Lockheed Martin's DisOPS situational awareness system helped the United States Park Police quickly share more accurate information and rapidly coordinate maneuvers during the presidential inauguration.

Already tested by the U.S. military, the system comprises rugged laptops running the DisOPS Connect(TM) software and locally-networked, personal digital assistants equipped with DisOPS View(TM) software. Together, the devices enable multiple users over a wide area to instantaneously share information including data and photos with geospatially tagged coordinates.

With almost two million visitors flooding Washington, D.C., for the inauguration, the U.S. Park Police were among multiple law enforcement agencies confronted with complex and cumbersome challenges. DisOPS enabled the Park Police to coordinate its personnel and assets throughout the National Mall while tracking and responding to incidents of interest.

Lockheed Martin provided DisOPS without cost to the U.S. Park Police.

Developed by Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL), DisOPS addresses the need for real-time information exchange and coordination. Its specially modified personal digital assistants and laptop computers let the Park Police wirelessly communicate intelligence, enable grid-based distance calculations, share GPS coordinates, photograph items of interest, and track other law enforcement units -- all while enabling them to silently coordinate their maneuvers.

"It's always gratifying to mature research to a level that allows us to test it operationally," said Gerard Mayer, director of ATL's Artificial Intelligence laboratory. "Although DisOPS is being tested in other venues, it was particularly memorable to test it during the presidential inauguration."

Lockheed Martin ATL originally developed DisOPS to enhance situational awareness, coordinated maneuvering, and friendly-force tracking for the dismounted warfighter.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories