Cursor on Target conference to feature hands-on challenge

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Hours of PowerPoint presentations are not on the agenda for next week's Cursor on Target Users' Conference, which officials from the Electronic Systems Center here will host Sept. 22 and 23.

The conference will include several presentations, but a scenario-based, 'friendly competition' will dominate much of the event.

Officials here are expecting as many as 200 attendees to participate in the hands-on activity. They will be split into two teams, each consisting of end-users, developers and program managers. The teams will apply CoT-based technologies to rapidly track and share data that allows operational challenges to be met, according to Capt. Todd Myers, CoT program manager.

Specialists from the office of the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (A2) and Air Force Special Operations Command will judge the results. Day two of the conference will highlight a discussion and an analysis of the results.

CoT is a straight-forward, powerful method of communicating situational awareness data, and one that doesn't try to do too much, according to Scott Hardiman, deputy director of the Capability Integration directorate, which oversees the effort.

For special operations personnel and others operating in a battlefield environment, where time is critical and bandwidth limited, only minimal essential information can be passed and processed. The same is often true for disaster relief and other emergency response operations. The XML-based template, or schema, undergirding CoT gets that information through.

The key is that it strips critical, time-sensitive communication requirements down to their most essential elements, Mr. Hardiman said.

"It offers a good, simple solution to a vexing problem, without trying to solve a bunch of other problems," he said.

CoT was developed by MITRE in support of ESC following a 2002 charge by then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper. The chief challenged ESC to develop capabilities that allowed different agencies to communicate with each other using existing systems. He also wanted the systems to communicate automatically, with minimal human interface. The mantra for this machine-to-machine vision flowed from the chief's 2002 speech at the ESC-hosted C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Summit.

"The sum of all wisdom is a cursor over the target," General Jumper said.

Eight years later, 'Cursor on Target' technology is being used across the military and many civilian domains, according to lead engineer Jon Jacoby of MITRE.

CoT, he noted, has helped solve many key operational challenges, including the need to rapidly assign strike assets to a target and then pass target coordinates to the asset. CoT does this by significantly reducing operator tasks, like typing in target coordinates, and replacing them with the machine-to-machine interfaces General Jumper called for.

CoT also helps connect systems that, for one reason or another, fail to connect on their own, and it has become an essential tool for tracking both hostile and friendly forces. That tracking capability, combined with the enhanced accuracy provided by removing hand-written or hastily typed coordinates, means that CoT significantly reduces fratricide potential.

CoT's evolution continues to expand its utility, Mr. Jacoby said, noting that full-motion video feeds can be brought up with the click of button. He said the conference lets program managers and users see what current capabilities are out there and gives vendors extra motivation to push the envelope.

"Seeing what others are doing often drives developers to do more," he said. "Plus, two key Air Force customers -- Air Force A2 and AFSOC -- are going to be there, which adds extra incentive."

Challenging vendors and users to work collaboratively to solve problems, on the fly, should demonstrate how quickly results can be produced. It also could lead to future teaming arrangements that help get new CoT-based capabilities acquired and fielded sooner.

Because CoT is not a licensed, proprietary technology and its simple design allows for quick implementation, it has experienced exponential growth across the Department of Defense and other departments.

Captain Myers pointed to the huge range of users that are coming -- some who are just getting started with CoT and some who've been using it for eight years.

"It'll be interesting to hear everyone's perspective and to discuss all the potential synergies," he said.

Those interested in attending or learning more about the conference should contact the CoT Project Office at (781) 377-2033. All participants must be U.S. citizens and have a military or government sponsor.