After months of development work, user testing, feedback iterations, and data structure remodeling, the Ditto team is happy to announce that the Edge Sync Plugin for ATAK is officially moving out of beta, with a Version 1 set to release on May 16. This plugin is already increasing communications and connectivity within degraded environments for users of ATAK, the Android Team Awareness Kit (for civilian use), and the Android Tactical Assault Kit (for military applications).

Built on top of Ditto's offline-first mobile database, the Edge Sync Plugin lets ATAK-equipped devices connect directly and exchanged Position Location Information (PLI), map graphics, chat messages, and other mission-critical information in real-time even when traditional networks are unavailable. Within the mesh, devices sync peer-to-peer over any available transport, including Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi Aware, MANET, and SATCOM, among others. The new plugin ensures ATAK users maintain continuous, reliable communication and a consistent CoP regardless of connectivity conditions. 

In the event that no networks are available, data is automatically cached on the device and forwarded when networks become available, ensuring that no data is lost or fails to transmit. This means that critical, offline data is preserved when connections are broken or jammed. 

Earlier this year, as part of a demonstration of multiple technologies at the Kansas State Fair, the Edge Sync Plugin was tested as to whether it could significantly benefit first responders. The results of the beta test showed the plugin was successful at mitigating connectivity disruptions between first responders and enhancing situational awareness in the degraded rural environment. 

Military and first responders have dangerous jobs in remote, often isolated environments. Think military personnel in global hotspots or firefighters in remote forests. Without reliable connectivity in these remote places, human lives can be put in jeopardy. Maintaining a Common Operating Picture (CoP) in these degraded environments is critical to ensuring the effectiveness and safety of teams. However, these situations are precisely where connectivity is least reliable, limiting access to consistent and continuous communication. 

ATAK provides tactical teams with real-time situational awareness and coordination capabilities. However, it relies heavily on a constant connection to a central server for data synchronization and communication. Even “mesh network mode” for ATAK does not support data sync without a local area network. Mesh mode on ATAK is only as good as the underlying transports, but in denied, degraded, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DDIL) environments, networks break, and offline data changes are often lost. The Edge Sync plugin solves this critical problem. 

Ditto improves upon traditional mesh networking with a mesh data sync solution that ensures data consistency between connected nodes, syncing peer-to-peer over any available transport, even without an internet connection or specialized network hardware. 

"Ditto, as an edge-sync platform, has demonstrated its potential to revolutionize data flow across diverse environments, offering a suite of feature-rich tools and services to enhance communication capabilities. From its ability to facilitate seamless peer-to-peer and client-server connections to its role as a multipath solution for maintaining situational awareness, Ditto has proven its worth in the field," said a USSOCOM Communications Chief.

Additional benefits and attributes of the new plugin include the following:

• Long-Distance Multi-hop Sync: This lets the plugin automatically relay data across multiple devices, extending the communication range and enabling two devices not directly connected to exchange data 
• Consistent CoP without a Server: Nearby team members always see a consistent map and data, even without a server. The plugin maintains a synchronized CoP and data across all devices, enhancing coordination and situational awareness. ‍
• Platform-Agnostic/Fully Encrypted: The Ditto SDK, the core of the Edge Sync plugin, runs on various platforms, including mobile devices, web browsers, servers, and embedded hardware. It is agnostic to the underlying network interfaces of the device it runs on, creating an encrypted communications channel. 

The Edge Sync plugin will move out of beta and into production on May 16th. Contact the Ditto federal team at tak@ditto.live, through the Contact Us Form, or visit the Public Sector solutions page for more information.