Challenge: Making Data Make Sense: Real-time Data Analysis for Rapid Decision Making

Challenge Statement

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) are seeking innovative solutions to assist joint military commanders by rapidly and seamlessly analyzing, fusing, and sharing domain-centric information into a single command and control (C2) system that supports all levels of operations, in order to enhance and support military decision-making.

Background and Context

Modern militaries must increasingly engage in joint or multi-domain operations (MDO) to achieve their objectives by operating simultaneously across multiple domains, while taking into account the interdependence of different domains. Domains are typically grouped into the following categories: physical (air, space, land, maritime); digital (cyber, electromagnetic spectrum, information); and the cognitive or human domain (disinformation, psychological, strategic communications). However, there are significant challenges that must be overcome before truly simultaneous operations across multiple domains can be executed in real-time.

Military operations are highly dynamic and present-day sensors are collecting vast amounts of data that has to be analyzed, fused, and disseminated before military commanders can make use of that data to make better-informed decisions. Different platforms also use different communication systems, which further prevents the ability to analyse, fuse and share the data in real-time.

Desired Outcomes

The DND/CAF is looking for innovative solutions for the real-time analysing, fusing and high-speed sharing of data from all types of sensors across multiple domains (in particular, cyber, air and space domains) into a single C2 system to enable rapid decision-making. Solutions can include, but are not limited to the following:

• Tools/methods/mechanisms to collaboratively share data from multiple airborne/ground sensors.
• High-speed and secure data sharing mechanisms for all types of airborne/ground sensors;
• Automated pre-processing capabilities for collected data on the sensor platform;
• A “System of Systems” approach to the processing of data in a timely and efficient manner;
• Capabilities for assisting Analysts to vet the data acquired from multiple sensors, automatically, in real- or near-real-time, by identifying essential elements within the data;
• Standardized communications systems for sensor platforms;