Defense
Asynchrony has a long history in developing and implementing advanced technologies and innovative system concepts in support of Department of Defense programs.
Proudly Supporting the US Department of Defense
Our experience ranges from the tactical edge with our development of the Mobile Field Kit (MFK) for the Army’s 20th Support Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) detachment teams to the strategic with our work at The United States Transportation Command supporting their efforts to implement a DODAF aligned model driven enterprise architecture and underlying service oriented infrastructure. Asynchrony is also currently supporting the Army’s CIO G6, Battle Command and CERDEC organizations on the SOA Foundation initiative and pilot activities as well as the CIO G6 sponsored Apps for the Army program. In addition, Asynchrony began working with DISA in early 2002 on what was then known as the Defense Collaboration Tool Suite, a precursor to the work we do with SPAWAR on their tactical chat program.
Tactical C2, Sensor Fusion and Collaboration
Asynchrony developed, using an Agile methodology, a tactical field kit in support of the Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal (JEOD) mission. The Mobile Field Kit (MFK) was initially developed by Asynchrony in 2000 during an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) for the JEOD Community. The purpose of the ACTD was to enhance existing battlefield threat disablement, reformulate established practices and create future-looking Techniques, Tactics and Procedures, supported by an enabling technological platform, in order to respond to the new threat environment and support the JEOD mission. The MFK is a tactical Command and Control (C2) system supporting military, homeland security and public safety missions. Consecutively for the past six years, Asynchrony has led efforts that transformed the initial research-level initiative into a fielded system supporting multiple programs and communities. Today, the MFK consists of a tightly integrated suite of software capabilities deployed on ruggedized laptop computers, which are integrated with mobile sensors over an encrypted wireless mesh network. Capabilities include voice, image and data communication; decision support; collaboration via text, audio, file sharing and white boarding; and geospatial visualization. The MFK provides a central location for the consolidation of data obtained by Warfighters and their deployed mission sensors (e.g., CBRNE detectors, mounted cameras, EOD robotics). This consolidation of data from disparate sensors provides a global representation of the mission by dispersing the data to all MFK nodes in the network. Information (e.g., photos, radiological spectroscopy) gathered downrange can be sent in real-time to the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) or Command Post, where it can be analyzed and prepared for the next team who is ready to deploy. Since that time, Asynchrony has led a number of projects that have extended the MFK beyond the JEOD community. For example, Asynchrony (2008-2011) supported the DTRA’s STIRS JCTD program to develop additional capabilities to enhance the ability to locate and identify radioactive sources and expose sites used for creation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). Development work expanded and evolved the capabilities of the MFK to support an even broader range of users, particularly within the Joint Community addressing CBRNE threats. The task areas were organized around collaborative mission execution, enhanced sensor development and integration, remote sensor and unmanned air/ground robotic vehicle control, and the creation of a STIRS regression testing and interoperability test bed.
Enterprise and Service Oriented Architecture
In June 2008, Asynchrony was awarded a Prime contract with USTRANSCOM for optimizing the enterprise deployment and distribution information environment by placing emphasis on Enterprise Architecture (EA) support to perform strategic planning and analysis by adopting the Corporate Services Vision (CSV). Asynchrony is working to enhance capabilities, reduce complexity and optimize mission and business processes by utilizing the Joint Deployment and Distribution Architecture – Enhanced (JDDA-E) to increase available capacity utilization, decrease costs and decrease process cycle time. During the initial phases of this contract, Asynchrony delivered a Conceptual Architecture which sets the baseline of the “to-be” architecture for USTRANSCOM and outlines seven architectural reference models, each optimized to store a specific type of data. A Prescriptive Architecture has also been delivered and we are currently working on Transition Architectures which provide engineering level detail for Programs of Record to understand how to move their systems and capabilities in a service oriented environment and fulfill the CSV. As part of the Prescriptive and Transition architectures, we are linking information through the architecture to the business process and linking information to the technical systems that manipulate and rely on that information. As part of our effort, Asynchrony is working with TCJ6-PE (Program Engineering) to ensure architectural alignment for the various systems managed via the program portfolios. In support of TCJ6-PE, we support developing, documenting and cataloging Enterprise standards for messaging, tooling, process management, systems security posture, interoperability and methodology. Asynchrony is also responsible for development and maintenance of a catalog of architectural artifacts (including data) that provide visibility and line-of-sight to Government leadership enabling them to align with upstream architectures in the larger DOD Enterprise (FEA, BEA, DODAF), supporting decision makers and their efforts to optimize not only the IT systems that support the business, but the business itself. In conjunction with legacy applications stored in a Corporate Information Resource Suite, Asynchrony is using an architecture tool to provide the visualization, interrogation, and cataloging capabilities needed to provide line-of-sight and visibility. The catalogs managed by this tool represent the significant business objects of the organization, associated data elements, and their relationships. This includes information about the various programs, systems, and software that comprise the computing environment at USTRANSCOM. The EA team develops and maintains, as a “living” artifact suite, a set of documentation and processes that define several methodologies that apply directly to Enterprise software development standards. These methodologies provide direction regarding architectural, design, engineering, and development practices. In addition, the Enterprise architects are incorporating test first principles and business process management tools to create executable business processes and use simulations to ensure performance parameters are met. In addition, we are assisting with the design of web services that wrap existing Program of Record (POR) capabilities. This assistance is accomplished through the use of an architecturally significant Enterprise Implementation Specifications which guides PORs in creating new features. These PORs and then accessed via services to test their capabilities, including any newly prescribed features.
Agile SOA Development
In addition to providing USTRANSCOM with enterprise architects, Asynchrony is also providing system, software and SOA engineers. These resources provide SOA engineering and development support to the USTRANSCOM Enterprise Integration Lab (EIL) and Composite Agile Development Teams in order to build the infrastructure and applications to service enable the organization’s C2 systems as part of a larger Business Process Management initiative. Asynchrony is currently working with government personnel to implement Enterprise standard message templates, portal frameworks, BPM tools, web services, web applications, and the SOA infrastructure that underlies USTRANSCOM’s Corporate Services Vision. The activities of Asynchrony engineers have had significant impact on the build out of the systems infrastructure and overall implementation methodology as well as the development of specific services and application components. Asynchrony has developed and documented a system architecture based upon EA principles defining the target runtime environment to enable the TCJ6 Corporate Services Vision. This included the development of the design, creation of specifications, and building of a reference implementation according to a system architecture that includes a work-centric portal, a workflow orchestration engine, business process metrics collector, analyzer and management layer, a service bus, multiple web service application hosts, and a management and integration layer to support external service providers. Asynchrony is supporting the certification and accreditation of this implementation as a production infrastructure. As part of this contract, we have developed a highly customized portal framework (iDistribute) including specific application portlets for information visualization. iDistribute.mil is intended to be the single point of integration and communication for USTRANSCOM. The portal supports activities throughout the logistics process including Plan, Order, Ship, Track and Pay (POST-P). The iDistribute.mil philosophy is to provide a platform for user-defined collaboration and work environments that maximize information flow while maintaining high security. Asynchrony is providing engineering resources to the nine Composite Agile Development Teams whose responsibilities range from identifying and optimizing global deployment and distribution business process (including in-theater), leading the technical SOA infrastructure team, to standing up the iDistribute.mil distribution process portal to be used for world-wide movement planning and movement visibility.
