NCOIC Team Begins Simulation of Open Cloud Computing in Multi-National Disaster Response Effort

Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium signs The Aerospace Corp., Boeing, NJVC, Raytheon, Telos and Winthrop to demonstrate collaborative environment for National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An industry-government team has begun testing the use of an open cloud computing infrastructure to quickly collect, store and share geospatial information to assist emergency responders in a disaster situation.

The Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) contracted with six of its member-companies to produce a real-time simulation for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Using unclassified NGA information, the team is depicting a global, multidisciplinary response similar to the one that took place after the 2010 Haitian earthquake. The effort is designed to confirm interoperability and show how different technologies and data sources from a variety of organizations can support a unified mission.  

Taking part in the NCOIC Geospatial Community Cloud Concept Demonstration are The Aerospace Corporation, Boeing, NJVC, Raytheon Company, Telos Corporation and Winthrop Management Services. The six are providing technical applications and services that an international disaster response force could use within a cloud operating environment to efficiently move critical geospatial data and thus meet a wide range of needs. They are also serving as "actors" within the simulation, portraying military, government and civilian response teams from several different countries in order to demonstrate end-user capabilities. 

"Each country in the simulation has its own, unique communications sensitivities. So an important measure of the success of our environment will be the ability to work within those requirements and protect their data," said Tip Slater, NCOIC director of business development.

The community cloud infrastructure was defined and built earlier this year and issues including ownership, security, access, bandwidth, latency and portability were addressed in its design. The three-month test phase began in June and will conclude in late summer with a demonstration and report to the NGA.

"The companies participating in NCOIC's disaster-response simulation are willing to come together and share their expertise and applications to solve technological challenges and potentially save time, dollars and lives," said Slater. "Their work on behalf of the NGA will ultimately result in a process to enable a government or agency to rapidly assemble a collaborative, cloud environment for providers and consumers of data in the event of a major disaster or other complex, global operation."

The Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium's works to enable cross-domain interoperability among and between such areas as aerospace, civil and military operations, air traffic management, health care and more. NCOIC is a global not-for-profit organization with 50 members representing 12 countries. It has an eight-year history of developing world-class skills and tools that help its members and customers to operate effectively across diverse global market sectors and domains. For more information, visit www.ncoic.org

SOURCE Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium