Answering the Ground Station Challenge

THE DARO REALIZES THAT INVESTMENTS in multiple UAV platforms and sensors offer little to the warfighter if the information collected is not received in a usable form and timely manner. Our 1995 Airborne Reconnaissance Technical Architecture Program Plan (TAPP) defines the basic design rules and acquisition schedule for the Common Imagery Ground/Surface System (CIGSS). This program will aggregate all imagery systems into a single project so that disparate Service ground stations will disseminate imagery interoperably in a joint warfighting environment.

In July 1995, we published the CIGSS Handbook to help industry and the Services to build their ground systems to a common set of standards and design rules. We will ensure interoperability between endurance UAV ground systems and CIGSS ground stations, and will add exploitation enhancements to improve data throughput.

For tactical UAVs, we anticipate improvement of the JSTARS ground station to enhance collection management and platform cueing between MTI radar and UAV sensors. The Services are testing various techniques to "plug" video imagery into JSTARS' ground station. Together we will ensure that standards and protocols for tactical ground stations interoperate with CIGSS programs. Like the Ground Support Module, future ground stations will be able to mix imagery, SIGINT and other sensor data to provide a near-real-time fused picture of the battlefield.

We are also working with the Central Imagery Office (CIO) to develop efficient means of processing and disseminating the end-to-end flow of video imagery from UAVs through CIGSS. A CIGSS Motion Imagery Concept document will be released this fall. Our two offices will also resolve issues concerning compression algorithms, storage and retrieval of motion imagery, and automatic target recognition techniques. In addition, we have worked extensively with the working group establishing the National Imagery Agency.