Increasing speed and quality of command decisions
Barco’s Integrated Battlespace Centers are the critical hubs of every command and control operation. They are designed for inter-agency interoperability featuring an integrated visualization platform which can be fully secured.
Scalable to site, regional, national and international applications, Barco’s command, control and communications systems link security and defense operators.
Barco’s Integrated Battlespace Centers are not only used for real-time command and control operations (e.g. intelligence gathering and analysis, situation assessment, decision support and mission management, resource dispatching, course of action planning and tasking…) but they are multi-purpose visualization facilities designed for research, mission planning and command & control operations.
Effective dissemination of command decisions
Barco’s iCommand solutions include the capability to share intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information as well as to communicate during planning.
Apollo Content Sharing uses the existing network to convey all information in real-time over long distances.
COTS and customized robust display systems
From 40” flat panels over personal walls to large area display solutions, iCommand is a multi-technology platform featuring flexible design, 24/7 operation and minimal depth. Barco’s OverView D Series feature a built-in dual-lamp system ensuring redundancy and reduced operational costs.
Depending on enduser requirements, the system may include personal displays or walls (LCD panels or rearprojection systems) or operating center-sized large-screen displays.
Barco’s OverView series architecture allow quick set-up and tear-down (max. 4 hours): therefore, making it an ideal solution in field-deployable semifixed and/or tent-based command centers.
The system can be regarded as a supporting structure with screen, integrated with several components, which together generate the image. The whole light path, from lamp to screen, is designed to deliver optimal picture quality.
Multiple source handling
The iCommand solutions are powered by Barco's TransForm family of network controllers (Hydra, Eos, and Argus).
They allow for virtually unlimited integration of data and video sources into one Common-Operating-Picture overview. As opposed to softwarebased visualization solutions, the hardware processing provides the user with increased capacity, better performance and quality.
Depending on the configuration of displays and mix of input types, the users can configure their systems to have different capacities that best suit their needs and cost requirements.
Barco’s hardware configuration can be adapted to display both secure and non-secure sources on the same display and has been Tempest (NSTISSAM 2-95) and NSA approved.
Barco’s offering also features a universal decoder solution that increases cost-efficiency and facilitates the transition from analog to digital. The user can replace analog video input cards with digital input cards and can support analog and digital signals simultaneously in the same controller. The universal decoder is interoperable in MPEG-2 and 4 over Ethernet (IP).
Dynamic content management
The iCommand display management software, Apollo, features integrated layout management and digital video switching. This allows the enduser to select the desired network video stream to be viewed, to assign it onto an already open or new window within the screen, associate the window to a layout (which can be recalled in alarm conditions) and design layouts and save them for later recall.
In essence, Apollo allows operators and coordinators to manage the content efficiently.
- Common Operational Picture & scenario building enabling operators and coordinators to respond to events in accordance with mission rehearsal best practices.
- Event-associated displays facilitate exception-based management that can draw proper user attention to manage events rather than require active user interaction. For example, popping up the video or data of an area of interest defined by the Command & Control software at the proper size and location on the display unit.
- Automated tasks reduce user effort and intervention by displaying all relevant information associated with, and required for, a course of action after a new crisis development. All information is consolidated onto the proper display unit in the most effective layouts.
Integration, ergonomy and multimodal interaction
Barco’s expertise and competence in control room environment and technology includes total design and engineering of Command & Control Room projects. Barco's project approach and clear design methodology means assisting the customer from the earliest stages of concept engineering to the final delivery of the control center.
Barco’s Command Center design philosophy is centered around two basic concepts, i.e. large-area screen display and individual watchstation or personal wall. For example, the Warfare Coordinator's perspective and needs are different from the individual operator dealing with current tactical information.
The large-area display provides highlevel information which is of interest to all operators and coordinators (it provides the COP), whereas Barco's personal wall concept allows the display of both operator-specific tasks and specific supervisory overviews for the coordinator without interfering with the operators work.
Barco also offers alternative modes of operation, both for briefing rooms and command & control centers such as pen-based interfaces and whiteboarding (write on imported geographical maps or tactical charts or perform mind mapping and brainstorming). In addition, touch panel functionality with customized GUIs can be implemented.
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