IT Technical Services

JTDS Case Study

Joint Coalition Warfighting (Formerly JFCOM) over the past 4 years has tasked Loyola to provide services for Front End Analysis (FEA), development, installation, maintenance and sustainment of the Joint Training Data Service (JTDS). JTDS is a set of web-based exercise scenario initialization tools developed by the Joint Warfighting Center. Thousands of users are presented with tools that allow them to rapidly build scenario terrain and force structure initialization files, thereby saving money and time during exercise preparation. JTDS increases the quality of data used to support events by providing correlated data sets derived from the best available source data. JTDS is available online on both the classified and unclassified networks.

JTDS Capability

JTDS is a centralized Web-based system with separate subsystems concurrently running and interfaced together using Web Services. JTDS web services integrate separate and geographically distributed mission and training databases across COCOMS, Joint (Services). JTDS consists of many different applications which have been brought together and launched using single Portal interface which uses Common Access Card (CAC) authorization for approved users.

JTDS Software Management

JTDS is managed by a Wiki web site that captures comments, problems, suggestions or issues from users. Wiki content is reviewed weekly by the Wiki manager who collates reviews and organizes content relevant to issues or problems with the current portal applications. Suggestions from specific users are reviewed to determine mission relevance and are prioritized for development into Engineering Change Proposals (ECP). ECP proposals are staffed through a Technical Review Board (TRB) to determine scope, time, resources and cost for development and integration into current versions of the applications. If the ECPs are minor the TRB will recommend that they be included in an Interim Change Package (ICP) which may occur several times every year. If ECPs are determined to be major in scope and relevant to sustaining or enhancing mission capability, a version upgrade to the application(s) and portal will be recommended for approval. ECPs and ICPs are reviewed by a Configuration Control Board (CCB) comprised of Subject Matter Experts (SME) and Analysts who determine by consensus the final disposition of the proposed changes.