Information Systems Programme
The Information Systems Programme provides co-ordinated research towards the development, integration and demonstration of new information system concepts and capabilities
Information underpins all military operating environments: space, cyber, land, air and sea. As the UK increasingly operates as a Joint Force, the technology that allows information to be accessed and exploited in an accurate and timely manner is a prerequisite to future success.
The increasing information volume, variety and velocity of transmission fuels the complexity of contemporary and future conflict. Therefore, information systems are now central to many defence-related capabilities and activities, from autonomous systems and robotics to cyber security and social media. At the same time, with information technology so readily available, threats can now come from non-state actors or individuals as well as traditional military forces.
Decision making in the Information Age requires leaders to have access to the best information as quickly as possible. Defence is investing significant resources into information sciences, so that we can better exploit data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and signal processing to transform data into information for all aspects of defence and security.
The Information Systems Programme provides focus for novel and innovative S&T research, and the adaptation, integration and demonstration of appropriate commercial technology through experimentation, to support current and future equipment procurement. The priority for the programme is to help Defence achieve information superiority through the development and combination of future command and control methodologies and technology; data science techniques including data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to make sense of available data; architectures, technologies and autonomous approaches to support information management, exchange and interoperability; and resilient communications technologies.
The programme provides co-ordinated research towards the development, integration and demonstration of new information system concepts and capabilities that are exploitable across all environments. This includes: command and control; data science (including information theory, management of uncertainty, deception and people analytics and exploitation of large multi-source data sets); intelligence tools; information interoperability; communication systems; advanced weapon datalinks; and Information and Intelligence management and exchange.
Key activities:
- Using Big Data for defence
- Data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques
- Data science approaches to reduce cognitive load
- Novel future command and control approaches for future operating environments
- Novel future communications
- Demonstrating novel concepts of the Single Information Environment
- Information interoperability, management and storage