These problems have come from the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and the broader Intelligence Community.
Additional problems may continue to be added - and problems posted here may experience minor changes - so check back regularly.
Do you see a problem you like, but need to find team members? Fill out the team formation document.
Additional problems may continue to be added - and problems posted here may experience minor changes - so check back regularly.
Do you see a problem you like, but need to find team members? Fill out the team formation document.
Problems for 2018:
Updated February 9, 2018.
#1 Accountability during evacuation (U.S. Special Operations Command)
BACKGROUND
When Army Special Forces get into a firefight, one of their largest challenges is keeping track of people during evacuation. In the case of an ambush and a sudden need to evacuate, there have been multiple cases across Special Forces units when individuals have been left behind as helicopters and vehicles depart. Not knowing whether personnel have entered the vehicle can result in dangerous return trips to pick up individuals, and in the worst scenarios, the loss of key individuals.
Currently Army Special Forces have no way to visualize and identify which specific personnel are aboard a vehicle or helicopter. Serious delays in departure can occur as the team leader communicates verbally with personnel over the radio to ensure they are on the vehicle, and similar-sounding voices can make the process confusing. Accountability is an essential element of the U.S. Military, and with small, tight-knit teams the rule to leave no man behind becomes imperative.
CHALLENGE
Build a way for the senior enlisted soldier or commissioned officer to keep account of which specific individuals have entered a vehicle or helicopter in order to decrease evacuation time and leave no one behind.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Special Operations Command, Army Special Operations Command
Updated February 9, 2018.
- Accountability during evacuation (U.S. Special Operations Command)
- Boat Heads-Up Display (U.S. Special Operations Command)
- Protecting critical energy infrastructure (U.S. Navy, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command)
- Detecting nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in tunnels (U.S. Forces Korea)
- High Sea Hackers Beware (MITRE Corporation)
- Duck Curve (U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center)
- Vehicle Immobilization (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
- Identifying objects in U-2 high resolution imagery (U.S. Air Force, Air Combat Command)
- Personnel Recovery - Power (U.S. Air Force Research Lab)
- Signature Management in the future operating environment (Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory)
- Tracking an electrical vehicle (Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment)
- When Sparks Fly: Diagnosing building electrical failures (U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office)
- Assessing Building Survivability (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
- E-Acquisition (Defense Acquisition University)
- Patterns of civilian life in conflict zones (U.S. Air Force Central Command)
- Battlefield Energy Self-Sufficiency (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
#1 Accountability during evacuation (U.S. Special Operations Command)
BACKGROUND
When Army Special Forces get into a firefight, one of their largest challenges is keeping track of people during evacuation. In the case of an ambush and a sudden need to evacuate, there have been multiple cases across Special Forces units when individuals have been left behind as helicopters and vehicles depart. Not knowing whether personnel have entered the vehicle can result in dangerous return trips to pick up individuals, and in the worst scenarios, the loss of key individuals.
Currently Army Special Forces have no way to visualize and identify which specific personnel are aboard a vehicle or helicopter. Serious delays in departure can occur as the team leader communicates verbally with personnel over the radio to ensure they are on the vehicle, and similar-sounding voices can make the process confusing. Accountability is an essential element of the U.S. Military, and with small, tight-knit teams the rule to leave no man behind becomes imperative.
CHALLENGE
Build a way for the senior enlisted soldier or commissioned officer to keep account of which specific individuals have entered a vehicle or helicopter in order to decrease evacuation time and leave no one behind.
LIMITATIONS
- Two helicopters or vehicles may be adjacent to each other, so the system must not confuse which personnel have entered which vehicle.
- Any solution will ideally integrate with existing charging / power supplies and Android-based visualization.
- Up to 25 people will need to be tracked at any one time
- Security is critical, so keep in mind ways to avoid detection by adversaries, including ensuring that cell and WiFi networks do not pick up the signal
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Special Operations Command, Army Special Operations Command
#2 Boat Heads-Up Display
BACKGROUND
Naval Special Warfare boat crews have three roles: the wheelman, the throttle, and the navigator. The wheelman must constantly stay aware of the external environment to ensure safe arrival on target. While navigating swells up to 12 feet in height, it is imperative that wheelmen preserves their field of vision on the up-coming sea state. Failure to make adjustments to in-coming waves can result in significant impacts with the waves. These impacts can result in loss of control, vessel collision, and subsequent catastrophic injury or death to the crew aboard a Combatant Craft Assault boat.
Maritime operations are primarily conducted at night while utilizing night vision goggles. For the wheelmen to accurately navigate the Combatant Craft Assault boat, they must take their eyes off of the route in order to read the tools (chart date, depths, speed, and radar contacts) on the control panel. Frequently wheelmen will spend too long looking at the control panel only to look up and suddenly avoid an obstacle or vessel. Technology that allows wheelmen to maximize situational awareness of the vessel’s environment and minimize distraction will decrease the probability of future accidents.
CHALLENGE
Build a way for wheelmen to know their course, direction, and speed without distracting them from watching oncoming boats and waves in order to safely maneuver their boat at night.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)
BACKGROUND
Naval Special Warfare boat crews have three roles: the wheelman, the throttle, and the navigator. The wheelman must constantly stay aware of the external environment to ensure safe arrival on target. While navigating swells up to 12 feet in height, it is imperative that wheelmen preserves their field of vision on the up-coming sea state. Failure to make adjustments to in-coming waves can result in significant impacts with the waves. These impacts can result in loss of control, vessel collision, and subsequent catastrophic injury or death to the crew aboard a Combatant Craft Assault boat.
Maritime operations are primarily conducted at night while utilizing night vision goggles. For the wheelmen to accurately navigate the Combatant Craft Assault boat, they must take their eyes off of the route in order to read the tools (chart date, depths, speed, and radar contacts) on the control panel. Frequently wheelmen will spend too long looking at the control panel only to look up and suddenly avoid an obstacle or vessel. Technology that allows wheelmen to maximize situational awareness of the vessel’s environment and minimize distraction will decrease the probability of future accidents.
CHALLENGE
Build a way for wheelmen to know their course, direction, and speed without distracting them from watching oncoming boats and waves in order to safely maneuver their boat at night.
LIMITATIONS
- Operations will be conducted primarily at night, and will utilize night vision goggles.
- Primary gauges utilized on the control panel: Course to steer (Magnetic), Heading (Magnetic), Speed over ground (Knots), Chart Data, Radar Contacts, Distance to Waypoint, ETA, Distance Traveled, Distance to Destination, & Depth.
- Technology that tethers can be safety hazard in the event the vessel capsizes – a boat can at times be significantly underwater.
- Current ballistic helmets with night vision goggles weigh about 7 lbs, and fatigue makes it unlikely the wheelman can tolerate much more weight
- Boat crews will steer a combatant craft assault for about 2-3 hours, but in extreme conditions it can be 8 or 9 hours.
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)
#3 Protecting critical energy infrastructure
BACKGROUND
As we become more dependent on critical energy infrastructure, the security of these assets becomes more vulnerable to attack. Critical energy infrastructure refers to the resources that are essential for the function of a society such as electrical grids, water purification systems, and gas production. While things have been done to protect the physical security of these resources, there is a need to improve the cyber security protection of critical energy infrastructure.
Researchers at the Pacific Systems Center of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) have determined that security analysts lack an informational framework to assign attribution to a cyber security attack. With a better framework, they could use that information to create relationships, replay an incident, and figure out who was behind the attack.
CHALLENGE
Build an informational framework for security analysts to determine who was behind a cybersecurity attack on a critical energy infrastructure system.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Navy, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)
BACKGROUND
As we become more dependent on critical energy infrastructure, the security of these assets becomes more vulnerable to attack. Critical energy infrastructure refers to the resources that are essential for the function of a society such as electrical grids, water purification systems, and gas production. While things have been done to protect the physical security of these resources, there is a need to improve the cyber security protection of critical energy infrastructure.
Researchers at the Pacific Systems Center of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) have determined that security analysts lack an informational framework to assign attribution to a cyber security attack. With a better framework, they could use that information to create relationships, replay an incident, and figure out who was behind the attack.
CHALLENGE
Build an informational framework for security analysts to determine who was behind a cybersecurity attack on a critical energy infrastructure system.
LIMITATIONS
- Lack of joint understanding between critical infrastructure and cyber security and their compatibilities
- Within the three pillars of cyber security; confidentiality, availability, and integrity, availability is not guaranteed. Security could hinder availability of critical infrastructure and services.
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Navy, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)
#4 Detecting nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in tunnels
BACKGROUND
The alliance between the Republic of South Korea and the U.S. goes back decades, with specific plans in anticipation of large numbers of South Korean and U.S. troops moving into North Korean territory. However, this alliance is 20 years behind in modifying and modernizing its force structure in relation to recent threats. North Korea has very publically developed nuclear explosive devices, but they are also one of the world’s largest exporters and stockpilers of chemical weapons. Both nuclear weapons, so-called “dirty-bombs,” chemical weapons, and biological weapons could all be deployed by North Korea in the event of troops crossing their border. In order to safeguard U.S. and South Korean troops as they secure numerous tunnels throughout North Korea, U.S. Forces Korea are looking for ways to characterize the weapons deployed against them.
CHALLENGE
Build a lightweight way for South Korean and U.S. infantryman to positively identify nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons while in tunnels in order to prevent troops from unknowingly walking into danger.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)
BACKGROUND
The alliance between the Republic of South Korea and the U.S. goes back decades, with specific plans in anticipation of large numbers of South Korean and U.S. troops moving into North Korean territory. However, this alliance is 20 years behind in modifying and modernizing its force structure in relation to recent threats. North Korea has very publically developed nuclear explosive devices, but they are also one of the world’s largest exporters and stockpilers of chemical weapons. Both nuclear weapons, so-called “dirty-bombs,” chemical weapons, and biological weapons could all be deployed by North Korea in the event of troops crossing their border. In order to safeguard U.S. and South Korean troops as they secure numerous tunnels throughout North Korea, U.S. Forces Korea are looking for ways to characterize the weapons deployed against them.
CHALLENGE
Build a lightweight way for South Korean and U.S. infantryman to positively identify nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons while in tunnels in order to prevent troops from unknowingly walking into danger.
LIMITATIONS
- No current limitations
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)
#5 High Sea Hackers Beware
BACKGROUND
In July 2015, Charlie Miller, a security researcher at Twitter, and Chris Valasek, director of Vehicle Security Research at IOActive, hacked into a friend’s Jeep in order to simulate the experience of driving a vehicle while its being hijacked by an invisible, digital force. The two hackers conducted this test in order to determine what kinds of capabilities can impact the car’s internal systems as well as make sure those systems could be protected against modern threats.
A modern car is just an example of a cyber-physical system. Another example would be the navigational system of a ship, which the U.S. Navy is concerned, could be the next target of cyber attack. The Office of Naval Research as well as the MITRE Corporation is interested in developing techniques & methodology to comprehensively test & evaluate ship navigational systems from cyber threats.
CHALLENGE
Test engineers need a way to conduct adequate cyber-testing safely in order to protect a ship’s navigational systems against hackers.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: MITRE Corporation
BACKGROUND
In July 2015, Charlie Miller, a security researcher at Twitter, and Chris Valasek, director of Vehicle Security Research at IOActive, hacked into a friend’s Jeep in order to simulate the experience of driving a vehicle while its being hijacked by an invisible, digital force. The two hackers conducted this test in order to determine what kinds of capabilities can impact the car’s internal systems as well as make sure those systems could be protected against modern threats.
A modern car is just an example of a cyber-physical system. Another example would be the navigational system of a ship, which the U.S. Navy is concerned, could be the next target of cyber attack. The Office of Naval Research as well as the MITRE Corporation is interested in developing techniques & methodology to comprehensively test & evaluate ship navigational systems from cyber threats.
CHALLENGE
Test engineers need a way to conduct adequate cyber-testing safely in order to protect a ship’s navigational systems against hackers.
LIMITATIONS
- Safety parameters of cyber-physical systems are not clearly defined or established. A team would need to test and determines the ways a system could fail. Software models may be used with hardware for testing
PROBLEM SPONSOR: MITRE Corporation
#6 Duck Curve
BACKGROUND
The reliability of utility power generation and distribution to Navy and Marine Corps Installations in the Southwestern region of the United States and the Pacific Islands of Oahu and Guam is increasingly being impacted by the construction of large arrays of solar panels. As the amount of sunlight radiance received on solar panels changes, the electricity from the solar panels changes as well. This is called solar array ramping. When solar array ramping occurs, the utility generation has to make up the difference in electricity not produced from the array of solar panels. Morning and late afternoon solar array ramping, as the sun rises and sets, can exceed the ability of the utility generation to respond and results in power outages. The impact of solar array ramping is captured by the utility in a graph of electricity consumption versus time of day that has come to be referred to as the “Duck Curve”.
CHALLENGE
Develop a way for Navy and Marine Corps public works officers to partner with local utility companies in order to ensure reliable delivery of power to an installation and prevent power outages.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC)
BACKGROUND
The reliability of utility power generation and distribution to Navy and Marine Corps Installations in the Southwestern region of the United States and the Pacific Islands of Oahu and Guam is increasingly being impacted by the construction of large arrays of solar panels. As the amount of sunlight radiance received on solar panels changes, the electricity from the solar panels changes as well. This is called solar array ramping. When solar array ramping occurs, the utility generation has to make up the difference in electricity not produced from the array of solar panels. Morning and late afternoon solar array ramping, as the sun rises and sets, can exceed the ability of the utility generation to respond and results in power outages. The impact of solar array ramping is captured by the utility in a graph of electricity consumption versus time of day that has come to be referred to as the “Duck Curve”.
CHALLENGE
Develop a way for Navy and Marine Corps public works officers to partner with local utility companies in order to ensure reliable delivery of power to an installation and prevent power outages.
LIMITATIONS
- Consider large controllable loads, which are facility loads that can (potentially) be operated dynamically to reduce the impact of solar array ramping while still producing intended commodities. Examples include (but are not limited to) seawater desalinization plants, compressed air plants, wastewater treatment plants, onsite electrolysis hydrogen refueling stations, and fleet vehicle battery recharging stations.
- Installation Energy Security Framework (ESF) Memorandum dated June 7, 2017 (ASN Energy, Installations, and Environment / Iselin) emphasized an increase in energy resiliency. In the ESF, 16 resiliency factors are defined that improve installation energy security. Large controllable loads increase installation energy security by addressing at least 4 of the most important of 16 defined resiliency factors: response diversity, critical dependencies, load shedding, and false subsidies (of solar).
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC)
#7 Vehicle Immobilization
BACKGROUND
In the past two years, terrorists have deliberately rammed vehicles into crowds in attempt to kill a large number of individuals in France, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Canada, Israel, and the United States. These attacks have killed at least 125 people and injured over 300, and further demonstrated how large public spaces can quickly be turned into targets.
Current tools to stop these attacks include physical barriers, which although are readily available, are often not utilized due to an inability to anchor, rapidly deploy and recover, or be aesthetically acceptable. The US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering Research and Development Center would like to explore how it would be possible to immobilize vehicles attempting to attack pedestrians or large crowds using non-permanent fixtures.
CHALLENGE
Patrolling infantry officers need a tool that immobilizes vehicles attempting to attack vulnerable points in urban environments such as an open-air market.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering Research and Development Center
BACKGROUND
In the past two years, terrorists have deliberately rammed vehicles into crowds in attempt to kill a large number of individuals in France, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Canada, Israel, and the United States. These attacks have killed at least 125 people and injured over 300, and further demonstrated how large public spaces can quickly be turned into targets.
Current tools to stop these attacks include physical barriers, which although are readily available, are often not utilized due to an inability to anchor, rapidly deploy and recover, or be aesthetically acceptable. The US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering Research and Development Center would like to explore how it would be possible to immobilize vehicles attempting to attack pedestrians or large crowds using non-permanent fixtures.
CHALLENGE
Patrolling infantry officers need a tool that immobilizes vehicles attempting to attack vulnerable points in urban environments such as an open-air market.
LIMITATIONS
- Consider American National Standards Institute (ANSI) safety standards for stopping vehicles
- Hard to physically stop large, heavy vehicles
PROBLEM SPONSOR: US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering Research and Development Center
#8 Identifying objects in U-2 high resolution imagery
BACKGROUND
The United States Air Force’s 9th Intelligence Squadron is the only unit within the Department of Defense (DOD) that deploys the Optical Bar Camera (OBC), which is one of the oldest reconnaissance sensors in the US inventory. The OBC produces higher resolution than digital camera sensors and sensors can image over 150,000 square miles in a single mission. All wet film collected in a mission is scanned, digitized and geo-rectified for exploitation. The resulting broad area, high-resolution imagery is vital to mission planning and execution, and it is used across many of the DOD’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
When the 9th Intelligence Squadron receives a request, analysts usually target one particular area, due to the manpower necessary to exploit the entire mission, and therefore they are not able to utilize over 90% of the imagery collected from a particular mission. The large amount of imagery creates many challenges including prioritizing where to look and what to look at. The 9th Intelligence Squadron would like to discover innovative technologies and methods to assist analysts in solving these challenges.
CHALLENGE
Develop the capability for analysts to automate object identification in order to focus on the highest priority geographic areas most relevant to their task at hand.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: United States Air Force, Air Combat Command
BACKGROUND
The United States Air Force’s 9th Intelligence Squadron is the only unit within the Department of Defense (DOD) that deploys the Optical Bar Camera (OBC), which is one of the oldest reconnaissance sensors in the US inventory. The OBC produces higher resolution than digital camera sensors and sensors can image over 150,000 square miles in a single mission. All wet film collected in a mission is scanned, digitized and geo-rectified for exploitation. The resulting broad area, high-resolution imagery is vital to mission planning and execution, and it is used across many of the DOD’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
When the 9th Intelligence Squadron receives a request, analysts usually target one particular area, due to the manpower necessary to exploit the entire mission, and therefore they are not able to utilize over 90% of the imagery collected from a particular mission. The large amount of imagery creates many challenges including prioritizing where to look and what to look at. The 9th Intelligence Squadron would like to discover innovative technologies and methods to assist analysts in solving these challenges.
CHALLENGE
Develop the capability for analysts to automate object identification in order to focus on the highest priority geographic areas most relevant to their task at hand.
LIMITATIONS
- Preference is placed on commercial, off-the-shelf solutions and low cost solutions including new ways of approaching existing technologies and taking advantage of open-source software whenever possible.
- Technologies that might be relevant: Computer vision, advance imaging sensors, digital image processing
PROBLEM SPONSOR: United States Air Force, Air Combat Command
#9 Personnel Recovery - Power
BACKGROUND
When a pilot is shot down in a combat zone, it is not always possible to locate and
rescue downed pilots before their supplies run out. Pilots carry a survival radio but have
no ability to charge it and any other electronic devices they may be carrying. The
survival radio runs on an interchangeable (but uncommon type of) lithium ion battery. In
an environment without access to an existing power supply, pilots need a way to
maintain power for their critical electronic devices. Space for supplies on aircraft is
extremely limited, consisting only of what the pilot can bring on their body when they
parachute.
CHALLENGE
Provide a way for pilots shot down in combat to keep critical electronic devices such as
survival radios powered for 28 days until they can be rescued.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
BACKGROUND
When a pilot is shot down in a combat zone, it is not always possible to locate and
rescue downed pilots before their supplies run out. Pilots carry a survival radio but have
no ability to charge it and any other electronic devices they may be carrying. The
survival radio runs on an interchangeable (but uncommon type of) lithium ion battery. In
an environment without access to an existing power supply, pilots need a way to
maintain power for their critical electronic devices. Space for supplies on aircraft is
extremely limited, consisting only of what the pilot can bring on their body when they
parachute.
CHALLENGE
Provide a way for pilots shot down in combat to keep critical electronic devices such as
survival radios powered for 28 days until they can be rescued.
LIMITATIONS
- Consider ways to store any power generated for extended use
- Generate and store sufficient power to maintain metered use of smart device, hand-held radio, and signaling device (may require some discussion and analysis)
- System weight goal less than 5 lbs
- System volume goal less than 5 liters
- Worldwide applicability, both land and sea.
- Technologies that might be relevant: Body-heat power generation, kinetic motion power generation, solar cells, wind-turbines, fuel cells.
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
#10 Signature Management in the future operating environment
BACKGROUND
For the past 15 years, the Marine Corps has become accustomed to fighting an insurgent force that has not been able to challenge them in electronic and information warfare. When fighting a near-peer adversary, the enemy would have the capability to track and target Marine Corps operations by detecting and locating electronic signatures. For example, if a unit was assisting in setting up an operational element on an island in the Pacific Ocean, an adversary would be able to observe and track all communications and data networks due to the admittance of signals from radios, battle tracking systems, navigation computers, and cell phones. The Marine Corps’ current ability to mask its electronic signature is limited to “physical” tactics including hiding their antennas, receivers, and only using their communicative devices when deemed absolutely necessary.
CHALLENGE
Develop a way for a Marine Corps Ground Combat Element to mask the electronic signals from their radios, computers, and cell phones.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory
BACKGROUND
For the past 15 years, the Marine Corps has become accustomed to fighting an insurgent force that has not been able to challenge them in electronic and information warfare. When fighting a near-peer adversary, the enemy would have the capability to track and target Marine Corps operations by detecting and locating electronic signatures. For example, if a unit was assisting in setting up an operational element on an island in the Pacific Ocean, an adversary would be able to observe and track all communications and data networks due to the admittance of signals from radios, battle tracking systems, navigation computers, and cell phones. The Marine Corps’ current ability to mask its electronic signature is limited to “physical” tactics including hiding their antennas, receivers, and only using their communicative devices when deemed absolutely necessary.
CHALLENGE
Develop a way for a Marine Corps Ground Combat Element to mask the electronic signals from their radios, computers, and cell phones.
LIMITATIONS
- Compatible with austere environments (i.e. hot, cold, sandy, wet, etc.)
- Preference for the solution to look un-military like (aesthetically speaking), lower signature, and be easily trainable
PROBLEM SPONSOR: Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory
#11 Tracking an electrical vehicle
BACKGROUND
The electrification of military equipment and assets requires a better understanding of susceptibilities and capabilities to track assets via energy usage. As the military begins to increase the electrification of vehicles (ground, sea, air; manned or unmanned), new vulnerabilities arise within the intersection of cyber and energy.
The operational energy innovation team at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment is interested in the ability to interpret energy usage in order to infer the physical and/or cyber security of vehicles. Can you tell a difference between a Tesla and a Prius when they are plugged into a grid? Can electrical vehicles be tracked as they recharge along their mission route while on host-nation power grids?
CHALLENGE
Develop a way for operational energy teams to measure the energy usage of different electrical vehicles plugged in and charging on a grid in order to assess the cyber security risk.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, Operational Energy Innovation Team
BACKGROUND
The electrification of military equipment and assets requires a better understanding of susceptibilities and capabilities to track assets via energy usage. As the military begins to increase the electrification of vehicles (ground, sea, air; manned or unmanned), new vulnerabilities arise within the intersection of cyber and energy.
The operational energy innovation team at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment is interested in the ability to interpret energy usage in order to infer the physical and/or cyber security of vehicles. Can you tell a difference between a Tesla and a Prius when they are plugged into a grid? Can electrical vehicles be tracked as they recharge along their mission route while on host-nation power grids?
CHALLENGE
Develop a way for operational energy teams to measure the energy usage of different electrical vehicles plugged in and charging on a grid in order to assess the cyber security risk.
LIMITATIONS
- Teams should consider different types of available technology (phones, electric vehicles, computers, etc) that are plugged into the grid to recharge
- Examine advanced control strategies between battery management systems and the grid that optimize charging to understand cyber-attack points
- Utility grids and commercial electric vehicles face the same cyber concerns for susceptibilities while charging vehicles
- Relevant technology areas: electric vehicles, UAVs, big data analytics, sensor technology, control systems
PROBLEM SPONSOR: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, Operational Energy Innovation Team
#12 When Sparks Fly: Diagnosing building electrical failures
BACKGROUND
As part of a two-year research and development project sponsored by the Building Technologies Office within the U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) developed methods and algorithms to help regulate high current power distribution in multiple buildings. The goal was to reduce overall energy consumption by separating out individual buildings’ energy consumption from a building complex’s main energy load. Data were collected during equipment failures, such as power surges, in order to diagnose when and why failures occur based on patterns in the equipment’s electrical load. Using these data and algorithms, the objective of the challenge is to develop new methods to accurately and efficiently identify when equipment faults occur using only data collected from the building’s main electrical bus.
CHALLENGE
Allow building managers to automatically detect and diagnose building equipment failures using only sensors installed at the main electrical panel in order to reduce energy consumption.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office
BACKGROUND
As part of a two-year research and development project sponsored by the Building Technologies Office within the U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) developed methods and algorithms to help regulate high current power distribution in multiple buildings. The goal was to reduce overall energy consumption by separating out individual buildings’ energy consumption from a building complex’s main energy load. Data were collected during equipment failures, such as power surges, in order to diagnose when and why failures occur based on patterns in the equipment’s electrical load. Using these data and algorithms, the objective of the challenge is to develop new methods to accurately and efficiently identify when equipment faults occur using only data collected from the building’s main electrical bus.
CHALLENGE
Allow building managers to automatically detect and diagnose building equipment failures using only sensors installed at the main electrical panel in order to reduce energy consumption.
LIMITATIONS
- While current and voltage data from individually-metered loads are available for testing purposes, the final delivered product should only use whole-building current and voltage measurements to detect and diagnose equipment faults
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office
#13 Assessing Building Survivability
BACKGROUND
In operational environments, one of the responsibilities of a service engineer planner within a military unit is to assess the likelihood of a building withstanding damage. Understanding what the building can withstand is critical to determine the function and benefit of a structure. Can the US military use it as a place to conduct surveillance? Can an adversary use the building as a hide out? Could allied forces use the structure to store and hand out food to the local community?
Currently, service engineer planners rely on “man-in-the-loop” observations in order to understand the survivability of buildings, which means physically sending soldiers or a drone into the building to take notes, photos, and measurements. This evaluation is time intensive and often left to the judgment and experience of the individual assigned to the task. The Engineering Research and Development Center within the US Army Corps of Engineers would like to explore how to standardize and automate the process of determining what a building can withstand and ultimately eliminate the bias of soldiers’ experience.
CHALLENGE
Build a tool that can standardize and automate the assessment of what damage a building can withstand in order to reduce the need for in-person assessments.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office
BACKGROUND
In operational environments, one of the responsibilities of a service engineer planner within a military unit is to assess the likelihood of a building withstanding damage. Understanding what the building can withstand is critical to determine the function and benefit of a structure. Can the US military use it as a place to conduct surveillance? Can an adversary use the building as a hide out? Could allied forces use the structure to store and hand out food to the local community?
Currently, service engineer planners rely on “man-in-the-loop” observations in order to understand the survivability of buildings, which means physically sending soldiers or a drone into the building to take notes, photos, and measurements. This evaluation is time intensive and often left to the judgment and experience of the individual assigned to the task. The Engineering Research and Development Center within the US Army Corps of Engineers would like to explore how to standardize and automate the process of determining what a building can withstand and ultimately eliminate the bias of soldiers’ experience.
CHALLENGE
Build a tool that can standardize and automate the assessment of what damage a building can withstand in order to reduce the need for in-person assessments.
LIMITATIONS
- Survivability of a building is determined within the parameters of Worldwide Construction Practices and Department of Defense Levels of Protection
- Currently no standardized scale to evaluate buildings
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office
#14 E-Acquisition
BACKGROUND
Each year, Department of Defense (DOD) procures nearly $250B of goods and services. Each acquisition program within DOD is required articulate compliance with an extensive number of information requirements derived from statutes, regulations and policies. Programs author dozens of documents in Microsoft Word that can take up to two years to author, coordinate, and approve through up to 56 different organizations at eight levels. Acquisition officials considered only half of the documents of high value. The information required can vary widely between organizations with a mixed case of guidance and templates for program offices.
The 809 panel’s goal is to significantly improve the acquisition documentation process by: 1) Reducing the administrative burden required to approve documents, 2) Include the minimum of information necessary for planning, 3) Exploit commercially available document automation systems and artificial intelligence to reduce manpower, time, and cost. Ultimately, the panel hopes that streamlining the documentation process will enable high quality, timely decisions.
CHALLENGE
Enable acquisition professionals to automatically develop and coordinate program documentation related to a defense acquisition.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: Defense Acquisition University
BACKGROUND
Each year, Department of Defense (DOD) procures nearly $250B of goods and services. Each acquisition program within DOD is required articulate compliance with an extensive number of information requirements derived from statutes, regulations and policies. Programs author dozens of documents in Microsoft Word that can take up to two years to author, coordinate, and approve through up to 56 different organizations at eight levels. Acquisition officials considered only half of the documents of high value. The information required can vary widely between organizations with a mixed case of guidance and templates for program offices.
The 809 panel’s goal is to significantly improve the acquisition documentation process by: 1) Reducing the administrative burden required to approve documents, 2) Include the minimum of information necessary for planning, 3) Exploit commercially available document automation systems and artificial intelligence to reduce manpower, time, and cost. Ultimately, the panel hopes that streamlining the documentation process will enable high quality, timely decisions.
CHALLENGE
Enable acquisition professionals to automatically develop and coordinate program documentation related to a defense acquisition.
LIMITATIONS
- Current processes to create, review, and approve required acquisition documentation can take an average of two years or more.
- There is no database where program managers and other DOD individuals can access archived documents as most are For Official Use Only.
- Each program develops and coordinates dozens of acquisition documents required by statute, regulation and policy. Each is unique, and manually created; the number of people who are need to create, review and approve the documentation varies based on the procurement.
PROBLEM SPONSOR: Defense Acquisition University
#15 Patterns of civilian life in conflict zones
BACKGROUND
Since 2014, Operation Inherent Resolve (the Coalition to defeat ISIS) has liberated vast amounts of ISIS-held land to local populations, but at a high cost to civilians. As of October 2017, the U.S. military assessed 786 civilians had been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes since 2014. For the United States, the Combined Air Operations Center in Qatar manages the intelligence behind the Air Force’s fight against ISIS. Before planning an air strike, civilian activity is taken into consideration in three separate instances: (1) collecting evidence that the target is military in nature, (2) the Judge Advocate General (JAG) assesses potential civilian impact, and (3) a civilian pattern of life analysis from drone footage during mission planning. However, the majority of civilian casualties results from “dynamic targeting,” when a partner force in contact with the enemy asks for help. In such instances, analysts survey an area for signs of civilian life but lack sufficient time to determine patterns of life before authorizing a strike. The resulting confusion often leads to loss of life that could have been avoided.
CHALLENGE
Design a way for intelligence analysts to integrate publicly available data during a dynamic air strike in order to more accurately assess patterns of civilian life to prevent civilian casualties.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Air Force Central Command (AFCENT)
BACKGROUND
Since 2014, Operation Inherent Resolve (the Coalition to defeat ISIS) has liberated vast amounts of ISIS-held land to local populations, but at a high cost to civilians. As of October 2017, the U.S. military assessed 786 civilians had been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes since 2014. For the United States, the Combined Air Operations Center in Qatar manages the intelligence behind the Air Force’s fight against ISIS. Before planning an air strike, civilian activity is taken into consideration in three separate instances: (1) collecting evidence that the target is military in nature, (2) the Judge Advocate General (JAG) assesses potential civilian impact, and (3) a civilian pattern of life analysis from drone footage during mission planning. However, the majority of civilian casualties results from “dynamic targeting,” when a partner force in contact with the enemy asks for help. In such instances, analysts survey an area for signs of civilian life but lack sufficient time to determine patterns of life before authorizing a strike. The resulting confusion often leads to loss of life that could have been avoided.
CHALLENGE
Design a way for intelligence analysts to integrate publicly available data during a dynamic air strike in order to more accurately assess patterns of civilian life to prevent civilian casualties.
LIMITATIONS
- The Air Operations Center has a partnership with Pivotal Cloud Foundry to quickly install new software
- Oak Ridge National Lab has a population database that is used to estimate the potential damage to buildings and the individuals within using a particular airstrike
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Air Force Central Command (AFCENT)
#16 Battlefield Energy Self-Sufficiency
BACKGROUND
Recent U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan required large quantities of diesel fuel for electric power generation. The need for liquid fuel proved costly in both dollars and lives of American combat troops, driving the military to seek much more efficient methods to generate power in austere environments. At the time, the military was unable to take advantage of the most effective potential option, host nation power. Sharing power with a host nation is complex, with political, tactical, technical, and strategic implications. Unfortunately, host nation power grids are not resilient or cyber secure. Technically, their capacity, stability and power quality are rarely adequate. Today, because the same benefits and obstacles to power sharing with a host nation still exist, the key question is: “Is sharing power with a host nation technically feasible?”
The problem is the U.S. military has a severe resource allocation issue. Today, military planners must choose between using limited personnel and transportation assets to move and protect liquid fuel or to transport combat troops and their equipment. The Engineering Research and Development Center within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would like to explore how to satisfy battlefield energy and power needs with considerably reduced logistics while at the same time looking at opportunities to work and share with the host nation.
LONG TERM GOAL
Develop flexible technologies that initially provide standalone battlefield energy self-sufficiency but can easily transition into enabling a power sharing arrangement with a host nation.
CHALLENGE
Deployed military units need a way to utilize host nation utility power as part of their overall electric power generation portfolio without sacrificing power availability, quality, or security.
LIMITATIONS
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
BACKGROUND
Recent U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan required large quantities of diesel fuel for electric power generation. The need for liquid fuel proved costly in both dollars and lives of American combat troops, driving the military to seek much more efficient methods to generate power in austere environments. At the time, the military was unable to take advantage of the most effective potential option, host nation power. Sharing power with a host nation is complex, with political, tactical, technical, and strategic implications. Unfortunately, host nation power grids are not resilient or cyber secure. Technically, their capacity, stability and power quality are rarely adequate. Today, because the same benefits and obstacles to power sharing with a host nation still exist, the key question is: “Is sharing power with a host nation technically feasible?”
The problem is the U.S. military has a severe resource allocation issue. Today, military planners must choose between using limited personnel and transportation assets to move and protect liquid fuel or to transport combat troops and their equipment. The Engineering Research and Development Center within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would like to explore how to satisfy battlefield energy and power needs with considerably reduced logistics while at the same time looking at opportunities to work and share with the host nation.
LONG TERM GOAL
Develop flexible technologies that initially provide standalone battlefield energy self-sufficiency but can easily transition into enabling a power sharing arrangement with a host nation.
CHALLENGE
Deployed military units need a way to utilize host nation utility power as part of their overall electric power generation portfolio without sacrificing power availability, quality, or security.
LIMITATIONS
- Within the U.S. military, it’s said that “if once you have seen one base camp, you have seen one base camp.” Each is different and a function of its unique mission and location.
- “Smaller, lighter, more powerful” power equipment with multiple configurations
- Time dependent
PROBLEM SPONSOR: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
