Android Tactical Assault Kit

The Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) is a Android smartphone geo-spatial infrastructure app built using NASA World Wind. This "Government Open Source” project from the Air Force Research Lab in Rome, NY when combined with a network or radios, enables sharing/presentation of voice, text chat, video, pictures, and an interactive, layered, shared, moving map... plus many other niche data types for the tactical user. The app's human interface intent is to provide warfighters "up-to-the second understanding of what’s going on around them."^[1]

Created in 2012,^[2][3] its development and deployment has grown slowly.^[4] It is also known as the "Android Team Awareness Kit" and incorrectly reported as the "Android Terminal Assault Kit."^[5][6][7]

A typical ATAK screen

Civilian & Military capabilities (available in the public/licensed version) include:

• Online and offline mapping (most standard formats), with a fast rendering engine
• Web Browser, JavaScript, API
• Collaborative mapping, including points, drawings, locations of interest, kml, maps
• Location marking, sharing, history,
• Chat, file sharing, photo sharing, video sharing, streaming
• Navigation (walking/hiking, driving, also useful for some flying)
• Altitude profiling between locations, routes w/ DTED, SRTM
• Cell phone, WiFi, civilian radio controls, interface
• Skydiving tool (w/winds for better prediction)
• Hunting, Fishing, Ornithology, Wildlife Site Survey

Military unique capabilities (for US military users only) include:

• Site Survey Tool
• Targeting
• Mensuration (precise geo-location)
• Runway Survey Tools
• Military radio controls, messages, interface

Connections to other programs

In Oct 14, 2014 U.S. Army Geospatial Center recommended AFRL's Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK), over the world-leader Esri's Commercial Joint Mapping Tool Kit (CJMTK), NASA's World Wind, and the Army's Globe Engine (AGE) for map engine driving the Nett Warrior End User Device. ATAK was selected due to similar capabilities with CJMTK, similar risk, and less than one-third the total cost. Read the full, public released report Nett Warrior Map Engine Trade Study.

Commercial Licensing

In January, 2015, AFRL began licensing ATAK through TechLink to U. S. companies, for commercial use to support state/local government uses as well as civilian contracting. As of April 24, four companies have licensed ATAK for commercial uses (TechLink Licensing site).

For More Information:

• See the briefing (click on image right)
• ATAK YouTube Channel with many how-to videos
• Black Diamond Apex System running ATAK

Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) Licensing for Tech Transfer & Tech Transition. Briefing. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for Public Release, Case Number 88ABW-2014-1324

External Links

• Official ATAK Map website
• ATAK milBook Group
  • Persons holding a United States Official email address (e.g. .gov or .mil) may register to download a copy of the official version at ATAKmap.com

References

1. http://romesentinel.com/news?newsid=20131029-142154
2. http://www.wpafb.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-131008-023.pdf
3. https://www.cs.drexel.edu/~kfu22/me/docs/FP-MILCOM-Paper.pdf
4. https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=8f69fc9a1ac486675a2d08a5ac57cc41
5. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/320781-android-terminal-assault-kit-us-forces-could-use-app-to-call-in-airstrikes/
6. http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131016/NEWS04/310160005/App-could-allow-troops-call-airstrikes
7. http://www.draper.com/emailedAnnouncements.html#androidapp