Enterprise Mobility and Manned/Unmanned Systems Integration Capabilities

The army is fundamentally changing the way they are operating by implementing Manned/Unmanned Systems Integration Capabilities (MUSIC).  They are developing ways to transfer multi-intelligence capabilities (manned and unmanned data collection systems) between platforms, and to fuse the information in ways they haven’t been able to do before.  They are also going to share this information with additional users in ways that were not possible before.

How does this capability relate to enterprise mobility?  It is a peek into the future of commercial enterprise mobility.  It combines manned (mobile workforce) and unmanned intelligence (remote wireless sensors and M2M communications) into a common platform that will enable the combined information to be used, fused and shared at the right time, with the right person, on the right device and in the right amount.

The army says these changes will allow them to innovate much faster than in the past.  As the workload of army operators (commercial equivalents would be service managers and dispatchers) increases, the mobile workforce must rely more on automation and dissemination of information to work effectively in a real time environments.

On a related topic, the army's announced Android based mobility framework and system is called the Joint Battle Command-Platform, or JBC-P Handheld (read more).   Here are some of the initial mobility apps mentioned:

• GPS tracking of user-designated friendlies or unfriendlies
• Tactical Ground Reporting
• Medevac messaging apps
• Military contacts address book
• Open Office for viewing documents.

The government took an additional interesting step of opening up this platform to mobile application developers.  It built its own protected framework for the JBC-P called the Mobile/Handheld Computing Environment, or CE, which ensures that apps built for the JBC-P will be secure and interoperable with different mission command systems. 

It appears that the mobility apps in JBC-P Handheld, and the mobile intelligence (MUSIC) capabilities identified in this article will all be available on the same mobile devices. 

I am watching closely how the military is using mobility and real time intelligence to gain insights and learn lessons on what is transferrable to us involved in the commerical enterprise mobility space.

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer

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Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.