Net Gains: A Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change

This handbook provides the growing number of people who are developing networks for social change with practical advice based on the experiences of network builders, case studies of networks small and large, local and international, and emerging scientific knowledge about "connectivity." It is intended to join, complement, and spur other efforts to capture and make widely available what is being learned in the business, government, and civil sectors about why and how to use networks, rather than solitary organizations, to generate large-scale impact

Proceedings of the 2004 ONR Decision-Support Workshop Series: Interoperability

In August of 1998 the Collaborative Agent Design Research Center (CADRC) of the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), approached Dr. Phillip Abraham of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) with the proposal for an annual workshop focusing on emerging concepts in decision-support systems for military applications. The proposal was considered timely by the ONR Logistics Program Office for at least two reasons. First, rapid advances in information systems technology over the past decade had produced distributed collaborative computer-assistance capabilities with profound potential for providing meaningful support to military decision makers. Indeed, some systems based on these new capabilities such as the Integrated Marine Multi-Agent Command and Control System (IMMACCS) and the Integrated Computerized Deployment System (ICODES) had already reached the field-testing and final product stages, respectively. Second, over the past two decades the US Navy and Marine Corps had been increasingly challenged by missions demanding the rapid deployment of forces into hostile or devastate dterritories with minimum or non-existent indigenous support capabilities. Under these conditions Marine Corps forces had to rely mostly, if not entirely, on sea-based support and sustainment operations. Particularly today, operational strategies such as Operational Maneuver From The Sea (OMFTS) and Sea To Objective Maneuver (STOM) are very much in need of intelligent, near real-time and adaptive decision-support tools to assist military commanders and their staff under conditions of rapid change and overwhelming data loads. In the light of these developments the Logistics Program Office of ONR considered it timely to provide an annual forum for the interchange of ideas, needs and concepts that would address the decision-support requirements and opportunities in combined Navy and Marine Corps sea-based warfare and humanitarian relief operations. The first ONR Workshop was held April 20-22, 1999 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Luis Obispo, California. It focused on advances in technology with particular emphasis on an emerging family of powerful computer-based tools, and concluded that the most able members of this family of tools appear to be computer-based agents that are capable of communicating within a virtual environment of the real world. From 2001 onward the venue of the Workshop moved from the West Coast to Washington, and in 2003 the sponsorship was taken over by ONR’s Littoral Combat/Power Projection (FNC) Program Office (Program Manager: Mr. Barry Blumenthal). Themes and keynote speakers of past Workshops have included: 1999: ‘Collaborative Decision Making Tools’ Vadm Jerry Tuttle (USN Ret.); LtGen Paul Van Riper (USMC Ret.);Radm Leland Kollmorgen (USN Ret.); and, Dr. Gary Klein (KleinAssociates) 2000: ‘The Human-Computer Partnership in Decision-Support’ Dr. Ronald DeMarco (Associate Technical Director, ONR); Radm CharlesMunns; Col Robert Schmidle; and, Col Ray Cole (USMC Ret.) 2001: ‘Continuing the Revolution in Military Affairs’ Mr. Andrew Marshall (Director, Office of Net Assessment, OSD); and,Radm Jay M. Cohen (Chief of Naval Research, ONR) 2002: ‘Transformation ... ’ Vadm Jerry Tuttle (USN Ret.); and, Steve Cooper (CIO, Office ofHomeland Security) 2003: ‘Developing the New Infostructure’ Richard P. Lee (Assistant Deputy Under Secretary, OSD); and, MichaelO’Neil (Boeing) 2004: ‘Interoperability’ MajGen Bradley M. Lott (USMC), Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; Donald Diggs, Director, C2 Policy, OASD (NII

Military Transformation and the Defense Industry after Next

Though still adjusting to the end of the Cold War, the defense industry is now confronted with the prospect of military transformation. Since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, many firms have seen business improve in response to the subsequent large increase in the defense budget. But in the longer run, the defense sector\u27s military customers intend to reinvent themselves for a future that may require the acquisition of unfamiliar weapons and support systems.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/usnwc-newport-papers/1016/thumbnail.jp

Introducing Wireless Grids Technology to the Field of Telemedicine

While telemedicine and technology-enabled education are not new concepts and have significant bodies of research, in depth application to management and treatment of veteran Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is relatively new. The conflicts in the Southwest Asia over the last two decades have significantly increased the need for healthcare and support services for these returning warriors. Creative thinking and innovative technologies are needed to meet the growing and changing demand of these patients in the face of many competing demands within the U.S. healthcare sector. This doctoral research study investigated the potential for a platform-agnostic (ad hoc) networking technology to serve as a trusted social networking and training platform for healthcare providers who are striving to provide quality healthcare that meets the needs of veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI. This research study analyzed the effectiveness of a digitally networked environment to deliver desired training and certification outcomes in a military healthcare environment. The level of acceptance of an ad hoc network technology (GridstreamRx) by healthcare professionals using it as an enabler of collaboration during the training process was evaluated. The results also assessed the readiness of healthcare professionals to use this Information Communications Technology (ICT), or analogous new applications and services, to help them perform their healthcare responsibilities. This thesis study, accomplished with the support of the U.S. Army and National Science Foundation, took place at two large military medical centers over a twelve-month period of time. Data was gathered from 568 healthcare professionals using quantitative survey instruments. Ninety-six respondents provided additional quantitative and qualitative inputs at various times during a proscribed training regimen. DeLone and McLean\u27s 2003 Information System Success Model, modified by findings of more recent research, provided the theoretical lens for analyzing the data from 32 of the training participants in determining the perceived net benefit of the GridstreamRx technology. The data gathered for the study showed, at the 95% level of confidence, that a majority of the professionals of these two medical centers would perceive a positive net benefit from using GridstreamRx in a healthcare training environment. The conclusion from this analysis was that not only are the healthcare providers in this study ready to use ICT and social networking in this professional setting, but also that GridstreamRx is an acceptable platform for performing these functions. The study participants provided input with respect to their priorities regarding information sharing techniques, functionality, and suggestions for improving the platform. The outcomes confirmed that GridstreamRx can be a successful introduction of ad hoc networking to telemedicine. This thesis concluded with recommendations for scholars and practitioners to pursue in the future; and should be followed up with further research and actions in order to build toward a Fully Integrated Virtual Healthcare Environment (FivHe)

Horizontal Fusion: Enabling Net-Centric Operations and Warfare

the ability to access real-time information at the right time to make the right decisions

Globalization and Maritime Security Conference Report

Portions of this work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, LLNL-AR-409177.LLNL-AR-409177DE-AC52-07NA2734

Transformation and the Navy’s Tough Choices Ahead

Analyses have pointed to a “coming train wreck” between defense program goals and available re- sources; the fact is that the collision is already upon us. Fundamental transformation, its advocates argue, is a response that would produce, for a given amount of resources, a force more effective against future threats than would implementing today’s collection of programs

The Boston Girls Sports & Physical Activity Project: Final Report to the Barr Foundation

The main goal of the three-year Boston Girls' Sports & Physical Activity Project (BGSPAP) was to create an integrated and sustainable network of community-based programs that use sports and physical activity to favorably influence the physical, psychological, and social development of urban girls. The BGSPAP aimed to provide economically disadvantaged urban girls with opportunities to participate in sports and physical activity. The BGSPAP also aspired to upgrade sports and physical activity programming for girls in order to overcome gender biases built into the Boston schools and community programs. The number and quality of sports and exercise programs for Boston girls were not at par with those of Boston boys

Unmanned systems interoperability standards

Over the past several years, there has been rapid growth in the development and employment of unmanned systems in military and civilian endeavors. Some military organizations have expressed concern that these systems are being fielded without sufficient capabilities to interoperate with existing systems. Despite recognition of this requirement, interoperability efforts remain diverse and disjointed across the United States and internationally. The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Monterey, California, was sponsored by the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (JGRE) in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) to explore (1) enhancement of robotics education; (2) improved representation of robotic systems in combat simulations; and (3) interoperability standards for military robotics systems. This report discusses work performed in FY16 to identify current and emerging interoperability standards for unmanned systems, including interactions of robotic systems with command and control (C2) and simulation systems. The investigation included assessment of the applicability of standardization activities in the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) in its development of the Phase 1 Coalition Battle Management Language (C-BML) and currently in-progress Command and Control Systems - Simulation Systems Interoperation (C2SIM) standardization efforts. The report provides a recommended approach, standards, activities, and timetable for a cross-system communications roadmap.Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise, 3090 Defense Pentagon, Room 5C756, Washington, DC 20301Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited