Objective 

This topic seeks to develop and optimize a real-time In-Transit Visibility (ITV) system that enables military commanders and logistical staff from Corps to Battalion level to overcome limitations in tracking and managing the movement of supplies and personnel through the integration of data from various enterprise systems and sensor technologies.  

The objective is to enhance command and control (C2) of logistical operations for improved situational awareness and responsiveness, enabling proactive redirection of assets, accurate arrival time predictions, and efficient resource allocation while minimizing delays, disruptions, and manual data processing. 

Description 

Military logistics systems offer significant potential for improvement, yet their ability to fully address the complexities of modern operations is limited by disparate data sources, manual reporting processes, and a lack of real-time visibility into the movement of assets. To overcome these challenges, novel approaches that integrate decentralized distributed ledger, sensor fusion, automated data collection, and user-friendly visualization tools within the Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE) are needed to enable a robust and adaptive ITV capability.

This topic focuses on advancing near real-time logistics tracking and management, with a specific emphasis on providing commanders with a comprehensive common operating picture (COP) of the location, status, and contents of all in-transit assets (Classes of Supply I-X). Proposed solutions should prioritize interoperability, modularity, and scalability, ensuring that the ITV system can be integrated across various existing military platforms (AFRL’s distributed ledger technology infrastructure, CPCE, mobile handheld devices, mounted systems) and enterprise databases (TCAIMS-II, IBS, GATES, CMOS) with minimal customization. Research should explore predictive modeling algorithms, user-defined alert systems, and secure data sharing protocols to ensure reliability, resilience, and security under dynamic operational conditions.

The performance metrics outlined below are intended as target thresholds, not hard requirements, and are meant to illustrate the desired technical capabilities. Proposals that meet some, but not all, of the listed metrics or that propose alternative approaches will be evaluated equally and are strongly encouraged. The goal is to cast a wide net and support a range of innovative technologies aligned with the problem space.

Quantifiable Performance Requirements:    

• Location Accuracy: The system should achieve 95% accuracy in reporting the location of tracked assets under various operational environments.   
• Update Frequency: The system should provide location updates at a minimum of every 15 minutes for ground transport and every 15 minutes for air transport.   
• System Latency: End-to-end latency from data acquisition to display on the COP should not exceed 3 minutes.   
• Platform Compatibility: The solution should operate effectively across CPCE, mobile handheld, and mounted computing environments, requiring no more than 10% system redesign or configuration for each platform.   
• Deployment Time: Deployment/setup time for deploying a single tracker should not exceed 1 hour, and user training should require no more than 2 hours.   
• Physical tags: Should be multi-modal, to include the ability to leverage satellite, cell towers, and internet. The tags should also be able to transmit encrypted data to AFRL’s existing distributed ledger technology infrastructure.   
• Distributed Ledger Technology: Should be able to tokenize assets, creating a digital twin and be able to connect with AFRL’s existing distributed ledger technology and be able to create a unique chain that interoperates with AFRL’s existing one.

Proposal Expectations:    

Successful proposals should include hypothesis-driven research that combines fundamental modeling with prototype development or proof-of-concept demonstration. Teams must outline an experimental validation plan, including testing in simulated operational scenarios with representative data sets and user interactions, with clearly defined success criteria for each milestone. Cross-disciplinary approaches, integrating software engineering, data analytics, human-computer interaction, and military logistics expertise, are strongly encouraged. 

Phase I 

​​This topic is accepting Phase I submissions for a cost limit of $300,000 and a 6-month period of performance. A white paper outlining how the proposer will meet the expected metrics will be outlined in the topic description. 

Phase II 

A successful deliverable is a distributed ledger that is able to tokenize assets and create a digital twin. Additionally, it should be able to connect with AFRL’s existing distributed ledger technology and to create a unique chain that interoperates with AFRL’s existing one. 

Phase III 

• Supply Chain & Asset Tracking: Enables faster, more accountable disaster relief operations. Supports interagency coordination across federal, state, and local responders. Ensures asset provenance and reduces fraud during urgent mobilizations. Strengthens public trust and delivery of mission-critical aid.  
• Fraud Prevention in Grants/Contracts: Addresses a high-visibility government risk area: financial accountability. Improves the auditability and efficiency of public sector funds distribution. Demonstrates responsible tech innovation by stopping fraud before it scales. Applicable across FEMA disaster grants, COVID relief, education funding, or infrastructure stimulus. Reinforces the government’s stewardship mission.  
• Tamper-Proof Government Records: Mission Relevance: Ensures continuity of governance and auditability of official data in contested or degraded environments. Aligns with continuity-of-operations planning  
• Transportation & logistics: Used in real-time, multimodal shipment tracking and custody handoffs with automated milestone verification.  
• Retail & e-commerce: Used in fulfillment visibility, returns fraud mitigation, and last-mile proof-of-delivery.  
• Pharmaceuticals & healthcare: Used in compliant track-and-trace, cold-chain condition logging, and recall execution.  
• Food & agriculture: Used in provenance tracking, contamination traceback, and sustainability/ethical sourcing attestation.  
• Airports & industrial campuses: Used in workforce credentialing, zone access logs, and synchronized movement tracking of personnel and critical assets. 

Submission Instructions 

Submit full proposals via the DSIP Portal. For assistance, contact the SBIR|STTR Help Desk at usarmy.sbirsttr@army.mil.