Research on Battlefield Awareness System Based on Internet of Things
Technology
Zhao-fu Sun1, De-xiang Sun2, Zhi-liang Li2
1 Flight Training Base of Air Force Aviation University; Changchun, China
2 Training Department of Air Force Aviation University, Changchun, China
(sdx58964@gmail.com, iott1230@163.com)
Abstract - As a newly-developed and important
technology in recent years, the Internet of Things (IOT)
technology was regarded as “a gold mine of unknown
reserves” by military experts, its kernel ideal of “connecting
things” has a significant influence on information-based war.
The concept of the Internet of Things and its military
application are introduced, also the framework of battlefield
awareness is analyzed, meanwhile the application system of
the Internet of Things technology in battlefield awareness is
proposed. Finally some related key problems are discussed.
II. THE FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF
BATTELE AWARENESS SYSTEM
The information-based war in the twenty-first century
is regarded as “the success of the sense”, in the
background of modern military competition, the control
of “transparent battlefield” is the inevitable result of
information development, and the focused point of all
powerful and strong countries.
A. Basic concept
Keywords - Internet of Things technology (IOT),
battlefield awareness, system structure, sensor
I. INTRODUCTION
The IOT’s fast development has brought a significant
influence on the society from all sides. Its wide
application has begun in physical distribution
management, intelligent transportation, environment
monitoring, intelligent index, remote medical treatment,
intelligent
housing and
military defense.[1]The
breakthrough in the technique is more probably first
applied to military, and promotes the military innovation
forward. The IOT’s creative logos has broken the
traditional military thought, also will pound at the existing
military operation system. Its integration into the
battlefield awareness system is an effective way to
improve the information-based war.
The IOT’s concept is first proposed in America
mobile computer and network conference in 1999, its
English name is “The Internet of Things”, based on
computer and internet, according to promissory protocol,
it connects things with the internet using the facilities
such as RFID, infrared sensor, GPS and laser scanner, to
realize intelligent recognition, location, tracking,
monitoring and management, which constructs a real
internet covering all things in the world. [2-4] The IOT is
composed of three layers. First is the sense layer, which
means obtaining all kinds of information with RFID,
sensor, and two-dimension bar code. Second is the
network layer, which means transmitting the obtained
information with the integration of telecommunication
and internet. Third is application layer, which processes
the information obtained from the sense layer, to realize
practical application. [5-7]
The concept of battlefield awareness forms with the
development of information technology, especially the
detection technology, and the further study of new
military theories. Battlefield Awareness (BA), means the
fight and support troops can grasp the real-time
information of the enemy, the friend and our troop deploy,
weapon allocation, and battlefield environment (such as
terrain, meteorology and hydrology). Besides traditional
reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, targeting and
damage evaluation, battlefield awareness’s biggest
character is the management and control of information
resource. In order to improve the army’s ability of
battlefield awareness, many countries are investing related
systems. [8][9]
B. Framework
Nowadays, many countries are paying much attention
to the study the battlefield awareness system, aiming to
find out related targets timely, distinguish correctly and
process rapidly. In 2002, the US military science
consultation committee advised the army to improve their
organization and technology to train better “prior
battlefield awareness” ability. Recent years, the US army
attached much importance to “network-centered war”,
“action-centered war” and “sensor to shooter” operation
methods, give prominence to the ability of awareness by
wireless sensor network. The framework of battlefield
awareness system proposed by Cui Xunxue is shown as
Fig.1.
Actioncentered war
Networkcentered war
From sensor to
shooter
Transparent battlefield and C4ISRT
Battlefield awareness
Application
layer
New battle model
Military
sensing
Missile
warning
Military
reconnaissance
Sea
surveillance
Chemistry test
Optical
sensor
Meteorology
observation
Information
support
Battlefield
awareness
Information
obtain
Information
control
Information
comprehension
Damage effect forecast and
evaluation
Battlefield
space
Troop
deploy
Target distinguish
Network
layer
Internet
Weapon
distribution
Multi-sensor integrate and data
mining
Mobile
communication
network
Cloud
computing
Information technology
center
Information
Transmission
Battlefield
environment
Unmanned
plane
Satellite
sensing
Weapon control and
guidance
Weapon
guide
WSN
Image Radar
Reconnaissance
and surveillance
Information
Process
and
application
The army
Sense
layer
Space based:
Satellite sensing
Air based:
Reconnaissance
/unmanned plane
Ground based:
WSN, RFID sensor
Information
obtain
National information infrastructure
Fig. 1. Framework of battlefield awareness system
III. THE IOT TECHNOLIGY’S APPLICATION IN
BATTLEFIELD AWARENESS
The IOT technology’s application in battlefield
awareness is a totally new notion of intelligent sense,
location, tracking, monitoring and management, which
promotes the integrated operation.
A. Framework
The infrastructure of IOT is to construct the
“connecting all things” sense network, all the sensor
nodes are the feelers in the battlefield environment. With
the feelers, the IOT can sense the time and space
information accurately, so as to monitor the real-time
battlefield environment, transmit the active fight
information and control the intelligent terminal. [10]
To build the battlefield awareness information
network supported by IOT technology, unmanned plane
and artillery are used to cast the micro-sensor (such as
sound, light, electromagnetic, shake, acceleration sensors)
to the target area, so the sensors can detect and sense the
equipment and track of the troops. At the same, these
information are integrated with that obtained from the
satellite, aircraft and ship sensors, then transmitted to the
information technology center via the internet and mobile
communication network, after process and analysis, an
all-inclusive, all-spectrum, all-time reconnaissance and
surveillance system is formed, which provides accurate
target location and effect evaluation information, and
improves joint battlefield awareness ability. Therefore,
the IOT system can be a significant part of command,
control,
communication,
computer,
intelligence,
surveillance reconnaissance and targeting system
(C4ISRT). The framework of battlefield awareness system
based on the IOT technology is shown as Fig. 2.
Fig. 2. The framework of battlefield awareness system based on the IOT
technology
a. Sense layer
The sense layer is the foundation of the IOT, and the
link layer of the physical and information world. It works
by connecting all kinds of information, and using network
communication, information process, physical security
reliability, middleware and gateway technology etc. for
the purpose of realizing the sense and communication
between the physical and information world. In the
battlefield awareness system, the sensors play a very
important role.
The spatial sensing equipment especially sensing
satellite is a significant power to provide real-time and
accurate intelligence for the battlefield dynamic
awareness. For example, the US army used seven optical
imaging reconnaissance satellites such as the “Keyhole”,
“Hong hockey” to take photos in Iraq, and operate fullscale target reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance,
which greatly improves the battlefield awareness ability.
Aviation reconnaissance force such as the
reconnaissance plane can take carry out all-weather, alltime and all-orientation surveillance in the battlefield,
while the unmanned plane can take its advantages of longrange and high-resolution, which is also very important in
obtaining information. In the Iraq battlefield, the US army
put ten kinds, more than ninety unmanned planes into the
operation, including “Predator”, “Global hawk”, which
became the largest action time in all previous battlefields
[11]
.
Micro sensor nodes can be sent to the target area.In
this case intensive, random distributed and low-cost
wireless sensor network is formed. It collects all kinds of
sensing information such as shock, press, sound, speed,
temperature, humidity, light, magnetic field, radiation,
and operates in hidden position to sense all-around
battlefield information. For example, when the vehicles
go through, the sensors attached to the ground can collect
and integrate shock, sound signals, and send them to the
headquarter. Traditional sensor nodes are limited to the
computing ability and electrical energy, so they can only
collect and transmit small data. Nowadays, new
generation of sensors which are able to collect and
transmit video signals have emerged. Simultaneously,
given that the sensors are large and distributed randomly,
when a part of sensors encounter attack, the whole
network system would carry on by its high fault-tolerance
ability. For this reason, wireless sensor network can adapt
to terrible surroundings, and undertake tasks such as
detecting the enemy’s troop deploy, equipment
transmission, nuclear pollution, biochemistry, target
positioning attack and battlefield evaluation.
b. Network layer
The middle layer of IOT is network layer, it works by
transmitting all kinds of information obtained from the
physical world by the internet, mobile communication
network and virtual private network to the application
layer effectively, reliably and safely, to realize the interact
between man and machine, machine and machine. The
information transmitted by the communication network
contains not only text, sound, video multimedia and so on,
but also all information such as location data from the
sensors.
Due to the information gathered from the sense layer
consists of satellite remote sensing, reconnaissance plane
and wireless sensor network data, the network layer is
required to integrate multi-sensor data to mine as much
battlefield information as possible. When it comes to how
to process and distribute large quantity of sensor
information quickly and effectively, “cloud computing”
platform works, it may complete a certain task in dozens
of minutes, while several hours before. It shows a new
concept of computing.
c. Application layer
Application is the driver of the whole IOT,
application layer combines IOT technology with the
professional system, encapsulates the sensing data, and
realizes the solution of extensive “connect all things”. In
the connection with the decision maker, IOT needs to
provide a customizing model under mass of information,
and realizes a friendly, convenient, low consumption
interactive system. The application layer’s key algorithms
and software system are the major of IOT computing
environment, which ensure the security and reliability of
IOT system.
The application layer combines strategic with tactic
reconnaissance, dynamic and static surveillance, brings a
all-weather, all-time battlefield sensing drawing, the
formed “transparent” battlefield environment has a
significant influence on reconnaissance and surveillance,
weapon control and guide, damage effect forecast and
evaluation. The intelligent, automatic and networking
battlefield awareness system under IOT technology
provides a better platform for the C4ISR.
B. Key problems
As a large and complicated information system, IOT
technology still has some key problems to solve when
applied to battlefield awareness. Among them are sensing
system, cloud computing and information security.
a. Intelligence of sensing system
The sense layer is based on data and information
obtained by sensor. The battlefield awareness is becoming
more and more automatic and complicated, so the sensors
are required to have high accuracy, reliability, stability,
and the ability data process, self-check, self-adjust, selfcompensation. While traditional sensors cannot meet the
demand, new generation of sensors are needed. High
function sensor needs not only improved materials, but
also chips to storage and process data. Therefore, the
result of sensor combined with micro-processor is the
merge of intelligent sensor. The intelligence of sensing
system requires some functions as following. First, microprocessor should be embedded system, so it is possible to
storage, distribute, process and transmit large information
in a small sensor, then high technology and low-cost
material are needed; Second, the intelligent sensor should
have strong survival ability, including supplying energy
for itself, self-networking and self-positioning; Third, the
battlefield complicated magnetic environment has a
serious impact on the sensors, once these sensors are
damaged or used by the enemy, they should have the
ability of self-destruction, at the same time, the quit of
partial sensor nodes do not affect the whole network.
b. Cloud computing and share platform
Cloud computing is a new technology just as IOT,
while different people have different opinion about it.
IBM cooperation holds that: “Cloud computing is new
kind of IT service, in which application data and
computing resources can be provide to the clients quickly
via network.” Cloud computing has some advantages such
as integrated resources, service according to requirement,
high-flexibility and low-cost. While applied to battlefield
awareness, private or combined cloud will be built. It can
provide an efficient, high-speed, accurate transmission
and process platform. There are also some problems, on
one hand, it needs a large cost when diverting the
traditional exploit, deploy, maintain model to the those
based on clouding computing, the cost is decided by the
battlefield complexity and request. On the other hand,
currently the reliability and security of cloud computing is
not high, especially the security. Due to the lack of mature
security support technology and related legal rules, cloud
computing still has a long way to go when applied to
battlefield awareness.
c. Information transmission security and management
Information transmission security and management
is the premise of IOT application, also an significant
symbol of the mature IOT system. The target of
information transmission security and management is to
ensure the obtained intelligence is secret, rounded and
practicable. This request runs through the whole process
of information collection, integration, transmission and
decision. It has some problems like network system [12].
First, in data gather, transmission and security, sensing
nodes are to simple to support complicated security
function; there are some many kinds of sensing nodes and
networks, while related standards are incomplete, so
uniform security system is to be built urgently. Second, in
the application security, the platform supporting IOT has
different security strategies, the IOT application is facing
challenges like large-scale, multi-platform and multi-type.
Third, there also exists security protection problems in
data process, access control of information gather,
transmission and share should be established. In short,
data-centered IOT is close to its application, its security
target consists of privacy, data distinguish, integrity,
usability, timeliness and so on.
IV. CONCLUSION
Battlefield awareness attracts more and more
attention in the world. As a new technology, IOT plays an
important role in battlefield awareness with its special
advantages. Through comprehension about IOT and its
military application, the thesis proposed the IOT
framework of battlefield awareness, studied some related
key problems, and settled the foundation of further
studies. Simultaneously, because some key technologies
remains unsolved, its military application is still in theory
analysis and experiment period, there is still a long
distance before practical application. With the
breakthrough of key technologies, IOT is to bring
revolution in information-based war.
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