Session 2.4d Update: Digital-Twin Approach to Software Defined Slicing for Defence Information Systems
Tracks
| Wednesday, November 13, 2024 |
| 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM |
| Nicholls Theatre |
Details
To respond to dynamic mission objectives, external threats, and complex hostile environments, future defence information systems must possess both increased flexibility and agility as well as the ability to proactively adapt to system changes. With the separation of control and data planes, Software Defined Networking (SDN) has become a compelling networking architecture that can enhance reconfigurability, interoperability, flexibility, and agility across network components. Recent work has extended SDN to Software-Defined-Coalition (SDC) and Software-Defined-Slicing (SDS) for defence applications.
Digital-Twin-Networks (DTNs) have emerged as a critical tool aiming to produce an always-up-to-date network emulator. DNT leverages historical and real-time data to provide an accurate model of the real network, which can be used to predict network behaviours under unseen conditions, allowing for artificial intelligence (AI) development and application, real-time network optimisation and preventive network maintenance. Real-time interactions between physical and virtual parts offer quality-of-service control and network reconfiguration. Furthermore, DTN provides a safe sandbox environment for machine learning, verification of operation changes, and new services design and testing, without disturbing live network operations.
We present a novel DT-approach to SDS architecture for future defence networks. The DT models not only the communication network components but also the closely associated environment, defence infrastructure and mission-related operation processes. DT modules are deployed as services on the same network, utilising slices of SDS communication, processing, and storage resources, rather than being hosted on a dedicated server or in the cloud, enabling joint DT and SDS optimisation. The key benefits and implementation challenges are discussed.
Speaker
Professor Patrick Baker
Head Science
RAF RCO - AiX / AEU - UK MOD
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Biography
Professor Patrick J Baker is currently the Head of Science for the Royal Air Force, Rapid Capabilities Office, Air Information Experimentation Division and is Senior Principal Technical Consultant C4ISR for the UK Ministry of Defence – Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Ministry of Defence.
Patrick started his career in the Royal Air Force where he served in several communications engineering roles including directly with NATO before he moved to Boeing Satellite Systems, US. In the past, he also worked for the United Nations - Balkans, the UK Ministry of Defence, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, Ericsson’s development centre in Sweden and Nokia’s development centre in Finland.
Patrick holds a Visiting Professorship in Communications and Information Systems in Loughborough University, UK. He often lectures in communications systems and technologies across a wide breadth of Government, Academia and Industry. Also, he is the UK lead within the USINDOPACOM Communications Integration Group. In 2011 he was awarded a Chief Scientific Advisor Commendation to the Ministry of Defence on behalf of the UK Prime Minister for outstanding scientific work in support of Counter Improvised Explosive Device - Information Management and Exploitation.
