BTR: Change-Bitrate-on-the-Fly Technology Supports Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Across Complex Wireless Environments

ATLANTA - Oct. 26, 2023 - PRLog -- The ability to ensure high-quality images, regardless of network conditions in a theatre of operations, has emerged as a critical success factor for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) activities that depend on video-based intelligence to establish situational awareness and support effective decision-making. This is because missions are rarely executed in controlled laboratory environments. Quite the opposite, says Mark Rushton, global defence and security lead at VITEC, a leader in the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) technology community.

In a podcast interview for journalists, Rushton explains that the platforms -- from airborne drones to terrestrial and underwater remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) -- that carry ISR payloads are often deployed in the harshest conditions and connected to users and operators over wildly inconsistent communication networks.

This, he says, is where Change-Bitrate-on-the-Fly technology comes in.

"Change-Bit-Rate-on-the-Fly technology is an increasingly important feature for the ISR community because it directly affects the quality and timeliness of tactical field intelligence. Receiving information too late because of network latency or being unable to understand what is being analyzed because of dropped packets that result in fuzzy or pixelated images can mean the difference between life and death," he says.

Innovations around ISR have led to cameras that capture video images in stunning detail and sensors capable of detecting subtle temperature changes in the environment, including ground-penetrating radar. As a result, more information can be shared from a single ISR platform than before. It does, however, create a challenge. Change-Bit-Rate-on-the-Fly is a technology from VITEC that enables the community to address network constraints by adapting the bitrate as networking conditions change.

Preserving Image Quality Across Inconsistent Networks

"While devices to capture this wide array of data are becoming increasingly advanced, there are still challenges associated with the wireless networks used to access the data in terms of bandwidth, capability, and change. As these platforms shift from one data carrier to another, they will likely experience a difference in bandwidth available to support the data traffic. Sometimes, that delta can be quite significant. A cellular network might deliver up to 100 megabits in connectivity only to switch to a satellite signal that supports a fraction of that capacity," says Rushton.

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