Developing a test program for the DoD 2400 bps vocoder selection process

The scores from a test program often receive close scrutiny when used for the selection of a vocoder algorithm. However, the test program itself is equally important to the proper evaluation and selection of a vocoder. It must translate user requirements into test procedures and test conditions that ensure the selected vocoder performs adequately. Furthermore, since the test program defines a significant portion of the evidence that will be used to make a selection, the integrity of the selection relies heavily on the structure of the test program. The test program is also constrained by finite resources of time, money, and personnel. In 1995, the DoD Digital Voice Processing Consortium (DDVPC) created a test program for the purpose of selecting a new 2400 bps federal standard vocoder. This test program demonstrated a process of selecting proper test methods and defining proper test conditions to assess required performance, complexity and implementation requirements. This paper discusses the motivation for the structure of the 1995 test program and provides a description of the actual test