C4ISR Test Tool Kit - Data Reduction and Analysis

Overview

The Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Test Tool Kit - Data Reduction and Analysis (CTTK-DRA) suite provides near real-time and post-test data processing, evaluation, and presentation capabilities to the test community using data collected from military platforms, typically an Army Battle Command System (ABCS) or Future Combat System (FCS) architecture instrumented with the United States Army Electronic Proving Ground (USAEPG) data collection services. CTTK-DRA uses a plug-in architecture to manage, monitor, analyze, and report on message traffic, network data, friendly and enemy situational awareness (SA), and much more.

Current Capabilities

Examining Data Reduction Analysis readouts
  • Monitors message and network traffic in near real-time, to include bandwidth and network health information.
  • Generates level 3 + reports and charts of collected data presenting message completion rate, speed-of-service, exception reports, and more.
  • Presents a graphical display of friendly and enemy SA messages on a map along with counts and tap points and for units-of-interest.
  • Provides user ability to customize reports and data monitors, built to user specifications with an easy-to-use user interface.
  • Monitors, views, and validates Army Battle Command Systems (ABCS) Publish and Subscribe Services (PASS) eXtensible Markup Language (XML) data.
  • Performs packet level network data analysis.
  • Provides support for Joint Capability Release (JCR) Self-Describing Situational Awareness (SDSA).

NOVA

The Network Objects Visual Analyzer (NOVA) plug-in is an XML driven, near real-time or post-test data analysis tool. NOVA that provides the user with bandwidth information based on data collected by the EPG data collection tools that has been processed by the Data Processing Unit (DPU). NOVA also includes charts on historical system network health, instrumentation data gaps, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video usage, Joint Capabilities Release (JCR) specialty reports, and much more.

FINDINGS

Examining Data Reduction Analysis readouts

The Find Information in Network Data Includes Near real-time Graphs & Statistics (FINDINGS) plug-in is a near real-time or posttest data analysis tool that performs reduction on network traffic and generates comprehensive reports and charts based on Message Completion Rate (MCR), Speed of Service (SoS), message types and sizes, exceptions, expectation, and many more. FINDINGS includes very specialized reports and charts on VoIP, video, JCR, Common Data Link Protocol (CDLP), and Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) data.

PASS Monitor

The Publish and Subscribe Services (PASS) Monitor plug-in is a near real-time, graphical analysis tool that aids analysis of ABCS PASS and Distributed Data Services (DDS) server XML traffic. The plug-in views and validates PASS/DDS XML messages against published schemas and is capable of producing several types of reports and charts; detailed and summary.

ROVRS

Examining Data Reduction Analysis readouts

The Real-time Oriented Versatile Reporting System (ROVRS) plugin is flexible, near real-time or post-test database visualization tool that allows users to create dynamic data views, custom reports, build simple-to-complex data filters, and provide input/output field translations.

SA Monitor

The Situational Awareness (SA) Monitor is a near-real time, graphical analysis tool that aids the analysis of SA positions by plotting units, platforms, entities, and tactical graphics onto a map from data parsed from messages collected by the EPG data collection services. SA Monitor also provides counts of active, stale, and old SA along with counts per data collection point and units/platforms of interest.

Collaboration Monitor

The Collaboration Monitor plug-in is a near real-time or post-test analysis tool that provides a graphical display of VoIP and video sessions. The display includes IP phones, video units, call managers, and data collectors. Detailed data on each collaboration session is made available and includes charts such as Mean Opinion Score (MOS) and jitter.

Data Hunter

Examining Data Reduction Analysis readouts

Data Hunter is a near real-time or post-test analysis tool that supports detailed, layer-by-layer, semi-automated analysis of message traffic. The tool provides the capability to:

  • Monitor application layer messages in a user friendly environment
  • Troubleshoot specific problems in monitored communications systems
  • Translate raw data into record-based file formats for data reduction

Summary

CTTK-DRA was designed to provide data reduction, analysis, and presentation capabilities to the developmental test community. The plug-in architecture facilitates extensibility and adaptability. In addition, most of the plug-ins include comprehensive custom reporting capabilities that accommodate “spur-of-the-moment”.