Northern Command demonstrating high-tech projects

When Jack Bauer needs information, Chloe O'Brian mines every database on the planet and sends the data to him wherever he is, and to others, wherever they are - all within seconds.

It makes for good drama on Fox Network's hit thriller "24," but it's wishful thinking for this country's real Jacks and Chloes.

Information isn't a keystroke away. Communication isn't always real time. And a link isn't a given.

But they're working on it.

At the so-called Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration, the mother of all science fairs, Northern Command is showcasing 19 projects for inspection and testing this month.

It's a type of "American's Got Techology Talent" trial in which troops give the inventions a spin and contractors find out if they're on the right track. Those with promise might be tomorrow's standard.

Believe it or not, the military isn't hooked up with every state, local and nonprofit partner, and some data exchanges might rely on a print copy. That's slow and cumbersome, especially when minutes count.

"These technologies can bridge that gap," said Northcom spokesman Mike Kucharek.

One tool, developed by Hughes Network Systems and sponsored by the Defense Information Systems Agency, uses "on-board packet switching" to provide a "single-hop, terminal-to-terminal" link.

Translation: It's a device for people in remote regions without the basics, including electricity or access to a cell-phone tower.

Application: When a disaster wipes out services, a mobile system can be dropped with a team thatcan instantly link to the commander at Peterson Air Force Base, or wherever. The system also uses high-definition video teleconferencing with only millisecond delays.

"It can be set up in two hours," said demonstrator Dan Burnham, with the defense agency.

A few steps away, inside the nondescript square building at Peterson, engineer Matt Eager sits at a screen filled with maps, data lists and an alert panel.

He's driving a system that helps give commanders real-time analysis from thousands of sources - work that had taken analysts hours and was subject to error if they forgot what they saw hours before.

The Event Management Framework, also sponsored by the Defense Information Systems Agency and developed by defense contracting giant SAIC, automatically flutters across the reaches of cyberspace, searching and analyzing what's important.

It matches data against up to 20 different missions simultaneously, such as a hurricane, terrorist attack, flu outbreak and forest fire.

The analysis tool, already in use at NorthCom, is undergoing operational assessment before being released for nationwide use.

"We're not trying to replace analysts," said Eager said. "We're trying to let them work smarter, so they're not plodding through Web sites. With this, they can get the information in a matter of minutes."

The demonstration is open to visitors, but they must get permission by calling 554-6889.

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