An Ignoble Experiment

2. NTIA approves military spectrum plan

A proliferation of sensors and concurrently-running systems in Naval expeditionary operations can overwhelm Marines stationed downrange. The Office of Naval Research is trying to simplify and streamline data delivery with a program called Agile Bloodhound, a comprehensive solution that encompasses information architecture, content delivery and end point devices.

Last month, at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, ONR and Marines held their third annual Agile Bloodhound demonstration. The program allows Marines to use mobile devices and complementary back-end software to sift through loads of data.

This year's demonstration focused largely on the integration of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, said John Moniz, program officer, expeditionary warfare C4, Office of Naval Research.

"Our real goal is to bring more capabilities across our command, control and communications network for the end user," said Moniz.

The demonstration allowed Marines remote access to a serverless chat system, an ISR knowledge discovery program and ActiveWiki software that allows Marines to share updated pictures of the battle space.

Traditionally, integration of such applications has been a laborious exercise, but Agile Bloodhound furthers the Marine Corps' move to information architectures that are more open to working with different systems, said Moniz.

While Agile Bloodhound is a research program it is a critical piece to the Marine Corps vision of mobile-enabled warfighters.

Moniz said Agile Bloodhound informs the requirements process for the Navy and Marine Corps so they know what can be done and what advantages it gives to the warfighter, the information also serves the purpose of risk reduction for the acquisition community.

While demonstrations, such as the one hosted in November, display the entire capability of Mobile Bloodhound it would be far too expensive to stand up all component systems at one time. Agile Bloodhound is being implemented incrementally, in small-scale pilots right now.

"What they're fielding now stops at the company level," said Moniz. "One-hundred and eighty Marines broken into platoons, squads and fire teams--they're taking bits and pieces as we speak and integrating it into their architecture."

"We have to show an entire capability set to show how things work, but it's really up to them what they decide to take," said Moniz.

The demonstration used commercial, off-the-shelf mobile devices and the Marine Corps' "trusted handheld", which is a prototype of a custom device.

For more:
- read a press release on the demonstration

Read more about: Agile Bloodhound, John Moniz
back to top

This week's sponsor is Acronis and MobileIron.

Webinar: MobileIron and Acronis Deliver Secure File Access & Editing on Android
Thursday, December 12th, 11am ET /8am PT

Join us on December 12th to learn how Acronis mobilEcho and MobileIron AppConnect together provide a complete solution for organizations supporting Android smart phones and tablets. Register Today!

By Zach Rausnitz

Comment |

3. ENISA examines national roaming to mitigate mobile network outages

The Defense Department's plan to exit the 1755-1780 megahertz band won the approval of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Nov. 25.

"NTIA fully supports DoD's proposal for the 1755-1780 MHz band," the NTIA wrote in a letter (.pdf) to the Federal Communications Commission. The plan allows the FCC to auction the band for use as wireless broadband.

DoD reached an agreement with television broadcasters to share the 2025-2110 MHz band, which TV stations use to connect with remote reporters.

"Providing federal systems access to the wider swath of spectrum in the 2025-2110 MHz band follows from the fact that in the band, unlike the 1755 MHz band, the federal systems will share with non-federal systems," the NTIA said. "Thus, the federal systems will have the flexibility they need to operate without limiting the existing non-federal users."

When DoD proposed (.pdf) the agreement in June, it estimated that it would cost $3.5 billion to move its operations from the 1755-1780 MHz band.

The department's activities that use the band include air combat training, unmanned aerial systems, and high resolution video.

For more:
- download the NTIA letter (.pdf)

Read more about: spectrum, NTIA
back to top

By Molly Bernhart Walker

Comment |

4. Feds can utilize Twitter for information sharing and deeper debate

National roaming could provide one solution to severe mobile network outages that can threaten European security and resilience, says a new report from the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security.

The proposed scheme would allow subscribers to the mobile carrier affected by the outage to roam on other mobile networks in their country, maintaining communication even when their own carrier is down. The agency doesn't discuss pricing models.

Should EU member states chose to pursue national roaming solutions, they could do so in a variety of ways, because regulatory approaches and wireless markets vary by state:

Ad-hoc activation of roaming with manual selection;
Automatic roaming for a fixed set of SIM cards;
Ad-hoc activation of roaming with automatic selection; or
Roaming permanently activated by the customer.

ENISA encourages member states to use these models as a starting point in order to develop schemes to mitigate large outages. They can discuss portfolio solutions with operators and identify clear thresholds for roaming activation. ENISA also recommends, should governments seek a national roaming solution, that they prioritize voice and SMS connectivity over data traffic, favor open WiFi as a solution for data connectivity, and establish a mobile-to-mobile technology provider inventory.

For more:
- download the report, "National Roaming for Resilience" (.pdf)

Read more about: European Union, ENISA
back to top

By Ryan McDermott

Comment |

5. Census app Dwellr plays city matchmaker

Twitter gave a lesson to government workers on how to work the social media website to its full advantage, including how to tweet breaking news and how lawmakers can affect policy change through the site.

The social media platform issued detailed guidance, saying Twitter alerts provide vital information to the public during fast-moving situations and also gives the public insight into how government works.

Twitter alerts, a new addition to the site, can be used in emergency situations to keep the public informed. The Federal Emergency Management Agency utilized the tool during Hurricane Sandy to disseminate information about shelters and clogged phone lines.

But the platform can be used for more than just short bursts of information, Twitter says.

"On Twitter, government officials and politicians can explore diplomatic avenues in real time," the guidance says. "Commenting on breaking news can have an impact on important political issues as they develop."

During the negotiations over a possible United Nations Security Council resolution that would demand Syria give up its chemical weapons, the American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, took to Twitter to pre-empt concerns about the step.

Tweeting can also pull back the curtain on the political process, the guidance says.

"People love behind-the-scenes content; it brings them up close and personal with the politicians who represent them and gives them a deeper understanding of political life," Twitter says.

During the 2012 Republican National Convention many candidates and their staff members shared their perspectives through Twitter, often using photos to illustrate the moment.

But Twitter should also be used to listen to constituents, said a Nov. 25 GovLoop blog post by Gadi Ben-Yehuda, director of innovation and social media for IBM's Center for the Business of Government. Government users should make lists to filter twitter followers based on geography, interest, vocation or anything that helps the list-maker identify a group of people who are participating in an ongoing conversation.

For more
- go to the Twitter best practices

Read more about: Twitter, Samantha Power
back to top

By Zach Rausnitz

Comment |