How to Test Interoperability of Different Implementations of a Complex Military Standard

To access and use the functionality of a software system, different interfaces must be provided. When establishing a system-to-system communication, a clear definition and specification of the interfaces must exist. In the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) environment different Standardization Agreements (STANAGs) are defined. When exchanging reconnaissance and surveillance data between NATO partners, the STANAG 4559 is used. To ensure interoperability, it is necessary to be able to test the corresponding implementations regarding the adherence of the guidelines defined in the standard.Within this chapter, an idea of a test center is presented which can be used as an independent instance to test and validate a system's conformance to the STANAG 4559 standard.