Waveform Application Development Process for software defined radios

Software defined radios (SDRs) will provide the 21st Century war-fighter with a system that is software reprogrammable, multi-mode, multi-band, networked, robust, mobile, flexible, and provides simultaneous voice, data and video information. An SDR embodied in open systems architectures offers flexibility of application, enables technology insertion and growth capability. It also brings about challenges for the developer and the evaluator. How does a developer or a third party efficiently add software capability to the SDR and how does an evaluator grade the openness of the system? The Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, (PMW 179), completed evaluation of Motorola's software defined radio submitted for the Digital Modular Radio (DMR) Program in December 1999. Open system architecture key attributes of reconfigurability, architecture openness, software programmability, modularity, portability, scalability, and extendibility were evaluated through analysis and demonstration. Of particular interest is architecture openness. The Navy required that the DMR system employ open systems specifications and standards to an appropriate level and implement sufficient open specifications for interface, services, and supporting formats to enable the development of properly engineered components from the developer or third party to be utilized in the DMR with minimal changes. To evaluate this requirement, the Navy conducted a waveform implementation exercise at Motorola. The Waveform Application Development Process for the Motorola DMR, the Wireless Information Transfer System (WITS), integrates system and software disciplines into an integrated process allowing waveform and software specialists to work together to add capability to an SDR. This paper addresses the open system architecture for the Navy's DMR, the Navy's DMR oen system architecture (OSA) evaluation and Motorola's Waveform Application Development Process.