Tough Problems Solved

In time-critical scenarios, such as military operations, homeland security, law enforcement or emergency rescue efforts, getting the right information to the right people quickly is paramount. But in fluid and unpredictable situations, operations personnel often face an information overload that threatens to overwhelm the decision-making process. The volume of real-time data and video generated through use of mobile devices and autonomous robotic devices can be daunting for workers trying to sift through rich-media content to provide relevant, localized intelligence to those responsible for making decisions in the field.

To help improve information management during crisis situations, researchers at the IBM Haifa Research Lab have developed the Distributed Information Services Hub (DISH) — a collaborative real-time SOA-based approach for easy integration across J2SE/J2EE architecture that collects, manages, stores, analyzes and distributes real-time, rich-media information and alerts between ad-hoc producers and consumers.

The SOA (Services Oriented Architecture)-based solution gathers information from sensors and video sources to help provide shared situational awareness and address information overload. The DISH system provides resilient streaming services for recording and Video On Demand (VOD) with bandwidth adaptation and dynamic transcoding. It uses smart algorithms to automatically and transparently deliver real-time situational notifications and alerts when new, relevant information becomes available. In each individual case, relevancy is tied to the current dynamic context, including mission, geographic region, location, trajectory, proximity to others field of view, security level and role. Notifications can be complex combinations of events that depict rule-based situations.

The advanced geospatial module allows immediate correlation with other geospatial sensors and other georeferenced information. Multi Dimensional Indexing supports time dependent geospatial, multilayered, mission related information to allow authorized user access to all data in the system and provides the means to efficiently query for objects based on location and time.

The DISH architecture can link several DISH systems deployed in the field, allowing them to cooperate and share information, similar to peer-to-peer networking. DISH enables users to users collaborate in real-time using advanced player with real-time shared annotation support. The systems can be used for real-time traffic information, for public safety, emergency response and Homeland Security operations, and in conjunction with military operations. One foreign defense agency has deployed the DISH system, and demonstrations of the technology have been held in defense agency forums in Germany, Spain, the UK and Israel.

DISH technology helps improve decision making through enhanced situational awareness and information delivery. IBM Research Services is working with GBS clients and industry experts to deliver this and other groundbreaking approaches and technologies. To find out more about the research and explore innovative ways to add the DISH solution to your portfolio, contact IBM Research Services today.