FIELD EXPEDIENT


DOWNRANGE DEVELOPMENT


CERDEC forward-deployed team uses Soldier feedback to improve apps


by Brittany Ashcroft A


s technology and smartphone use increases across the Army, developing valuable applica- tions for Soldiers downrange


becomes more critical.


An important aspect of developing and fielding new apps is obtaining and implementing Soldier feedback. Recog- nizing this need, the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Com- mand’s


Communications-Electronics


Center (CERDEC) sent members of its Transformative Apps (TransApps) port team downrange.


sup-


The team, supporting the TransApps pro- gram of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA), was respon- sible for a limited fielding of smartphones and apps to small unit leaders at Combat Outpost (COP) Kandalay in the south- ern Afghan province of Kandahar.


The program focuses on mobile hand- held apps to ensure that DoD remains in


118


sync with commercial technology while also meeting Soldiers’


installing software Those evolving needs.


The team’s responsibilities included providing training,


updates, performing “bug” fixes, and adjusting the apps with updates and new capabilities.


QUICK TURNAROUND The TransApps team, which included computer scientists Zacharie Robert Beckinger,


requirements came from direct


Soldier requests and feedback, as well as the team’s observation of the units’ day-to-day operations. “We noticed a couple of the Soldiers carried wrist-worn commercial GPS devices. We found that after each mission,


the Hall, and Zachary Kjell-


berg, worked on app development in Afghanistan, supported by a team of about 60 at DARPA. The team spent a total of nine months in Afghanistan, with each person deployed for three months and a one-month overlap to aid in the transition between members.


“We did quick turnaround in theater of adjustments we could make there, but we were also communicating larger require- ments back to the CONUS team, which would get changes back to us to get to the Soldier,” Hall said.


data from the device would be loaded into TIGR [Tactical Ground Report- ing], but the leaders did not have a great way to analyze the historical infor- mation for future mission planning,” Hall said.


In-theater Soldier feedback led to the creation of an app that could be used during pre-mission briefings to show previous locations on a heat map over- laid on a geographic map. “It quickly became


apparent to them [Soldiers]


where they spent their time while on patrol, which routes were frequently used, where they often stopped along their routes, and which parts of


their


AO [area of operations] were neglected,” Hall said.


Army AL&T Magazine


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