Integration of the MIP Command and Control Information Exchange Data Model into National Systems

摘要

Interoperability of command and control information systems gains an ever-increasing importance. The aim of the Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP) is to achieve international interoperability in order to support land component commanders in joint and combined operations. For that purpose, MIP defines the Command and Control Information Exchange Data Model (C2IEDM) and the Data Exchange Mechanism (DEM). However, when implementing the MIP Solution, it is not sufficient to simply add new interfaces to existing systems. Instead, far-reaching modifications to the core of national C2ISs have to be made to ensure true semantic interoperability. In this paper, we address several interoperability and implementation issues of the MIP C2IEDM. We point out that a shared tactical picture only becomes reality if the commanders are fully aware of the extent of interoperability that is given by their national C2ISs. Moreover, the subtle problems of coupling a geographic information system (GIS) with the MIP solution are discussed. On the data base level, we show that the co-existence of a proprietary national data model and the C2IEDM results in systems that are extremely hard to maintain. To hide away the complexity of the C2IEDM from C2 applications, we propose a data access stack that provides a canonical, business objects view on the data model.