Intended Audience and Prerequisites: The tutorial is intended for information fusion and systems engineers, and users involved in acquiring, developing, integrating using or evaluating systems-of-systems. Also for academic, military or industry representatives who have a need to learn the basic concepts, issues and potentials of integrated systems and sensor/data fusion. There are no particular academic prerequisites. It is assumed that attendees of Fusion 2016 will have sufficient background and interest in the topics presented.

Description:

• Current concepts and methods in System-of-Systems Engineering (SoSE) will be presented, together with the role of information fusion. Concepts for maximizing flexible, coordinated situational responses will be discussed.
• Methods for maximizing the effectiveness of cooperative sensing and cooperative engagement tactics will be discussed. Mixed weapon and sensor systems can improve target detection, situation awareness and effective, proportional response. Concepts of operation and current distributed air and ground systems will be presented. Multistatic radar can improve detection and tracking of low-flying low-observable aircraft.
• Advanced multi-sensor, highly integrated weapons platforms provide enormous new capabilities. Tactics that are enabled by distributed sensors and C2 functionality include cooperative engagement, passive attack and multistatic sensing techniques.
• Data integrity and consistency are critical in integrating and using systems-of-systems. Attendees will learn current techniques for aligning data in space and time and in confidence. The latter is critical in evaluating and combining multiple pieces of information. Unless one knows the relative reliability of sources and the accuracy of data, it is impossible to properly weight data for combining them.
• There will be discussion of SoS Engineering methodology for developing SoS architectural and management solutions to meet requirements of technical performance, cost, flexibility and extensibility.
• Developmental and operational testing and evaluation of systems-of-systems involves special challenges, not the least of which are multiple interacting control-loops in such systems.

Presenter: Alan Steinberg

Alan Steinberg, Independent Consultant, U.S.A.

Over 35 years' experience as a designer, developer and operational user of major multi-sensor targeting, electronic combat, and intelligence systems. Recognized internationally as one of the world’s leading experts in sensor data fusion.

Member of the U.S. JDL Data Fusion Group, for which he revised the well-known JDL Data Fusion Model. Recipient of the Mignona Award for outstanding achievement in data fusion. Served on blue-ribbon panels for the US Government to evaluate and recommend technology developments and the restructuring of the Intelligence enterprise.

System engineer and integrator for avionics and integrated air and missile defense systems.

Developed advanced multi-sensor fusion techniques and systems for a great variety of tactical military, intelligence and commercial applications.

U.S. representative to NATO Research Technology Organization and NATO Advanced Study Institute.

State-of-the art study in Automatic Target Recognition techniques and systems. Technology development and evaluation in air and missile defense, multi-sensor data fusion, and various sensing and signal processing techniques.

Seminars, workshops and tutorials:

• System-of Systems Integration and Fusion, 3-day seminar, Singapore 2015
• Surveillance Radar, 3-day seminar, Singapore, 2013, 2015
• Multi-Sensor Data Fusion, 3 day seminar, given on over 20 occasions in the U.S., Sweden, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Singapore, 1989-2014
• Automated Target Recognition, 3-day seminar, given on approximately 4 occasions in the U.S.
• Situation and Threat Assessment, given on approximately 4 occasions in the U.S.
• Integrated Sensing and Fusion, 3-day workshop, Singapore, 2010 and 2012
• Integrated Radar Sensing, 3-day workshop, Singapore, 2012, 2014
• Automated Target Recognition, 3-day workshop, Singapore, 2009 and 2011
• Half-day tutorials at ISIF International Conferences on Information Fusion, 2003, 2004, 2013
• Numerous half-day tutorials at SPIE, IQPC, IDGA, QPRC, SMi, Marcus Evans, etc. conferences
• Numerous half-day, full-day and multi-day tutorials and classes at U.S. government and contractor facilities
• Semester courses at Utah State University, M.I.T. and University of Maryland