Cervus BV, a subsidiary of Cervus Defence and Security UK Ltd, a veteran-owned data company, has been awarded a 2-year contract by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence to investigate military training data analysis and exploitation, and develop recommendations on how to implement a persistent training data analysis capability for the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA).
The RNLA is an extensive user of simulation, ranging from part-task trainers, Virtual Reality (VR) close combat trainers, to larger unit-level virtual, constructive and live simulators. This array of simulators produces vast amounts of metadata which is extensively used for After Action Review (AARs) playback and visualisation. The exploitation of that data beyond this activity however is typically narrow in focus and often does not go further than to determine how completely a unit executed their Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) in a prescriptive, checklist manner. This is a widespread problem as many armies are still struggling to establish effective strategies and approaches to truly harness the power of their training data.
Therefore, the purpose of the contract is to scope and design a holistic approach to training data exploitation for the RNLA. The project will explore how best to ensure digitisation is put at the heart of training design, how processes, people and technology interact, and how to extend the role of innovative training systems that are interoperable, integrated and hardwired for data exploitation.
The scope of the project will explore the following:
Improved use of data to support measurement and learning in the AAR.
Developing personnel who are more digitally minded and able to manage and exploit the digital technology and data effectively.
Creating a data repository that makes information about individual soldiers, teams and units widely available throughout the enterprise.
Speeding up the process for recording data and enabling information to be recorded where training is taking place.
Enhancing operational success by making data driven decisions in real time, based on training data.
Collaborating with industry, allies, and academia to obtain technical skills, advanced technology platforms, tools, and solutions.
