Federating CBRN systems

The outcome should contribute to:

• improved CBRN defence capabilities of Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) armed forces, with an enhanced level of situational awareness, as well as a reduced risk of false alarms and misinterpretation in order to enable a quicker and more efficient response;
• a standardisation of CBRN defence systems information and data exchange at European level;
• the integration of contemporary and emerging CBRN defence technologies;
• an enhanced operational readiness and effectiveness.

Recent CBRN (Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear) events necessitate an increased and comprehensive CBRN-defence effort. The CBRN threat is also continuously evolving and imposes adaptation of existing technologies and development of new solutions in order to improve the armed forces’ CBRN defence capabilities.

The general objective of this topic is to create an overarching information system that enables interoperability between the different existing national CBRN defence information management systems, or subsystems, with the aim to improve and to better use and coordinate available CBRN defence resources within the EU Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) to obtain greater endurance for their armed forces.

Specific objective

Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) armed forces need to act in a combined and joint environment and maintain the operational capabilities under CBRN conditions.

However, European CBRN capabilities are currently mainly based on widely different equipment and systems, hence making it challenging to obtain a coherent and efficient EU and EDF associated countries (Norway) CBRN defence. Therefore, this topic aims to create a comprehensive software system that enables interoperability between the Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) through a system-of-systems approach including modular equipment.

The proposals must address the design and the prototyping of a European CBRN system of systems cross-border solution.

The proposals should focus on integration of CBRN defence technologies into a comprehensive software system. However, the proposals may also provide analysis of the relevance and feasibility of novel CBRN technologies, mapping of CBRN defence capacities across the EU and EDF associated countries, as well as options for ensuring access and availability of CBRN technologies.

The proposals may also consider others aspects such as education, training and logistics and may specify a solution that can task and manage CBRN operations both in the military and civilian realm.

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

The proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of the mandatory activities:

• Studies:
  • provide an inventory of the systems available (or in development) in the Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) armed forces;
  • provide a comprehensive approach analysis with solutions and functionalities that covers Detection, Identification and Monitoring (DIM), CBRN Knowledge Management (KM), Physical Protection (PP), and Hazard Management (HM) for all addressed CBRN-threats;
  • provide a proof of concept based on one, several or all of these functions (DIM, KM, PP, HM);
  • address the requirements for a standardised IoT framework, enabling more equipment integration. The proposed framework should be presented and described in OV-1 format.
• Design:
  • identify an overall architecture, based on open, publicly available and international standards widely used, such as ISO 10303 and related specifications from ISO TC 184/SC 4;
  • provide for a modular approach that facilitates the possible subsequent evolutions of the different systems composing the CBRN defence.
• System prototyping:
  • the prototype must be validated through a technical demonstration on at least TRL 6.

In addition, the proposals must substantiate coherence and interoperability with existing CBRN-related initiatives (such as, but not limited to, PESCO CBRN-SaaS, EDA CatB CBRN-SaaS, Horizon Europe framework programme, NATO initiatives) regarding sensor networking, data exchange and data fusion, as well as substantiate synergies and complementarity with the activities described in the call topics EDIDP-CBRN-DEWS-2020 on capabilities for CBRN risk assessment, detection, early warning and surveillance and EDF-2021-MCBRN-R-CBRNDIM on Detection, identification and monitoring (DIM) of CBRN threats.

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them)
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

Functional requirements

The demonstrated federated CBRN system of systems should meet the following functional requirements:

• General:
  • include functional chains from detection, identification and monitoring (DIM), data communication and management, including sensing data, hazard prediction, decision support, visualisation and other CBRN functions;
  • federate multiple actors and systems and exploit legacy capabilities;
  • include modular kits that are easy to deploy in different operational situations, strategic, operational and tactical levels, in and out the territory of the Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) in a multi-domain environment;
  • able to integrate innovative technologies such as new sensors, robotics, AI, virtual reality;
  • able to fuse all generated data into an intuitive common operational picture and present it in a single front end;
  • able to ensure overall data exchange in situations with constrained communications.
  • be built upon existing harmonised civilian and military standards widely used in this domain (e.g. NATO ATP-45/AEP-45, JC3IEDM) where applicable;
  • be modular and scalable in order to be able to integrate future solutions.
• Usability:
  • ensure exchange of data and information between CBRN information systems, covering joint military branches, multi-domain (Land, Air, Sea) and civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) to support collaboration and cooperation between Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway). In addition, possible solutions for data exchange regarding classified and protected data may be included;
  • ensure fusion of all available data and information sources to achieve an easy-to-understand common operational picture that enables deliberate and ad-hoc decision making, and should be connectable to existing crisis management software applications;
  • include the availability of sensor data, as well as the complete configuration management aspects and logistics status including maintenance status of these systems;
  • include solutions to predict and simulate hazard development in time and space in case of a CBRN defence event, and that should be applicable also in urban and indoors settings. The simulation solutions should be applicable for planning-, exercise- and real instances;
  • implement mathematical modelling methods like reverse dispersion modelling to enable localisation of CBRN-sources;
  • allow communication between the different constituent parts, including a common standardised API for application integrations.
• Interoperability/Data sources:
  • include integration of weather data (live and forecast);
  • include interface and data transfer solutions to integrate information from civilian data sources (e.g. radiation early warning sensor networks);
  • include alternative data sources (e.g. social media reports of smell/symptoms, uncommon symptom results from hospitals, emergency call centre reports, etc.) also using novel approaches (e.g. AI) for data analysis and evaluation.