Monday, June 27, 2016

2030 Join Command Control Architecture Data Protocol Exchange

2030 Join Command Control Architecture Data Protocol Exchange
“We need for unmanned aircraft to act like manned aircraft. We need unmanned aircraft to be tasked like manned aircraft. We should be capable of flying both manned and unmanned platforms together, to include multiple unmanned airframes controlled by one operator,” the general continued. “And we need commanders to have the confidence that unmanned or manned, it doesn't make a difference, as they are equally effective,” (Gen. William T. Hobbins- USAF, 2006).

The current interfaces of control and monitoring of unmanned systems have similarities and differences in the design according the operational domain and levels of autonomy; but they have a lot of technological gaps that do not permit integration, compatibility, interoperability, and others. US forces has developed a new concept of an integrated Command and Control (C2) Architecture that will enable, in coordinated way, the operations of manned and unmanned systems by the year 2030. Thus, both types of systems, manned and unmanned will operate together in the unique architecture with collaborative knowledge in network and common interfaces that will enable interoperability between them.
            The new architecture of systems will involve all points or nodes of interconnection and control interfaces for operations in the battlespace; for instance, manned vehicles, unmanned vehicles, personnel, broadcasting and rebroadcasting stations, satellites, and computer networks. Advances in collaborative networks will be enabled with High level of Computing Power, data link of communications with compatible standards, and an “Advanced Cross Medium Rebroadcast capability”. The architecture will be based in open systems and will let to other systems from government agencies to interface with full integration with US Forces Systems.
            C2 Control Systems are models of closed-loop control systems or feedback control systems and open-loop control system. The closed- loop control systems are automated controls systems with automatic feedback; also, this type of control is known as plant model and is based on the loop OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act) defined by Boyd. At the same time, the stage of decision and action selection have defined 10 levels of automation of unmanned systems; the high level of fully autonomy that make all decisions acting in autonomous way and ignore the human interaction, the system informs to the human operator if “decides” to, the system informs to the human operator only if “asked” to, the system executes decisions  and then “inform”, the system permits to human operator a short time to change the decision/action before it is executed in automatic way, the system execute suggestion with human operator approval, the system suggest an alternative, the system selects decisions/actions, the system offers a set of decisions or actions, and the low level or manual operation with complete operation by human operator to take decisions and make actions. (Parasuraman, 2000)
National Institute of Standards and Technology developed a simplified model (Autonomy levels for unmanned systems-ALFUS) of three autonomy levels according the human robot interactions of the 10 levels of decision and actions (HRI), Mission Complexity (MC), and Environmental Complexity (EC). The levels are:
Low Autonomy level (1, 2, and 3 - OODA): High level of Human Robot interaction, low level tactical behavior, simple environment.
Medium Autonomy level (4, 5, and 6 - OODA): Medium level HRI, medium complexity, multifunctional missions, moderate environment.
High Autonomy Level (7, 8, and 9): Low level HRI, collaborative and high complexity missions, difficult environment.
As summary, this architecture is envisioned for the command and control C2 systems of unmanned vehicles in the year 2030 and involves the “interfaces” between unmanned and manned vehicles operating in all domains such as air, ground, space, underwater, and surface water, C2 nodes, and others. The main exchange of information is through of a collaborative network which acts as data fusion network which is distributed across the forces. Tactical Cloud Network and Cloud Computing Network are new concepts involved in the new architecture.    
            The 2030 Joint Command and Control architecture is a global model based in the TMN (Telecommunications Management Networks) and OSI (Open System Interconnection) standards which define the mode to access to the Interfaces of control such as the ground control station and NOC centers. The NATO STANAG 4586 is an exchange message standardization which is managed in the level 7- application of the OSI level. For example, the data link is the OSI level 2-Link, the network protocols like IP or X.25 are managed in the OSI level 3- network, the codes of encryption and compression of the sensor data like videos and images are managed in the level 6-Presentation.

  
References
An Integrated Command and Control Architecture Concept for Unmanned Systems in the Year
                (2013). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from
An integrated command and control architecture Concept for Unmanned Systems in the year
(2013). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
Designing Unmanned Systems with Greater Autonomy. (2014). Retrieved April 14, 2016, from
Parasuraman, R.; Barnes, M. J.; Cosenzo, K. A. Adaptive Automation for Human-Robot
            Teaming in Future Command and Control Systems. The International C2 Journal 2007, 1
(2), 43–68.
Parasuraman, R.; Cosenzo, K. A.; de Visser, E. Adaptive Automation for Human Supervision of
            Multiple Uninhabited Vehicles: Effects on Change Detection, Situation Awareness, and

Mental Workload. Military Psychology 200921 (2), 270–297. 

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