Interoperable sharing of data with the Coalition Shared Data (CSD) server

In crisis management quick and full situation awareness is essential to enable adequate countermeasures and reactions. Relevant information has to be distributed to agencies and decision makers. To overcome the limitations of today's stovepiped ISR systems, interoperable transnational systems, capable of including all relevant data sources and sharing them among law enforcement bodies, are needed. To enforce the interoperability of ISR systems the multinational nine-nation intelligence and surveillance project MAJIIC (Multi-Sensor Aerospace-Ground Joint ISR Interoperability Coalition) developed standards, technologies and an architecture that allow commanders to instantly tap into real-time data from a number of NATO and national systems. Standardized data dissemination is the key in achieving interoperability. A Coalition Shared Data (CSD) server, which is based on STANAG 4559 is the core of that architecture and enables the dissemination and storage of data from heterogeneous sensors from different nations, as well as tasking information and sensor data exploitation results. To make information available no matter where it is stored and where it is needed, the CSD concept envisions the near real-time synchronization of the metadata between different servers. The information about products in the CSD is available in the whole network, regardless of where those products are stored. Each user needs to know only one access point, his local CSD, but has access to the whole data in the network (under the provision of granted access rights by the owner of the data). If the product is of interest, it can be requested from the local CSD. Request forwarding for not locally stored data and delivery is handled by the interconnected and synchronized CSDs. The CSD concept passed its first full-blown test during a major NATO exercise in Norway, Bold Avenger/Trial Quest 2007, which included real-time maneuvers by several thousand air and ground forces. In 2008 the concept was successfully tested during the Bundeswehr experiment Common Shield 2008. An adaptation of the concept has been tested in the project SOBCAH (Surveillance of borders, coastlines and harbours), partially funded by the European Commission under the Preparatory Action for Security Research (PASR) 2005 program. The proven benefit of information sharing through the CSD at the NATO exercise Bold Avenger/Trial Quest 2007 and the Bundeswehr experiment Common Shield 2008, led to the planning of fielding the CSD in NATO and Bundeswehr in 2009 - 2010.