Special Feature
SCARI++, an implementation of the SCA Core Framework specifically designed for embedded systems. Combined with the SCA Architect and Radio Manager, two tools for the development and monitoring of SCA platforms and applications, the resulting SCARI Suite aims to minimize learning curves and greatly simplify the overall SDR development cycle. The SCARI Software Suite offers a glimpse of an emerging industry, one that uses the SCA implementation itself to offer a complete solution to the traditional challenges of product development (Figure 2).
Taking the SCA Beyond Military Radios Today, we are starting to see the makings of a paradigm shift in embedded system development, one that could touch innumerable applications in our everyday lives. So far, the philosophy of SCA has been identified with military radios. Initially designed for the U.S. Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), the SCA has now been adopted by many other allied military organizations. Taking a closer look at the SCA specification, however, one can see that very little in it is directly related to military radios, and even to ra-
dio at all. The developers of the specification had a vision that would take their concept beyond a restricted set of applications. The SCA specifies a set of rules and behaviors for the development, deployment and configuration of applications and signal processing platforms. A new generation of SCA products promises to open the doors to an even wider range of applications. When looking at other domains of applications, public safety and first responders are the obvious candidates. When converging on an emergency scene, police, firefighters and paramedics from
Figure 2
Screen shots of the SCA Architect, a component of CRC’s SCARI Software Suite. The Suite enables the development of SCA applications and platforms.
January 2007 COTS Journal [ 21 ]