Better Signal Processing Leads to Less Hardware Emphasis

Imagine being able to work with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) networking hardware to move large volumes of data capable of solving high level problems in the defense arena. Defense contractors and military scientists find themselves in that very position. It is made possible by new breakthroughs in technology that place more emphasis on better signal processing and less emphasis on the hardware necessary to move data.

Analog solutions served complex defense needs well enough in their day. They are now outdated and impractical for the sheer volume of data now required by modern defense applications. The thinking used to be that replacing analog hardware with custom-designed digital hardware was the way to go. But things have changed. Defense contractors are now putting their efforts into signal processing instead.

More About Signal Processing

Rock West Solutions is a California company that specializes in signal processing technologies. They are involved in developing all kinds of defense, law-enforcement, commercial, and medical applications. Rock West engineers describe signal processing as that collection of hardware and software solutions that can remove noise from a variety of signals.

Noise does not necessarily have to be audible. In their field of work, Rock West deals with all sorts of noise – from audible sounds to magnetic interference. Noise in the arena of data processing is simply unwanted data. When Rock West is dealing with streaming big data in a medical environment, for example, not all of the data in that stream is necessary for every application. Each application needs only a small amount of targeted data.

Signal processing removes unwanted data so that only that which is desired for a given application remains. The same principle applies to big data in defense applications. Note that data is being gleaned from an endless number of sources at all hours of the day and night. Thanks to advanced signal processing, the data can be sent to centralized locations where it can be processed and streamlined for whatever purpose.

Off-The-Shelf Hardware

The solutions military minds are working on now are designed around off-the-shelf hardware. For purposes of illustration, imagine a vast network of devices that rely on packetized ethernet interfaces to send and receive data. These types of interfaces have been around for a long time. Not only that, they are cheap to deploy and easy to use. You can stream a ton of data with them with very little effort.

Specialized signal processing techniques allow for sending huge data streams across such networks without having to put so much effort into defining the signal itself. Just get the data onto the network and move it. Processing the signal on the other end separates noise from valuable data on a per-application basis.

Using Hardware More Effectively

Often times we tend to believe that improving technology requires inventing new things. New inventions certainly do play a role in the advancement of technology in many arenas. But sometimes invention is not the biggest priority. Sometimes we just need to figure out better ways to use what we already have. Therein lies the beauty of deploying off-the-shelf networking equipment to improve military communication.

We already have the technological capability to move massive amounts of data across the globe. In fact, our hardware capabilities already outpace any ability we might have to make maximum use of big data. The key to improving big data is not to increase its volume, but rather to find more effective ways to use all the data we are collecting. That is what signal processing is all about, and that is what defense engineers are focusing on now.