DIGITISATION      

Digitisation refers to putting the capabilities for digital communications into a platform. 

Digital modulation is the process of encoding a continuous analogue signal into a discontinuous signal. Then numerical codes, consisting of discrete on (one) and off (zero) pulses are assigned to represent a measure of the basic signal. The measuring process involves sampling the amplitude of the continuous signal at intervals and transmitting a digital code to represent the amplitude. 

The same process can be used in data transmissions where digital codes represent letters and numbers. Linking platforms from aircraft to mines and sensors on the ground in an intelligent circuit, allows these systems to interact automatically on a continual flow of information around the circuit.

Linked to digitisation, the next trend in communications is probably towards secure image transmission, linking information from humans and sensors. 

For example, a platoon commander's sketch map of the current situation in his area can be transmitted simultaneously to the company, battalion, brigade and divisional headquarters and either modified, or confirmed by sensor information. 

This map could then be scanned into the overall C3I system and both humans and sensors made aware of the results. Time spent in talking about the situation on the air and the possibility of confusion and misunderstandings are dramatically reduced.

However, implementing digitisation has not been a stress-free process and much remains to be done. In the US it was always predicted that the process of digitisation would be 'like giving birth to a bale of barbed-wire'. It should be noted that developers in both the US and the UK have not been disappointed in this regard