Efficient XML Program Moves to Commercial, Defense Markets

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  • By Brandie Woodard
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ROME, New York --  A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) effort by the Air Force Research Laboratory with AgileDelta has resulted in the development of a breakthrough data optimization technology, called Efficient XML™. The technology optimizes the bandwidth and resource utilization of Net-Centric data standards to levels far beyond those previously possible. It is the first technology capable of optimizing XML and web services to levels that consistently meet or exceed the Department of Defense's best tactical data formats. As such, it enables deployment of Net-Centric systems and capabilities to the most demanding tactical environments and enables broad interoperability across command centers, aircraft, ships, vehicles, ground troops, and satellites using inexpensive, open Net-Centric data standards.

Independent tests by the Air Force, Navy, and Army measured over 100-fold improvements in bandwidth utilization and transfer speeds using Efficient XML. Efficient XML dramatically accelerated Air and Space Operations Center (AOC) systems and enabled deployment of Net-Centric data standards to live aircraft, ships, vehicles, SOF units, and satellite systems. Independent tests by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) found Efficient XML consistently outperforms previous XML optimization technologies, compression technologies, and even packed binary data formats. Efficient XML includes plug-ins that instantly optimize Net-Centric systems without changing a single line of code.

The plug-ins automatically detect and use Efficient XML where available or otherwise fall back to traditional XML, meaning that they can be deployed incrementally with no disruption to existing systems.

Through AFRL's SBIR effort, AgileDelta has commercialized Efficient XML as a set of broad based, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products used by both defense and commercial customers. Defense customers include the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems. It has been proposed as a standard for airborne networking and is being integrated in military fighter aircraft. Efficient XML has also significantly reduced system development costs by enabling common Net-Centric solutions built on open standards to be used across all operating environments. Commercial industry's venerable W3C identified Efficient XML as a best-of-breed and adopted its Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) format as the global web standard for highly efficient data exchange. The Smart Grid energy initiative has also adopted it as the standard for electric vehicles, smart energy meters, and smart energy appliances. AgileDelta's commercial customers for Efficient XML include a range of companies in the automotive, smart-grid, mobile device, financial, and enterprise software industries.