Reliable data aggregation and dissemination framework in tactical network architecture

Abstract

Tactical communication systems are typically operated in disruptive networking environments. Such intermittent networking conditions present technical challenges in reliably delivering meaningful information to the appropriate destinations. This study proposes a reliable data aggregation and dissemination framework in the context of tactical networks. The framework takes a hybrid approach of combining disruption tolerant networking advantages and an adaptive sensor data aggregation method to ensure reliable data delivery. An experimental prototype system architecture was developed and implemented to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed data aggregation and dissemination framework. A relevant demonstration scenario based on an example data aggregation map was developed for performing system evaluation. Test results demonstrated that the proposed framework accurately inferred meaningful messages from raw sensor data and reliably delivered messages to the appropriate destinations. The proposed framework can be a promising solution beneficial to current and future system-level design of tactical network architectures.