Data Acquisition and Distribution System (DADS)

Abstract

The Data Acquisition and Distribution System (DADS) transparently collects data from a ship's combat system and transfers that data by satellite to a shore site. The system was developed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD). DADS supports surface ship data collection, display, distribution, and debrief capabilities. NSWC PHD personnel used equipment assets developed in-house and purchased data communications hardware and software to develop DADS. A satellite terminal was placed outside Building 1380, and analog telephone lines were installed, linking the Data Communications and Control Laboratory (DCCL) with the Satellite Earth Station in Santa Paula, CA. A shipboard DADS transparently taps a ship's Combat System and collects selected data files. The data is compressed and archived. After shore site personnel select the data required for analysis, DADS encrypts it, and transmits the data via satellite to the shore site for reconstruction and analysis. DADS is unattended. The portable shipboard system equipment and software is controlled from a shore site via the International Maritime Satellite (INMARSAT). The DCC supports transmission speeds of up to 9.6 kilobits/second when connected to a communication system with this capability.