A dynamic infrastructure for interconnecting disparate ISR/ISTAR assets (the ITA sensor fabric)

Modern ISR¹/ISTAR² networks comprise a very diverse and disparate set of asset types and networking technologies, which provide a unique set of challenges in the areas of sensor identification, classification, interoperability and sensor data sharing, dissemination and consumability. This paper presents the ITA sensor fabric, developed as part of the international technology alliance (ITA) in network and information science, a middleware infrastructure that addresses these challenges by providing unified/universal policy controlled access to, and management of, ISR/ISTAR networks. The ITA sensor fabric spans the network from command and control, through forward operating bases, and out to mobile forces and fielded (both mobile and/or fixed) sensors in the area of operations. This paper also presents a use case scenario developed in partnership with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and deployed in ARL´s Wireless Emulation Laboratory (WEL), that demonstrates the ITA Sensor Fabric applicability to coalition operations.