Jan 24, 2012, post by Artur Nowak
VITEC, a worldwide leader in advanced digital video solutions, announced the addition of mobile streaming capabilities to the widely-deployed Optibase Full Motion Video (FMV) Streaming system. The military-grade architecture delivers standard definition and high definition IPTV content, in real time, to iOS and Android phones and tablets over 3G, HSPA+, 4G LTE, WiFi and WiMAX networks, and seamlessly integrates with existing IP video environments.
“Today’s mobile devices offer versatility and computational power that can revolutionize the battlefield. With FMVMS, we are able to enhance our tactical situational awareness solutions and allow our customers to disseminate critical video and metadata information faster and to more recipients, even in remote locations and while on the move”.Effective dissemination of video is rapidly becoming a must-have tool for ground troops, providing combat situational awareness in remote locations. But military IT and video groups are struggling to keep pace with constantly changing network bandwidth requirements and the wide range of mobile device platforms, operating systems and playback capabilities used by recipients in various sites.
Optibase FMVMS addresses the dynamics at the core of the FMV network and at the battlefield by combining broadcast-grade video quality with dense, flexible and easy to deploy mobile delivery technology that is certified for all types of networks and data rates.
FMVMS can be integrated with the widely-deployed EZ TV IPTV System and FITIS Situational Awareness and ISR Platform to enable rapid deployment of real-time streaming to phones and tablets. Offered in a blade form factor that integrates with award-winning Optibase Media Gateway (MGW) platforms, FMVMS is designed to be used as a video hub service or as an edge device that is positioned close to the users for optimal network utilization. An integrated iPhone, iPad and Android EZ TV Mobile Player application offers full channel guide synchronization and user authentication for a secure, customized management solution for live streams and recorded video assets.
“Today’s mobile devices offer versatility and computational power that can revolutionize the battlefield. With FMVMS, we are able to enhance our tactical situational awareness solutions and allow our customers to disseminate critical video and metadata information faster and to more recipients, even in remote locations and while on the move,” said Eli Garten, Vice President of Optibase Product Management at VITEC. “With this new technology we are able to address the growing need for a tactical mobile delivery solution that offers superb video quality in wide range of bit rates, designed from the ground up to fit military network topologies and trade-off between local and disadvantaged users. Our ability to dynamically and automatically detect the type of mobile devices in use makes FMVMS flexible, easy to deploy and easy to manage – attributes that will assist military organizations to quickly and cost-effectively deploy powerful new tools and services and make an immediate impact with increased video delivery capabilities.”
For more information please visit www.vitecmm.com/optibase.
About VITEC
Since 1988, VITEC has been a worldwide leading provider of powerful digital video products that support end-to-end media solutions for Broadcast, Corporate, Education, Government, Industrial, Medical, Military, and Telco customers. By integrating world famous brands including Optibase, Focus, Como, and Stradis, VITEC now controls the complete video chain with professional-grade products for acquisition, encoding, processing, management, and delivery. With approximately one hundred R&D engineers specializing in digital video, VITEC offers innovative and cost effective hardware and software, advanced technology research, and custom product designs for world-class OEMs. VITEC is headquartered in Paris, France, with worldwide R&D, Sales, and System Integration offices. For further information, please visit www.vitecmm.com.
Oct 07, 2011, post by Artur Nowak
Just north of Detroit, 1,500 researchers, scientists and engineers at the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) work every day to protect our Nation’s Soldiers and Marines while addressing the Nation’s most urgent energy efficiency and security issues. During the next two weeks, a TARDEC contingent will travel to Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the Pentagon to detail TARDEC efforts in increasing ground vehicle power, display cutting-edge concept vehicles, and reinforce the role the Army’s research and development unit plays as a national asset.
“The timing of energy events in the Washington, D.C., area is serendipitous for the Army’s research, development and engineering command,” explained Dr. Grace M. Bochenek, TARDEC director. “The Army has a solid, substantial message – and tangible proof of success – regarding the future of power and energy. With October being Energy Awareness Month, we have an unprecedented opportunity to tell that story.”
Here is a breakdown of TARDEC’s October energy presence:
+ Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting & Exposition – Oct. 10 – 12, Washington, D.C. – Since 1950, the AUSA has worked to support all aspects of national security while advancing the interests of the U.S. Army and the men and women who serve. At this year’s meeting, the Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED) program vehicle will be part of the Army Power and Energy display. The FED Alpha (pictured left) – a concept vehicle – has all the capability of the currently-fielded M1114 with modifications that can improve fuel economy by up to 70 percent. FED Alpha will be located in Hall C, booth 4224. Additionally, Dr. Bochenek is participating in a panel discussion on the morning of Oct. 11 facilitated by the Honorable Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army. For more on the AUSA event, visit http://www.ausa.org.
+ Hybrid, Electric, and High Efficiency Truck Users Forum (HTUF) 2011 National Conference and Exhibition – Oct. 10-13, Baltimore – HTUF leads the nation in driving the production and use of medium- and heavy-duty hybrid, electric and high-efficiency trucks and buses. The Honorable Sharon E. Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defense of Operational Energy Plans and Programs, will join TARDEC’s Paul F. Skalny at the 11th annual event to discuss the critical economic and national security benefits of fuel-efficient fleets for commercial and military use. At TARDEC, Skalny is the Acting Executive Director of Product Development and Director of TARDEC’s National Automotive Center. TARDEC’s display at HTUF will feature a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with enhanced vehicle-to-grid capability. For more on HTUF and the world’s largest parade of hybrid trucks, visit http://www.htuf2011.org
+ Department of Defense (DOD) Pentagon Energy Security Event – Oct. 17-21, Arlington County, Va. – For the second consecutive year, the Pentagon is hosting an event to promote energy-security initiatives across the DOD and empower its work force with knowledge about energy-related national security issues. TARDEC is participating with a wide array of initiatives. In addition to FED Alpha, TARDEC will detail energy security programs taking place with partners in Hawaii and a new laboratory complex that opens next year in Michigan.
In 2012, the DOD will open the new, 30,000-square-foot Ground Systems Power and Energy Lab (GSPEL) at the U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal. GSPEL (rendered below) is an eight-labs-in-one, state-of-the-art research and development facility. GSPEL will serve as the cornerstone for the Army’s next generation of power and energy initiatives providing the Army with the cutting-edge laboratory space and equipment necessary to conduct research, development, modeling, simulation and testing on military and commercial ground vehicle of all sizes and purposes from subsystem components to entire systems-of-systems.
A presidential proclamation in 1991 made October Energy Awareness Month.
TARDEC representatives have media availability at each event.
ABOUT TARDEC
Headquartered at the U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal in Warren, MI, TARDEC is the Nation’s laboratory for advanced military automotive technology and serves as the Ground Systems Integrator for all Department of Defense (DOD) manned and unmanned ground vehicle systems. With roots dating back to the World War II era, TARDEC is a full life-cycle, systems engineering support provider-of-first-choice for all DOD ground combat and combat support weapons, equipment and vehicle systems. TARDEC develops and integrates the right technology solutions to improve Current Force effectiveness and provides superior capabilities for Future Force integration. TARDEC’s technical, scientific and engineering staff lead cutting-edge research and development in Ground Systems Survivability; Power and Mobility; Ground Vehicle Robotics; Force Projection; and Vehicle Electronics and Architecture. TARDEC is a major research, development and engineering center for Research, Development and Engineering Command and an enterprise partner in the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command.
Sep 09, 2011, post by Artur Nowak
Locata Corporation announced it has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) contract phase for a Locata network which will enable the USAF to deploy a new ground-based, centimeter-accurate “truth-reference level” positioning system for use in GPS-denied environments. The USAF 746th Test Squadron (746TS) awarded Locata a multi-year contract for this project in July 2010, and the CDR was the last milestone to be met before the USAF committed to a technology demonstration in the USA. Locata’s Non-GPS Based Positioning System (NGBPS) – sold commercially as a LocataNet – will provide accurate positioning when GPS is jammed over 2,500 sq. miles (6,500 sq. kilometers) of the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico.
The project’s most significant milestone to date, completion of the CDR demonstrates the company’s detailed LocataNet design as capable of meeting the non-GPS based positioning component of the 746TS Ultra-High Accuracy Reference System (UHARS). The contract now moves to an initial deployment over approx 600 sq. miles (1,500 sq. kilometers) at WSMR for further testing in October 2011.
“I am excited about the potential Locata’s technology has to dramatically improve our reference system’s accuracy in a navigation warfare environment,” said Christopher Morin, Technical Director for the 746TS at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. “The Locata team has made great strides over the last year to develop the hardware and software required to track low and medium dynamic flight profiles across the range of altitudes that we test the DoD’s next generation navigation systems. The prototype tests conducted in Cooma and post-processed reference solution delivered during the CDR clearly indicate that Locata has captured and is successfully modeling the various sensor, antenna and tropospheric errors. I expect that the technology demonstration scheduled for early FY12 will give us the confidence to field this system throughout the 40 by 60 mile area of WSMR we use for navigation system testing.”
“The 746TS CDR is probably the most significant technical deployment milestone in Locata’s history to date,” said Nunzio Gambale, CEO of Locata. “We are proud to be working so closely with the legendary 746TS, an entity well-known throughout the positioning industry as managers of the tri-service GPS Test Center of Expertise (COE) for the U.S. military. Our CDR success is also a testament to the inventions of Locata co-founder David Small and the outstanding Locata team – it’s truly a moment in their lives when they can justifiably stand tall for this achievement.”
Locata brought together many years of engineering experience and numerous Locata technical “firsts” to deliver NGBPS technology to the 746TS in these flight trials, including:
· demonstrating Locata’s autonomous, nanosecond-accurate TimeLoc synchronization capability when Locata transmitters (LocataLites) are placed up to 30 miles (50 km) apart;
· demonstrating that TimeLoc can be “cascaded” from one LocataLite to another in multiple “TimeLoc hops” of at least 30 miles (50 km) per hop;
· showing LocataLites can be successfully attached to various high-powered transmit amplifiers to deliver much longer ranges, yet continue to maintain accurate TimeLoc;
· demonstrating that Locata receiver tracking loops perform adequately under demanding “military-spec” speed, acceleration and jerk stresses;
· demonstrating Locata receivers acquiring and tracking Locata positioning signals at a range of at least 30 miles (50 km);
· showing navigation solutions with tropospheric models that adequately mitigate the large tropospheric errors encountered by terrestrial signals at these long ranges;
· demonstrating a carrier-phase “truth-reference” solution to the 746TS of
· developing, manufacturing and demonstrating new transmitter and aircraft antennas to provide both satisfactory network coverage to the WSMR test area and adequate gain and multipath mitigation capabilities for the aircraft. The new antennas were developed in collaboration with Cooper Antennas Ltd of Marlow, Buckinghamshire, UK.
“Delivering completely independent high-accuracy GPS-style positioning when GPS is not available is no trivial task – in fact, many believed it was not possible,” added Gambale. “Locata is the only company in the world that can do it. The Locata team has spent countless hours designing and then refining this world-first positioning capability. Meeting difficult technical hurdles for partners like the USAF helps us to hone our technology, and validates our solution to the world.”
Dr. John Raquet, Director of the Advanced Navigation Technology Center at the Air Force Institute of Technology and Satellite Chairman for The Institute of Navigation, joined six other positioning experts from the 746TS at Locata’s Australian Headquarters to conduct the CDR. Over a four day period, the group conducted a meticulous review and analysis of real-world data gathered by Locata during two flight trials over a 600 sq. mile (1,500 sq. kilometer) LocataNet deployed around Cooma airport in southern New South Wales. Following this analysis, Locata produced a final CDR Report which was tendered, and accepted. Locata has now been advised officially that the NGBPS CDR objectives have been achieved and the CDR is formally closed.
“Working in close partnership with the US Air Force, Locata looks forward to building on the momentum from completing the CDR,” said Gambale. “The next step will be to deploy Locata’s technology at the White Sands Missile Range in October 2011. At that time, the company plans to not only meet, but exceed, our customer’s performance requirements for this important program. It’s certainly an exciting time for Locata.”
The 746TS is scheduled to present a paper on the NGBPS program at the Institute of Navigation (ION) GNSS 2011 Conference in September in Portland, Oregon. The paper will outline the history of the 746TS positioning capabilities and present results from relevant Locata flight tests.
