The Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) is an international not-for-profit collaborative organization, chartered in the United States, whose goal is to facilitate the adoption of existing and emerging open technical standards. The organization is composed of companies , government organizations and academic institutions working in the aerospace

Aerospace

Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...

, defense

Defense industry

The defense industry, also called the military industry, comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military materiel, equipment and facilities...

, information technology

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

, communications and other industries. There are more than 100 active member organizations, with more than 1,500 participants. The full membership list can be found below.

The NCOIC was formed in September 2004.

Mission

The mission of Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium is to facilitate interoperability across the spectrum of joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational industrial and commercial operations. Members of the global organization aim to apply innovative network-centric technology to the operational challenges faced by their customers.

Vision

The vision of the NCOIC is industry working together with customers to provide a Network Centric environment where all classes of information systems interoperate by integrating existing and emerging open standards into a common evolving global framework that employs a common set of principles and processes.

What is Network Centric Operations?

NCO is the application of the fundamental tenets of network-centric warfare

Network-centric warfare

Network-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations, is a military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States Department of Defense in the 1990's....

 to aspects of national security, especially industry support for the missions of both the United States Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The NCOIC does not only subscribe to the military ends of this theory, applying NCO to emergency first responders, health care providers, law enforcement, and corporations.

Network Centric Warfare defined

NCW is the embodiment of an "Information Age" transformation of the United States Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

and all the elements that support it. NCW represents a set of war fighting concepts and associated military capabilities that allow warfighters to take full advantage of all available information and bring all available assets to bear in a rapid and flexible manner.
NCW is based on the following tenets:

• A robustly networked force improves information sharing,
• Information sharing enhances the quality of information and shared situational awareness,
• Shared situational awareness enables collaboration and self-synchronization, and enhances sustainability and speed of command,
• These, in turn, dramatically increase mission effectiveness.

Key deliverables

Systems, Capabilities, Operations, Programs, & Enterprises (SCOPE) Model

• The SCOPE interoperability assessment model is designed to characterize interoperability-relevant aspects or capabilities of a system or set of systems over a network in terms of a set of dimensions and values along those dimensions.
  • https://www.ncoic.org/technology/deliverables/scope/

NCOIC Interoperability Framework (NIF)

• The NIF is a development framework that helps system architects and system engineers to embed interoperability elements throughout the life cycle of programs, beginning with requirements. Whenever possible, those resources are based upon standards.
  • https://www.ncoic.org/technology/deliverables/nif/

Building Blocks

• Certification for re-usable “off the shelf” products as candidate Building Blocks for specific design solutions. This certification program for interoperable Building Block elements supplements enabling guidance for the synthesis of architectures.
  • https://www.ncoic.org/technology/deliverables/building_blocks_db/

Network Centric Analysis Tool (NCAT)

• NCAT is a collaborative, web-enabled questionnaire-based tool developed to assist NCOIC teams and member companies to enhance the likelihood and reduce the time and effort of member companies developing interoperable systems consistent with customers’ policies and guidelines, reference models and architectures. It is also available in an excel format.
  • https://www.ncoic.org/ncat/start

NCOIC Lexicon

• The Lexicon defines terms and expressions that are relevant to texts published by the NCOIC. This material is offered for dynamic debate, discussion and additional submissions in this online wiki. NCOIC Lexicon Custodian Working Group periodically reviews the wiki, and publishes updates of the consensed catalogue, including comments for entries that have been deleted.
  • http://wiki.ncoic.net/index.php/Lexicon

For a full list of all key NCOIC deliverables, including reports and white papers, please visit:
https://www.ncoic.org/technology/deliverables/

Functional teams

Functional Teams (FTs) implement the technical roadmap of the Consortium by focusing on specific technical elements that lead to netcentricity. The teams and their associated working groups are coordinated through a Technical Council, composed of the leaders of each Functional Team.

NIF Architecture Concepts FT

• Manages the development of the NCOIC’s Interoperability Framework (NIF) and champions its use within the consortium. The NIF provides the framework through which the NCOIC will publish its prescribed use of standards and patterns in specific domains and describes the relationships between the individual Specialized Frameworks.

Specialized Frameworks FT

• Hosts and encourages the development, approval, and publication of specialized Frameworks and Patterns that contain guidelines and standards recommendations for the broad range of domains that are of interest to NCOIC members and their customers.

Building Blocks FT

• Provides a catalog of products for use by government and commercial systems engineers, which meet NCOIC criteria for the support of network centric operations requirements, network centric environments and industry standards.

Netcentric Assessment FT

• Defines, identifies, establishes and assembles the necessary criteria for measuring and assessing network centricity and network enablement in all the relevant forms.

System Engineering & Integration FT

• Helps to integrate the efforts and promote the deliverables of NCOIC Functional Teams for the accomplishment of NCOIC goals.

Integrated Project Teams

Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) serve as domain specific customer teams, who work with global NCO stakeholders in solving their interoperability problems. The IPTs harness the expertise of the Technical Functional Teams in utilizing NCOIC tools and best practices to provide customers with the appropriate guidance to achieve their netcentric missions. The IPTs thereby validate and refine NCOIC approaches in collaboration with customers.

Net Enabled Emergency Response IPT (NEER)

• The NEER IPT will recommend net-enabled solutions needed to bridge the gaps among the diverse organizations that need to come together to provide emergency response for day-to-day emergencies as well as for complex humanitarian disasters (CHD).

C3 Interoperability IPT

• Facilitates inter-operation and over-arching coordination of the military, civil-military and civil C2-environment“, promoting interoperability to achieve Situational Awareness and effective decision-making based on standards and best practices.

Sense & Respond Logistics IPT

• Provides a forum for defense and commercial stakeholders of Logistics Communities of Interest (COIs) to identify and coordinate solutions to obstacles to achieving net-centric interoperability by leveraging NCOIC solutions.

Aviation IPT

• Advocates global aviation transformation through netcentric solutions. The IPT supports this mission through industry best practices and tools to advise the use of existing and emerging standards and their patterns in support of global aviation needs.

Maritime Awareness IPT

• Establishes shared understanding of the net-centric aspects of Maritime Awareness. Advocates the enhancement of Maritime Awareness through application of net-centric concepts and technologies.