In logistics, in the medical command or in deployment and command systems for the Federal Ministry of Defense – the German armed forces are processing increasing amounts of data as part of ongoing digitization in order to be able to make decisions more precisely and efficiently. The Bundeswehr wants to use the potential of its data even more in the future. The IT system house of the Bundeswehr, BWI GmbH, supports you in this.
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A marine creates a picture of the situation in the joint sea situation center in the maritime security center in Cuxhaven.
© Bundeswehr/Yvonne Albert
Data analyzes not only enable more efficient decisions, they also help to optimize existing processes. The availability, collection and evaluation of data also have an increasing effect on the success of military operations: the more precise the data analysis, the more well-founded the decisions that (have to) be made for a successful deployment in the Bundeswehr. But which data is relevant and how can it best be made available for analysis and processes?
Data governance: managing data correctly
When weapons, ammunition and equipment are delivered to the crisis area due to the Ukraine war, data helps with the organization: Information on stock, availability, dimensions, condition and storage location of the material can be used to determine, for example, whether maintenance work is necessary and how the material is packed and how safe transport takes place.
In order to optimize the Bundeswehr’s data management and to ensure high data quality, the BWI investigates, for example, what data fields must be like, which data sets are used as a basis and how these should be recorded and stored. After consultation with the customer, the BWI supplements these data sets in the productive system of the Bundeswehr.
Early crisis detection with artificial intelligence
Valid data and a reliable IT infrastructure are prerequisites for data use. Well-founded decisions also require targeted processing of complex databases. The BWI is therefore developing innovative applications for data analysis for the Bundeswehr – supported by AI technology, which sometimes automates and accelerates the evaluation of the data.
This technology is used, for example, in the early detection of natural disasters, pandemics or conflicts. A reliable evaluation can only be carried out with the help of reliable information and data, for example in order to initiate evacuation measures. A situational picture in real time provides the basis for such decisions. The BWI is currently developing a crisis prevention information system (KVInfoSysBund) that makes information from public sources accessible to those involved in various federal departments – precisely and fully automatically. For example, German nationals and those in custody can be protected in the event of crises abroad and – if necessary – evacuated.
From big data to AI to a comprehensive situational picture
Prometheus , a software developed by the BWI innovation unit Cyber Hub der Bundeswehr (CIHBw), also uses AI to display a comprehensive picture of the situation. This enables the Bundeswehr to react more quickly to approaching military and non-military crises. In its innovation project, the CIHBw uses large amounts of data from freely available and public sources, such as Twitter, Google or international media reports, in order to collect, analyse, condense and evaluate them autonomously in real time with the help of artificial intelligence. In the operations center of the Territorial Tasks Command, this information flows together into a territorial picture of the situation and helps in decision-making.
Data-driven decision-making is becoming increasingly important – not only for the German armed forces
Decisions in the future depend on the management and interpretation of data. AI applications, for example, help the Bundeswehr to use large amounts of data effectively for decision-making – especially in the event of a crisis. The BWI and its innovation units – the CIHBw, BWI innoX and the Schmiede – develop practice-oriented digital solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.
These solutions have the potential to increase the data literacy of the German armed forces and thus their defense capabilities. At the same time, they can also serve as a blueprint for other state organizations in Germany. Especially when they face similar challenges as the Bundeswehr.
For these and other challenges in the field of big data, artificial intelligence, IT security or software development, the BWI is looking for experienced IT experts and those who want to become one. More information is available on the
Career page of the BWI.
