Tag Archives: defence

News

MOD selects FotoWare for digital asset management of new public photo archive

The MOD has worked with UK/Norwegian software provider FotoWare to launch a new website with a library of over 5,000 videos and 10,000 images available for the public to access.

Following improvements to its former site, which was customised by a third party company, the MOD needed a new site that retained all of the customised features, but also ensured compliance with the strict requirements laid out by the UK Government for all of its websites.

FotoWare had worked on a similar website for the Australian Government’s Department of Defence, where a custom front end was developed using the FotoWare solution and API (Application Programming Interface). That same front end was what the UK’s MOD wanted for its own new public-facing site, so FotoWare was employed to customise it.

FotoWare implemented a solution to take the new site forward, adding more keyboard controls and a cookie banner, which is a requirement of the UK Government for all of its websites, to ensure they are fully WCAG compliant.

Behind the scenes, FotoWare provides controls for the website including a resizable image slider and a powerful advanced search. For users searching for Red Arrow images, for example, the FotoWare solution makes it easier for the general public and news agencies to find exactly what they were looking for.

FotoWare also provided an extra layer of download security for the new sites including adding a CAPTCHA tool for download of files.

FotoWare has ensured that the digital asset managers and internal teams at the MOD can create albums, with specific metadata and tags, to control what appears on the news packages screen. So, all images with the same news story tags, are stored in one album for the media to view and download.

“The new MOD site is a nice window for members of the public to see all of the amazing defence imagery that is available. This includes all imagery from the armed forces, explains Panay Triantafillides, Defence Imagery Editor & Digital Asset Manager, Ministry of Defence.

To see the new MOD image website, visit: https://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/

Image source: https://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/Home/Search?Query=SCA-Official-20211008-784-002.jpg&Type=Filename

 

News

Adoption of single synthetic environment predicted to save MoD £1.3bn, with total quantitative benefits reaching over £3bn

New Impact Assessment report from EY reveals the massive quantitative and vital qualitative benefits of adopting a platform-as-a-service single synthetic environment in the UK

  • Often referred to as ‘digital twins’ or ‘virtual worlds’, EY predicts adoption of a platform approach to building single synthetic environments within the UK’s Digital Backbone for defence, could provide £3bn in benefits, including £1.3bn in cost savings for the MoD
  • The new report follows the UK government’s Integrated Review which called for the construction of a ‘digital backbone’ for UK defence, of which a single synthetic environment should be a critical pillar, and investment to become a science and technology superpower by 2030

New analysis and research from EY commissioned by Improbable today reveals that over a 10 year period, adopting a platform approach to developing synthetic environments across UK defence, could deliver quantitative benefits in excess of £3bn. Synthetic environment (SE) technology is a critical enabler of multi-domain integration and vital for delivering the digital ambition set out recently in the UK’s 2021 Integrated Review and the MoD’s Digital Strategy for Defence.

Often referred to as ‘digital twins’ or ‘virtual worlds’, synthetic environments are digital versions of chosen environments, whether that’s physical (e.g. a city), non-physical (e.g. a social network) or a mix of both. The Digital Backbone’s Single Synthetic Environment aims to bring together the data streams, models and AI from across government, industry and academia to drive creation of multiple synthetic environment solutions to support critical functions across Defence.

Taking a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) approach to an SSE would enable MoD to establish a collaborative SE “solution factory” that harnesses the combined resources of established suppliers and those of SMEs and providers beyond the traditional defence base.

Furthermore, a PasS approach to an SSE changes how synthetic environment solutions are procured, developed and evolved, and moves away from the linear delivery of siloed projects and towards a far more agile, integrated and adaptable delivery that shares data and component capabilities across solutions.

A PaaS SSE will then ultimately allow all branches of the UK Armed Forces and their allies to train, plan and operate together through more coordinated synthetic environments.

For the first time, EY’s analysis has found that adoption of a platform approach to the UK’s digital backbone’s single synthetic environment could provide the following financial benefits to the UK:

  • £1.3bn in direct cost benefits to the MoD, including £810m from reduced content development costs, and £450m from reduced back end support costs
  • £1bn-£1.5bn in indirect cost benefits to the MoD, including the benefits of better decision making, reduction of spending on R&D, and the benefits to the environment
  • £300m-£750m in wider economic benefits for the UK, including UK export opportunities and innovation spill overs

 

This is in addition to the qualitative benefits of this approach, including:

  • Greater interoperability: A simplification for different branches of the Armed Forces looking to work together, and with their allies
  • Rapid access to context and insights: A reduction in barriers to content suppliers, providing greater supply chain diversity, competition and innovation, including from smaller innovative UK tech companies
  • A reduced impact on the environment: A SSE reduced the need to travel, use carbon heavy equipment in live testing and expend resources like ammunition

 

The UK government’s 2021 Integrated Review restated the need for a radical digital transformation and for the UK to secure its status as a science and technology superpower by 2030. The Defence Secretary described investment in synthetics and simulation “to exploit new domains and enhance productivity” as part of the Review’s “mission to seek out and to understand future threats, and to invest in the capabilities to defeat them”, a call reflected in the MoD’s Digital Strategy for Defence 2021 where the SSE is named as one of the three critical pillars building the UK’s Digital Backbone for Defence.

The MoD has been working on trial programmes with companies including Improbable, a UK technology company that works across the NATO alliance to combine computational modelling, AI, data analytics and other skills and knowledge relevant to defence and national security applications. 

The Improbable synthetic environment platform and partner ecosystem offer a powerful, flexible and secure platform, for delivering simulations and synthetic environments tailored to the needs of the defence community.

The Executive Summary for EY’s Impact Assessment report is available from the Improbable website here https://defence.improbable.io/ey-paas-assessment. 

 

Joe Robinson, CEO of Improbable’s defence business comments: “Adopting and deploying a synthetic environment platform across UK national security is an important step in building the digital backbone for defence. We have long known the significant qualitative benefits that the single synthetic environment would provide, and are pleased to see this new analysis from EY that also shows the £3bn qualitative benefits to the MoD and wider UK economy from taking a platform-as-a-service approach. It’s never been more important to invest in UK science and technology, for our security, resilience, and economic prosperity.

 

Iain Burgess, Defence & Security Lead at EY comments: “As the UK redefines its place in the world, it is clear that technology must be at the forefront in helping create a more resilient, sustainable and prosperous country for our citizens. As a core pillar of the MoD’s Digital Strategy, a single synthetic environment is a critical step in defining the future role of technology in Defence and National Security, setting the standards for others to follow and delivering clear financial, operational and sustainable benefits once implemented.” 

Engineering, News

UK’s Reece Group engineers a positive future with strong financial results

Reece Group has announced positive end of year results for 2019 which reflect new contract wins, business growth and advances in product technology.

The North East-based organisation, the holding company for Pearson Engineering, Responsive Engineering and Velocity, has announced a collective turnover of £64.6m for the year ending December 2019. This is up 48% on the previous year demonstrating continued worldwide demand for its highly advanced defence engineering systems, world-class manufacturing services and innovative, rapid road repair technology over the twelve month period.

Reece Group, which employs over 350 staff across its Armstrong Works facility in Newcastle upon Tyne and sister site in Sunderland, also reported a 42% rise in gross profits, £1m investment in R&D programmes and £120m worth of assets. The Group also continued to donate to local community-led projects, supporting regeneration in the west end of Newcastle with almost £1m given over the last five years. Through its support of the Reece Foundation, the Group has helped younger generations through STEM-based education programmes that promote qualifications and entry into engineering and manufacturing careers.

Subsidiary company, Pearson Engineering, recorded an increase in turnover to £41m, up from £21m in 2018, due to new business wins and several long-term R&D projects reaching final implementation and production stages. The company, which employs 75 staff at the Scotswood Road site, is predicting another positive year ahead for 2020 with further contracts in the pipeline and new advanced products in development for defence sector clients whose equipment is used in the most extreme and challenging environments.

Responsive Engineering reported mixed results with a trading loss of £2.2m for the 2019 period. However, this has led to a strategic shift of activities and refocus of manufacturing operations over recent months, with management successfully restructuring the company to better align with client requirements. Whilst Covid19 has had an impact on the business this year, the strategic changes implemented will create a more robust foundation from which to move forward, especially in the defence sector markets.

Responsive Engineering continues to work closely with Pearson Engineering, with both companies looking to capitalise on several large defence manufacturing opportunities over the coming years.

Additionally, Velocity saw significant growth in 2018 and maintained this level of activity in 2019. The company achieved its largest machine order to date in 2019 (manufactured at Armstrong Works), and whilst the business was initially impacted by the pandemic in the first half of 2020, prospects remain good with demand rising again over the summer period and pot hole repair being cited as a key commitment by the Government.

John Reece MBE, Director of Reece Group, commented, “Overall, these are positive results for Reece Group as a whole and provide us with a very stable foundation from which to move forward, especially in light of the current uncertainty that surrounds the world economy. We are in a good position and we will look to build on this further as we navigate our way through what has become a challenging time for everyone due to the Covid pandemic.

“The end of year results are testament to the hard work, knowledge and commitment of all our staff as well as the support of our clients, stakeholders and supply chain partners over recent years. 2019 was a very productive year where we made continuous investment in skills, staff, facilities and innovation to help shape the vision for the Group as well as the focus and direction of our individual companies.

“We are at the forefront of a major global industry that is highly competitive but Reece Group is continuing to develop and manufacture advanced, specialist products that are simply world-class. Our roots firmly lie here in the North East and we continue to invest in the region, providing as many opportunities as we can, especially for young people.

“Whilst we are in a good position overall, like all businesses we must be flexible and responsive to a changing and volatile economy. The UK is likely to be in recovery for some time to come and whilst no one can predict what will happen, I believe that we are well placed to weather the storm and any impact that may follow.”