The United States Navy is always looking for new and improved ways to "defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep the seas open and free.” And as threats to U.S. prosperity grow with each passing year, this task has become even more crucial.
It's a difficult job—one that requires constant attention by the brightest minds our country has to offer. Lately, the government has realized that many of those bright minds reside in the commercial sector.
Our company, Ditto, is a prime example. On the commercial side, we provide industry-leading data sync and mesh networking technology for major brands like Delta Airlines, Share My Health, and Chick-fil-A. But what most people don't know (yet) is that our government-facing subsidiary, Ditto Federal, takes our core tech and maneuvers it to serve the needs of the DoD—and we've been able to provide crucial support.
Most recently, we were awarded a Success Memo by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for our work to ensure reliable data synchronization in communication-averse areas. As a direct result of our Common Operational Database product, the U.S. Navy will be able to control autonomous watercraft in disconnected, denied, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) communications environments – or essentially, in places where radios don’t work well. This will enhance Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and help keep Americans safe.
“Beyond its team, Amity initially sought out and invested in Ditto on the strength of its technology in the commercial sector. But it's now becoming clear that the utility of Ditto's technology is equally as valuable to DoD, federal agencies, and local governments. Not many companies can bridge the 'valley of death' as Ditto has—and those that do are poised to make a big impact.”
- CJ Reim, Managing Partner, Amity Ventures
The Future of War is Autonomous
Given the increase in global threats, combating them all with a physical presence has become an impossible task. The U.S. government has turned to unmanned vehicles (UxVs) with mobile, autonomous sensing capabilities to fill the gap and protect America's interests.
There's just one problem: UxVs often operate in DDIL communications environments, which makes it difficult to pass mission-critical information to commanders in the field and preserve the situational awareness that autonomy provides. With Ditto, this problem is a distant memory.
Armed with Ditto's technology, which minimizes data transfer sizes by sending only deltas or changes over any available communication transport, the Navy can now share vital data promptly and accurately in all environments. This ability makes it possible for the U.S. Navy and its partners to operate unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and disperse that data to the rest of the DoD enterprise in real time.
Ready for the Battlefield
The U.S. Navy's Project Overmatch and Task Force 59 are responsible for implementing unmanned systems and artificial intelligence tools in maritime scenarios. Ditto's technology was recently deployed by both units and put through a rigorous testing process, which it passed with flying colors.
Specifically, Ditto's solution for a Common Operational Database was able to successfully synchronize data across unmanned and crewed platforms and then relay that data back to command nodes on shore. That’s a big deal because it solves a previously unsolvable problem.
Before Ditto, the high operational overhead and lack of interoperability between platforms and C2 systems made it difficult for autonomous and uncrewed vehicles to communicate. Ditto's implementation of a common, resilient layer for data synchronization (sync) erases this issue.
Now, American forces can spend less logistical and operational effort on every autonomous vehicle while enjoying drastically improved reliability in the field and more rapid deployment of crucial assets. Put simply, these advantages enable fast decision superiority and a seamless common operational picture across platforms—for America and her allies.
Ditto's COD product is scalable and interoperable and is being considered for a production contract with Project Overmatch early next year. Once fully deployed, the Navy, Department of Defense, and other American agencies will have access to a common connection point for a wide range of heterogeneous assets, from autonomous ISR sensors to command and control software.