Deployable HQ

It was first showcased in March 2016 in response to a techUK ‘Deployed Operational Headquarters of the Future’ Innovation Challenge that asked respondents to consider how competitive military advantage could be maintained through operational agility.

The current Deployable HQ demonstration includes a touchscreen to allow users to visually plan the elements of their headquarters including combat water, field power, joint fuels, shelters and plant. The demo gives an indication of the welfare, defence, logistics, staff and power requirements for each of

The Deployable HQ is a demonstration tool created by Atkins to illustrate how data can be captured, analysed and visualised to inform capability design and operational user decision-making.

the assets and the overall efficiency of the user’s headquarters (please see Appendix).

Once a user has planned their headquarters they can explore it in Virtual Reality (VR) allowing immersive visualisation of the site during the planning phase. This enables planners to optimise the site more effectively than with a traditional two-dimensional Computer Aided Design (CAD) plan. The visualisation could also be used to conduct orientation tours of the headquarters in advance of deployment, as well as to develop the defensive plan testing scenarios using gaming technology.

Deployable HQ

Introduction

Data capture and analysisThe site featured in the Deployable HQ demonstration was surveyed from the air using a small (<7kg) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (s-UAV). The s-UAV carried a high-quality camera, flew 100m Above Ground Level (AGL) with a flight plan specifically optimised for high-accuracy data capture. The 40-hectare site was surveyed in one working day and the imagery was photogrammetrically processed in the office.

The resultant data was used to create a survey grade CAD drawing and 3D terrain model, then exported into the ESRI ArcGIS mapping tool to produce visibility, gradient and drainage analysis.

3D visualisationFrom a 3D visualisation perspective, the objective of Deployable HQ was to demonstrate that technology has developed sufficiently to provide an easy to use and rapid to implement solution for asset management in the context of 3D survey data.

The application is based on cutting edge, real-time rendering software, which offers an unprecedented level of detail, quality and realism when compared to traditional CAD approaches to the spatialisation of assets. This technology platform has now developed sufficiently that it can support the level of detail, scale and robustness required for this type of application, whilst requiring minimal development time to produce.

A valuable aspect of the technology is that its application logic, user interface and visual effect can be rapidly adapted to support the demands of the end user as the situation requires it, ensuring that the application is always relevant to the task in hand.

When combined with a large format touchscreen, the application becomes a multiuser strategic planning tool that is intuitive to operate and more effective than traditional approaches.

Virtual Reality

The virtual reality aspect of Deployable HQ demonstrates the power of this technology in allowing users to better understand a virtual 3D space. The sense of place experienced by an immersed user ensures that they are fully focused on a task resulting in better decision making and learning outcomes1.

Within Deployable HQ, we employ VR in the form of a high definition motion-tracked headset and controllers, offering users the ability to navigate the site in a more realistic format than the touchscreen provides.

As a tool, we have found that multi-user hybrid engagement - employing both touchscreen and VR - is a very effective method for design, planning and consultation.

Deployable HQ

1 Min Jou, Jingying Wang, Investigation of effects of virtual reality environments on learning performance of technical skills, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 29, Issue 2, 2013, Pages 433-438, ISSN 0747-5632, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.020.

Deployable HQ

Development and next stepsThe demonstration has been created to showcase the capability and to provide a stepping off point for future projects. The technology behind Deployable HQ has the capacity to include detailed asset management data on each asset. This can include data on power consumption through to the type of connector required to link to services. Applying the Whole Force Approach, the data can also show stock levels, current location of assets, lead time and costs of assets.

Providing an asset management tool to support both hard and soft facilities, the system could have a full lifecycle approach. Informing the decision making process during the initial planning phase, throughout the deployment, occupation of the site, and the staged withdrawal will help ensure efficiency throughout. In addition, the application could be aligned with UK, NATO or other Defence Standards to support combined operations.

Further usesThe application could be applied to a variety of engineering and planning projects. In humanitarian operations, the affected area can be surveyed quickly from the air to ascertain the extent of damage providing an up-to-date model in a situation where existing maps would become out of date overnight. Supporting infrastructure such as medical, stores, accommodation, power generation and welfare facilities can be planned by the operation commander in advance of arriving on site. This would decrease the required set-up time, enabling humanitarian support to be provided as quickly as possible.

Compounds are a key part of major engineering and construction projects providing facilities such as management offices, security accreditation, storage and vehicle workshops. The application could be used to optimise compound design ensuring efficiencies in the full lifecycle from set-up through occupation and breakdown. Once an asset of the compound has been added to the tool it can become a standard option for future projects. The properties of each asset including power, water, footprint, and exclusion area can all be attributed to the asset, adding further logic to the planning process.

Similarly, major events such as music festivals are often planned using traditional two-dimensional CAD tools. Once surveyed, a landscape can be explored in VR to inform the site planning process. Using this technology, the event site can be optimised in 3D and VR, allowing planners to consider aspects of the site such as evacuation routes, sight lines and event infrastructure. The model could also include natural factors such as daylight and weather including the effect of shadow and night time on the event site. This would allow detailed lighting plans to be developed at an early stage, ensuring both efficiency and health and safety compliance.

Deployable HQ

Appendix - Asset Data MechanismThe current application logic is designed to demonstrate that synthetic assets assigned with data can be easily manipulated in an interactive environment and, in doing so, generate a holistic understanding of how efficiently a combination of assets is operating.

Each asset has been assigned a demand or supply requirement for the five resources: welfare, defence, logistics, staff and power. Each of these values is assigned a generic value (units) representing the scale of demand or supply for that asset.

The below table displays each asset and its demand (negative value) or supply (positive value) as programmed in the simulation.

The HQ Efficiency percentage is calculated as a ratio of demand to supply for all the placed assets. A 100%

efficient base would have a balanced provision resulting in no net surplus or excess. A 0% Resource Efficiency is attained when the imbalance reaches a level that is deemed unacceptable, in this case plus or minus 50 units.

Overall, each resource contributes 20% of the whole and a 0% HQ Efficiency is attained when the imbalance reaches a level that is deemed unacceptable, in this case plus or minus 50 units. As an example, a base that was operating at 100% in staffing, logistics, power and defence, but that had no welfare provision, would have an overall efficiency of 80%.

The application’s key performance bar chart shows the level of imbalance as a percentage for each requirement and finally the overall percentage attained by the current HQ design.

Resources (units)

Asset Name Welfare Defence Logistics Staff Power

Barracks -25 0 -18 40 -8

Command Post -3 -15 -8 -21 -5

Medical 15 -2 -20 -12 -10

Mess 10 0 -25 -10 -12

Power 0 0 -15 -2 32

Stores -5 -20 62 -8 -4

Washing 15 0 -12 -3 -4

Watchtower -3 18 -3 -9 -1