Multinational spectrum coordination now available on a mobile app
NewsNovember 22, 2017
FORT MEADE, Md. The U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) reports that the mobile application version of the "Mercury" tool ? a central repository used to coordinate electromagnetic spectrum frequencies during humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR) operations ? is now available for download on both Apple and Android devices.
Mercury is a spectrum collaboration application that enables the gathering of spectrum requirements and distribution of spectrum resources that is designed for multinational HA/DR responses that require electromagnetic spectrum resources but do not have access to formally trained spectrum managers or secure networks.
Mercury, say DISA officials, provides a reliable, multilingual application on easily accessible unclassified commercial networks that supports translation between 104 languages and is designed to allow ease of use regardless of the user’s level of spectrum-management experience.
The application supports geographic combatant commanders and U.S. allies and partners enabling rapid response to HA/DR missions. The mobile app is aimed at improving user accessibility, particularly for domestic and international users that favor mobile technologies. To date, the application has supported four multinational HA/DR missions: Typhoon Koppu in October 2015, the Nepal earthquake in April 2015, Typhoon Hagupit in August 2014, and Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.