Sensors Directorate Brings New Opportunities to the IT Industry, Region
Author: Kelly Geers
February 2007
By Kelly Geers, Projects and Research Coordinator, Dayton Development Coalition
Similar to our human senses, sensing devices affect our everyday life in countless and virtually unnoticeable ways. Sensing devices, or sensors, exist in our world in many layers: below ground, at the surface, above ground, and in space. They are devices used to detect, measure and record physical phenomena such as, heat, radiation, and blood pressure, among countless other occurrences. Ideally the sensed data can be used like our central nervous system to respond to conditions, usually by transmitting information to initiate changes or operate controls to affect a change.
The Sensors Directorate within the Air Force Research Lab approaches the concept of Sensor technology from a military standpoint, using this technology to assist war fighters and military personnel as they engage in high-stress and sometimes life-threatening situations. Therefore it is essential that the massive amounts of data produced by sensors be gathered, stored, and fused layer by layer so they can be analyzed in actionable ways within seconds. This technology is dependent on producing a network of data management that can be applied to an integrated solutions framework to produce the best possible outcomes for persons in harms way. Sensors can only sense. Their value is found in the IT that allows the sensed data to be utilized productively.
The Sensors Directorate, along with the information technology needed to handle the data derived from sensing devices, will be the connective links for many of the Air Force systems of the future and will provide numerous technologies that can be applied to civilian life.
The 2005 Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) law directs the realignment of the Air Force Sensors Directorate missions from Rome, NY and Hanscom, MA to be moved to Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) creating a significant opportunity for the Dayton Region. The consolidation of all the Air Force Sensors work to WPAFB provides the economy of scale, to create an Air Force Center of Excellence for Sensors, and takes advantage of the close proximity of other critical missions located at WPAFB.
As we prepare for the realignment of the Sensors mission to Wright-Patt, the Dayton Region is focused on growth beyond the BRAC completion date in 2011.
In February 2006, the Dayton Development Coalition formed the Sensors Task Force to work in collaboration with WPAFB and the Sensors Directorate to help facilitate the mission moves to the base. In addition to making sure the BRAC moves occur, the community wanted to make sure that it had every opportunity to grow and attract even more sensor-related expansion in the Dayton Region. The Sensors Task Force now numbers over 300 members including over 60 businesses, 10 universities, as well as elected officials and community leaders all focused on leveraging the BRAC opportunities to create more high-skilled technology jobs in the Region.
The Sensors Task Force members have provided the energy and knowledge in driving the process to determine the challenges and opportunities that the Region faces during the BRAC transition. Through workshops and surveys the task force members are producing solution sets to assist the Dayton Region in making the most of the opportunities initiated by BRAC.
The next task for the Dayton Region is to insure that we will have sufficient human resources to fill the current and future needs for science and technology careers as the Sensors Directorate and its contractor support base grows. The Sensors Directorate has about 1,250 combined government and on-site contractors located at Wright-Patt centered around several technology thrusts. As the mission evolves and the jobs from Rome and Hanscom move to WPAFB, we are challenged to fill the positions and create a pipeline of education to train our workforce to fill the jobs in the future.
There is a chance for everyone in our community to focus on making the 2005 BRAC a success and grow beyond the expected baseline in the future. The Sensors Directorate provides a unique opportunity as it is a truly comprehensive mission that crosscuts through each of the Dayton Region’s industry strengths, especially IT. Through continued vigilance in ensuring the movement of the Sensors Directorate and other missions to Wright-Patt and in leveraging the opportunities created by these new missions we are creating an exciting future for the Dayton Region.
If you would like more information on the Sensors Task Force, please contact Lou Ferraro This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
