Integrating coalition shared data in a system architecture for high level information management

Globalization has created complex economic and sociological dependencies. The nature of conflicts has changed and nations are confronted with a vast number of new threat scenarios. Information superiority is a question of being able to get the right information at the right time. Technology allows to disseminate information in near real-time and enables both aggressors and defenders to act remotely and network over time and space. Technologies in the areas of sensors and platforms as well as network technology and storage capability have evolved to a level where mass data can be easily shared and disseminated. To benefit fully from these new capabilities, there is a need for systems and services that can interact with each other in a well-defined interoperable way. On an organizational level it is necessary to define common processes to coordinate actors, their activities, the assets available and the data and information created. Security restrictions, (intellectual) property rights as well as data privacy regulations need to be fulfilled. The Coalition Shared Data (CSD) concept supports operational processes as defined by NATO within Joint ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) and the Intelligence Cycle by defining standardized interfaces, data models, services and workflows. To support information provision additionally, techniques of data and information extraction, fusion and visual analysis can be added at the system level. Other available sources can be connected through the usage of semantic world models. To ensure data integrity multilevel security measures need to be combined with the existing concept. The publication introduces the operational processes defined within NATO doctrines and process descriptions and maps the CSD concept to it. It describes the new Edition of STANAG (NATO Standardization Agreement) 4559 Edition 4 that implements the CSD concept and connects it to operational processes. Based on this it introduces a system architecture for ISR Analytics.