Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium

Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium - NCOIC

Type	Non-Profit
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	2004
Key people	Carl O'Berry, Chief Executive Officer
Website	http://www.ncoic.org

The Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) is an international not-for-profit, chartered in the United States, whose goal is to facilitate the adoption of existing and emerging cross-domain interoperability standards.^[1] Formed in September 2004, the organization is composed of more than 50 authoritative member companies, government organizations and academic institutions within aerospace, defense, information technology and communication entities openly working in the forefront.^[2]

NCO is the application of the fundamental tenets of network-centric warfare to aspects of national security, especially industry support for the missions of both the United States Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The NCOIC does not only subscribe to the military ends of this theory, applying NCO to emergency first responders, health care providers, law enforcement, and corporations.

Network Centric Warfare defined

NCW is the embodiment of an "Information Age" transformation of the United States Department of Defense and all the elements that support it. NCW represents a set of war fighting concepts and associated military capabilities that allow warfighters to take full advantage of all available information and bring all available assets to bear in a rapid and flexible manner. NCW is based on the following tenets:

• A robustly networked force improves information sharing,
• Information sharing enhances the quality of information and shared situational awareness,
• Shared situational awareness enables collaboration and self-synchronization, and enhances sustainability and speed of command,

Interoperability Frameworks

NCOIC streamlines systems for the elimination of interoperability issues to reduce operating costs for more effective direction of organizational resources.^[3]

Key deliverables

Systems, Capabilities, Operations, Programs, & Enterprises (SCOPE) Model

• The SCOPE interoperability assessment model is designed to characterize interoperability-relevant aspects or capabilities of a system or set of systems over a network in terms of a set of dimensions and values along those dimensions.^[4]

NCOIC Interoperability Framework (NIF)

• The NIF is a development framework that helps system architects and system engineers to embed interoperability elements throughout the life cycle of programs, beginning with requirements. Whenever possible, those resources are based upon standards.^[5]

Net Centric Patterns

• NCOIC Net Centric Patterns contain prescriptive recommendations on approaches and standards in specific interoperability domains.^[6]

Network Centric Analysis Tool (NCAT)

• NCAT is a collaborative, web-enabled questionnaire-based tool developed to assist NCOIC teams and member companies to enhance the likelihood and reduce the time and effort of member companies developing interoperable systems consistent with customers’ policies and guidelines, reference models and architectures. It is also available in an excel format.^[7]

NCOIC Lexicon

• The Lexicon defines terms and expressions that are relevant to texts published by the NCOIC. This material is offered for dynamic debate, discussion and additional submissions in this online wiki. NCOIC Lexicon Custodian Working Group periodically reviews the wiki, and publishes updates of the consensed catalogue, including comments for entries that have been deleted.^[8]

NCOIC internal structure

Functional teams

Functional Teams (FTs) implement the technical roadmap of the Consortium by focusing on specific technical elements that lead to netcentricity. The teams and their associated working groups are coordinated through a Technical Council, composed of the leaders of each Functional Team.

NIF Architecture Concepts FT

• Manages the development of the NCOIC’s Interoperability Framework (NIF) and champions its use within the consortium. The NIF provides the framework through which the NCOIC will publish its prescribed use of standards and patterns in specific domains and describes the relationships between the individual Specialized Frameworks.

Specialized Frameworks FT

• Hosts and encourages the development, approval, and publication of specialized Frameworks and Patterns that contain guidelines and standards recommendations for the broad range of domains that are of interest to NCOIC members and their customers.

Building Blocks FT

• Provides a catalog of products for use by government and commercial systems engineers, which meet NCOIC criteria for the support of network centric operations requirements, network centric environments and industry standards.

Netcentric Assessment FT

• Defines, identifies, establishes and assembles the necessary criteria for measuring and assessing network centricity and network enablement in all the relevant forms.

System Engineering & Integration FT

• Helps to integrate the efforts and promote the deliverables of NCOIC Functional Teams for the accomplishment of NCOIC goals.

Integrated Project Teams

Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) serve as domain specific customer teams, who work with global NCO stakeholders in solving their interoperability problems. The IPTs harness the expertise of the Technical Functional Teams in utilizing NCOIC tools and best practices to provide customers with the appropriate guidance to achieve their netcentric missions. The IPTs thereby validate and refine NCOIC approaches in collaboration with customers.

Net Enabled Emergency Response IPT (NEER)

• The NEER IPT will recommend net-enabled solutions needed to bridge the gaps among the diverse organizations that need to come together to provide emergency response for day-to-day emergencies as well as for complex humanitarian disasters (CHD).

C3 Interoperability IPT

• Facilitates inter-operation and overarching coordination of the military, civil-military and civil C2-environment“, promoting interoperability to achieve Situational Awareness and effective decision-making based on standards and best practices.

Sense & Respond Logistics IPT

• Provides a forum for defense and commercial stakeholders of Logistics Communities of Interest (COIs) to identify and coordinate solutions to obstacles to achieving net-centric interoperability by leveraging NCOIC solutions.

Aviation IPT

• Advocates global aviation transformation through net-centric solutions. The IPT supports this mission through industry best practices and tools to advise the use of existing and emerging standards and their patterns in support of global aviation needs.

Maritime Awareness IPT

• Establishes shared understanding of the net-centric aspects of Maritime Awareness. Advocates the enhancement of Maritime Awareness through application of net-centric concepts and technologies.

References