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Insitu's ICOMC2 Overview


Ground Control Station Analysis
            The Insitu Common Open Missions Management Command and Control (ICOMC2) is a control station that enables one operator to provide command and control of multiple Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Unmanned Aerospace Systems (UASs).  Designed for expeditionary use this Ground Control Station (GCS) is intended to provide missions planning, vehicle control, and payload controls.  It consists of mobile hardware and features a customizable open-architecture design; plug-ins are acceptable to command and control different Unmanned UGVs and UASs.  It can function on a range of different Human Machine Interface (HMI) systems for operator control.  ICOMC2 can operate on a small, man-portable laptop Ground Control Station (GCS), or can be scaled up to a multi-screen C4ISR that integrates keyboard and manual controls to enhance control and precision (Insitu, 2017) It can also be operated by using a remote tablet application.  The operator benefits from increased situational awareness by the use of an Augmented Video Overlay System (AVOS) to display terrain elevation, satellite data, target identification, and border information (ICOMC2 at Japan's Maritime Defense 2015 show,2015). 
            ICOMC2 has a wide range of operational flexibility and multi-vehicular control capability.  According to NATO Standardization Agreement 4586 (STANAG 4586), the GCS is enabled to be interoperable so operators can control a ground or air vehicle from different nodes; it has the capability to control multiple vehicles simultaneously from a single workstation.   What is significant about STANAG 4586 is this standardization promotes interoperability amongst allied forces and enables asset sharing within allied nations for increasing network-centric operations (STANAG 4586, 2017).  
ICOMC2 self-monitors fault developments.  In the event of an emergency or potential malfunction, operators are notified immediately, and requested a corrective course of action to resolve an issue.
            ICOMC2 is ideal for managing multiple vehicles and limiting operator fatigue.  It is a proven system and has more than 800,000 hours supporting land and maritime missions globally (ICOMC2 at Japan's Maritime Defense 2015 show,2015).  Challenges that can be faced with this interface is length of training for operators, and  a thorough turnover between shifts when swapping out operators. I suggest this HMI should have a comprehensive training and certification course for operators to utilize all features and maximize the use of its capabilities.  It should also have the ability to delegate control of a single vehicle to a crew member.
  



References
Decision Making Superiority Delivered. (2017). insitu.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017, from https://insitu.com/information-delivery/command-and-control/icomc2
Insitu pacific to demonstrate ICOMC2 at Japan's Maritime Defence 2015 show. (2015). China Weekly News, , 204.

STANAG 4586. (2017). Lockheedmartin.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017, from http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/cdl-systems/about-us/stanag-4586.html

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