Automated integration of real-time and non-real-time defense systems

Abstract

Various application domains require the integration of distributed real-time or near-real-time systems with non-real-time systems. Smart cities, smart homes, ambient intelligent systems, or network-centric defense systems are among these application domains. Data Distribution Service (DDS) is a communication mechanism based on Data-Centric Publish-Subscribe (DCPS) model. It is used for distributed systems with real-time operational constraints. Java Message Service (JMS) is a messaging standard for enterprise systems using Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for non-real-time operations. JMS allows Java programs to exchange messages in a loosely coupled fashion. JMS also supports sending and receiving messages using a messaging queue and a publish-subscribe interface. In this article, we propose an architecture enabling the automated integration of distributed real-time and non-real-time systems. We test our proposed architecture using a distributed Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) system. The system has DDS-based real-time Combat Management System components deployed to naval warships, and SOA-based non-real-time Command and Control components used at headquarters. The proposed solution enables the exchange of data between these two systems efficiently. We compare the proposed solution with a similar study. Our solution is superior in terms of automation support, ease of implementation, scalability, and performance.