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

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group

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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.

The Military and Mobile Devices

The U.S. military is preparing to release in July 2011, a new mobile development environment called the Mobile /Handheld CE Product Developers Kit, an Android-based smartphone framework and suite of applications for tactical operations.  This is part of the Joint Battle Command-Platform or JBC-P Handheld program.

The platform is intended to help mobile applications developed for the military to better integrate with the following systems:

• Mapping
• Blue force tracking (friendly forces)
• Tactical Ground Reporting, or TIGR tactical graphics
• Critical messaging (such as SPOT reports, Medevac and Mayday)

I see this as similar to what SAP is doing with the Sybase Unwired Platform and project Gateway.  They are developing platforms to enable a standard way to integrate with core processes.

Lt. Col. Mark Daniels, product manager for JBC-P says, "Allowing industry to freely develop apps within a government-led software environment means the Army can leverage fresh ideas and technology while still maintaining disciplined governance."  It is for the similar purpose of maintaining disciplined governance that it is necessary for SAP to define how mobile devices integrate and interact with SAP.

"We're going to allow third-party developers to actually develop capabilities that aren't stovepiped," said Daniels. That means there will be interoperability across the entire family of military systems of JBC-P, which would include the platforms, the aviation, the logistics community, the tanks, the Bradleys and the handhelds.  Eliminating stovepiped applications is also a motivation of SAP's.

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Networked Field Services

Webinars of Note

The Real Time Mobile Enterprise.  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy, Access
Redstone Arsenal’s (DOD/Chugach) 3 Maintenance Challenges Solved by Mobile

*************************************************************

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

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly

Read The Field Mobility News Weekly

Read The Mobile Money News Weekly

Read The M2M News Monthly

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.