SMART II: Android apps, cloud computing and mobile device management as enablers for efficient operations

Abstract

"SMART" { pervasive situational awareness at the individual soldier level { was a Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) project carried out in Norway during 2016. The concept being tested was the use of smart technology as a cheap and low-complexity platform for collaboration and situational awareness for the Norwegian home guard (HV). SMART included building a prototype based on the Android platform. The prototype was tested in several eld trials. In general, the results from the activity strongly indicated that using civilian smart technology yields an operational value. The SMART prototype and concept can provide cheap and low-complexity communications to HV and others who may need this capability. The prototype has since 2016 further evolved, and was used in another CD&E project in 2018, the so-called "SMART II". Here, we focused on necessary communication and computing infrastructure support for forces using smart devices to establish their common operational picture. As part of the experiments, we evaluated approaches such as cloud computing and mobile device management (MDM) when deploying and using the software. HV tested the prototype extensively in 2018, with the culmination being its use during the Trident Juncture exercise by one of HV's rapid response forces. In this paper, we give an overview of our prototype, with emphasis on technology and our experiences with the supporting infrastructure tools.