Slide 9 of 18
Notes:
A generic AGS system consists of two components: an airborne sensor platform which gathers data and a ground station. These components communicate via a radio data link. Unfortunately, each of the four AGS candidate systems uses a different, system specific data link.
The ground station consists of two components, the Ground Data Terminal, which is the ground portion of the radio data link and the ground exploitation capability, were the data is exploited and information products useful to an operational commander are produced. At present these two components are connected through proprietary interfaces which use system specific data formats.
Although the Ground Exploitation Capabilities for each candidate system are different, they do share a number of generic functions, such as display and exploitation of Moving Target Indicator, or MTI, data, visualization of Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR Imagery, etc., and thus could be shared.
(BUILD)Analysis has shown that the best solution to the problem of interoperability, from an operational perspective, is to use a common data link as it offers the highest level of flexibility to the operational commander. Unfortunately when technical and associated cost considerations are included and allowances are made for legacy national systems, this solution does not appear to be practical in the near term.
(BUILD)The solution adopted at NC3A consists of sharing the data at the interface between the ground data terminal and the ground exploitation capability by exchanging the data in a standardized, common format.
