
ROME, N.Y. (AFRL) —
When catastrophe strikes in the world, chaos can ensue, but Air Drive Investigate Laboratory, or AFRL, researchers are doing work on software package applications that supply distinct situational consciousness to enable reaction teams convey tranquil to the chaos.


Guardian is one computer software software personalized by AFRL’s Information and facts Directorate that facilitates catastrophe reaction and battlefield initiatives. Its main functionality is to offer vital updates to command and control about deployed assets.


“Command and management are about selection superiority, and this software package can improve stability and defense in the course of occasions of disaster or reaction,” stated Col. Fred Garcia II, the director of AFRL’s Information Directorate. “It supplies essential information to the command workforce, enabling them to deploy sources and have better situational consciousness of their teams all through an operation.”




















Guardian demonstrated its success through the 2022 California wildfires, giving complete situational awareness of various property on the floor. As Hurricane Ian approached southeast U.S. in September 2022, an AFRL crew observed a important option to put Guardian to the exam and integrate Guardian software with catastrophe reaction efforts. 

Operating with TrailBlazer Innovations and the tracking and situational recognition staff for U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, and Nationwide Guard Bureau, or NGB, units from several states, AFRL’s strategy provided the Guardian software program to support in interaction efforts on the ground.


“Disasters convey many disruptions to the landscape, comparable to battlefield problems,” claimed Todd Waskiewicz, AFRL Guardian venture direct. “Often methods are in brief source, communications are minor to nonexistent, and with out exact coordination or way, a lot of methods can be dropped in the circumstance Guardian provides leaders a superior operational photograph of what is offered and exactly where.”


Operating with mission companions, the AFRL Guardian crew supplied a speedy ability update, assembly an urgent NGB ask for. In addition, the team, which include builders from TBI and Aviture Inc., updated the application to screen crisis place alerts in the Guardian application even though making sure a unified popular operating photo.


“This alerting function, paired with the cellular polling aspect, permits management to poll parts and verify personnel position,” Waskiewicz mentioned. “For instance, in closely impacted areas where personnel are identified to be, management can survey that spot, and all personnel will get an notify inquiring them to answer on their telephones if they are all right.”


Through reaction operations to Hurricane Ian, NORTHCOM and NGB models deployed more than 400 satellite and terrestrial-primarily based systems to observe staff destinations, supply crisis alerts and communications, and give the command and common staff members situational consciousness on the floor working with Guardian as a principal situational recognition resource.


Nationwide Guard models responding to the catastrophe experienced world wide situational awareness across the spectrum for Guard operations. The Countrywide Guard Bureau J31 operations group presented shared situational awareness and liaison synchronization amongst the NGB, National Guard Joint Pressure Headquarters-Point out and inter-organizational partners.


“Although similar in strategy to some commercial programs denoting position in crisis gatherings, Guardian has some important dissimilarities in its means to give an smart response and two-way communications that provide true-time status updates that give the command staff an accurate photo of deployed property,” Waskiewicz explained.


Guardian pulls details from multiple streaming sources and presents consumers with a single display for organizing, functions and intelligence facts.


“These capabilities allow for a lot more helpful accountability and specific situational recognition in response to disasters or on the battlefield,” Waskiewicz extra.


Brian O’Hern, application supervisor and senior electronics engineer at AFRL’s Information and facts Directorate, started off Guardian in 2009. The resource was to begin with named Syracuse Intelligence Reconnaissance Details Procedure. When Open up Architecture Dispersed Widespread Floor Process, an Air Power open architecture technique for fielding modular upgrades and updates on standardized infrastructure, adopted it, the software program was renamed Guardian.


In 2010, the New York National Guard MQ-9 squadron used Guardian in remote-piloted aircraft fight operations. Air Beat Command, Air Force Unique Functions Command and the Air Nationwide Guard later on selected the program as section of the distant-piloted aircraft squadron operations heart baseline in 2011.
“Guardian provides to a broad collection of AFRL crossover systems that have simple programs in the superior-progress disaster reaction and readiness sector and is an additional AFRL device that gives a complete frequent functioning photo for groups in the field,” mentioned Waskiewicz.



