TIGR: the tactical ground reporting system

The Tactical Ground Reporting System (TIGR) is a cloud-based application that facilitates collaboration and information sharing at the patrol level. DARPA began development efforts in 2005, and introduced the system to a single brigade in Iraq at the beginning of 2007. Its use spread to all Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Kuwait, the Philippines, South Korea, and the Horn of Africa, and it has proven to be an indispensable tool for counterinsurgency operations. The system enables collection and dissemination of fine-grained information on people, places, and events, and offers a media-rich view of the battlefield with digital photos, videos, and high-resolution geospatial imagery. In 2011 TIGR transitioned to the Army and is now managed by the Project Manager for the Joint Battle Command-Platform (PM JBC-P), where it has expanded to include vehicle-based systems and other on-themove operational scenarios. Despite the richness of its multimedia content, TIGR has successfully operated for years in multiple theaters of war with minimal impact on low-bandwidth tactical networks. This article describes the TIGR system and how it has evolved, as well as the challenges of designing and deploying a distributed system for disadvantaged networks, and the unique data dissemination architecture that has made TIGR such a success.