission mediums required to provide the availability of services limited to internal spaces, and select external weather deck locations (bridge wings, hangar bays, stern deck, and others based on fleet input). The system must be capable of collecting up to 10 video inputs and provide a method of distribution to various displays (video wall, computers, and secure tablets) and the ability to securely transmit and distribute throughout the ship, to include through watertight bulkheads without transmitting beyond the ship boundaries. The system must be transmitted to secure connection tablets that the Commanding Officer and other key personnel can carry as they go about their daily routine. The video distribution system must capture 95 percent of critical tactical information and use a single distribution system for the information to all tactical watch stations. It must be viewable on a securely connected tablet implementing user verification protocols. Currently on the ships, the tactical information is on standalone systems or only viewed in select compartments. This limits the timeliness to make decisions when complete and accurate information is not available in all spaces or at common display system consoles. Commanders are not always in the Combat Information Center (CIC) as they conduct their daily business. This creates a situation where the commanders are viewing outdated critical information, which may affect critical decision-making. Having the flexibility to view the information in a multicast video distribution system at any console, video wall, or secure portable tablet allows for Commanders and watch standers to make timely decisions based on having all information available when needed. The system will be required to display information at time rates (frequency of update) comparable to existing display refresh rates. The system will be required to undergo testing for integration with hosting hardware (HW) in a navy designated laboratory to preclude degradation of operational systems (HW specifications to be provided as government furnished information (GFI)). The system will be capable of meeting security and system interoperability certification requirements as specified by Department of Defense Instruction DoD 8330.01 May, 2014. The scheduling of testing in all phases will be coordinated through the procuring office. Tactical decisions need to be made from detailed information and current systems provide some information on standalone systems. The Navy needs an integrated video distribution system to provide the necessary information to make time critical decisions. The ability to provide the video on tablets that can be used throughout the ship will be extremely beneficial to the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and the Operations Officer as they are not always at locations that have the tactical information readily available to make time critical decisions when called by the Tactical Action Officer or Officer of the Deck. The company will provide a complete system available for testing at a land based warfare system test site and support installation and deployment aboard a navy ship for an at-sea test during a strike group work-up exercise . PHASE I: The company will develop a concept for a multicast video distribution system that will meet the requirements described above. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of the design concept through software demonstration or use of commercially available software and hardware, to include approaches for material (component) selection and testing, as well as analytical modeling and simulation with anticipated cost analysis. The concept analysis should demonstrate the video distribution design has the capability to meet operator requirements for making tactical decisions at the same or reduced period. The concept will include a proposed approach for certification and testing utilizing guidance issued by the office of the director test and evaluation. The Phase I Option, if included, would include the initial layout and capabilities description to build the unit in Phase II. PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I and the Phase II Statement of Work (SOW), the company will demonstrate the ability to collect up to 10 video inputs and distribute them to various displays (video wall, computers, and secure tablets) and ability to transmit through steel walls via prototype. The prototype system will also include 10 portable tablets, possessing security features to allow use throughout the ship, and capable of connecting to the video distribution system. The Navy will evaluate the system on performance of video distribution of critical information to necessary viewing stations and range of video distribution to secure tablets. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning a complete video distribution system accessible via company provided secure portable tablets into Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) Advanced Capability Build 20 and Technical Insertion 20, planned for deployment in fiscal year 2022. Testing will be accomplished at a land based warfare system test site and then deployed for an at-sea test during a strike group work-up exercise. The video distribution system described in this SBIR topic paper could have private sector commercial potential for any security firm that has mobile surveillance patrols or distributed control of surveillance. Also, supervisors remote from command centers could benefit from a distributed monitoring system provided to tablets or other mobile devices. REFERENCES: 1. Meyer, D., Rockwell R., Sheperd, D. RFC 4608: "Source-Specific Protocol Independent Multicast in 232/8." August 2006. The Internet Engineering Task Force ®, https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4608. 17 Apr 2015. 2. Schmidt, T. Waehlisch, M., Fairhurst, G., RFC 5757: "Multicast Mobility in Mobile IP Version 6 (MIPv6): Problem Statement and Brief Survey." February, 2010. The Internet Engineering Task Force ®, https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5757 . 17 Apr 2015. 3. DoD Test and Evaluation Management Guide. December 2012, Sixth Edition. http://www.dau.mil/publications/publicationsDocs/Test%20and%20Evaluation%20Management%20Guide,%20December%202012,%206th%20Edition%20-v1.pdf. 29 Sep 2015 4. Department of Defense Instruction 8330.01. May, 2014. http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/833001p.pdf. 29 Sep 2015 KEYWORDS: Video distribution on ships; common display system; Naval Command and Control; multicast on a closed system; critical command and control information; Combat Information Center TPOC-1: Scott Bewley Phone: 202-781-2571 Email: [email protected] TPOC-2: Megan Cramer Phone: 202-781-3937 Email: [email protected] Questions may also be submitted through DoD SBIR/STTR SITIS website.
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