What does a “Single Pane of Glass,” Really Mean?
The demand for "sensor fusion" in modern military and defense operations has been clear for years: consolidate data from diverse sensors into a single, cohesive view. This reduces the operator’s need to scan across multiple screens, ultimately creating a more streamlined experience for decision-making. But is that what the operator was really asking for, when he asked for a “single pane of glass?” Couldn’t situational awareness tools evolve from merely aggregating data to interpreting it, prioritizing it, and dynamically orchestrating it in real-time?
The Problem with Traditional Fusion
In classic "fused sensing" systems, the goal is to aggregate all relevant sensor data into one easy-to-read screen, eliminating the need for operators to manage a clutter of separate feeds. While this is a major improvement over siloed and cobbled-together systems, it still just presents data - not information. The operator has to understand how all that data fits together, identify priorities for attention, and identify response options.
While this approach is clearly better than switching among multiple screens, it still leaves room for information overload and cognitive fatigue—especially in complex, high-tempo operations. It’s also not a strong foundation to introduce AI/ML models, which may see patterns in the data but won’t understand why those patterns matter or what they mean for the broader system.
What if, instead of siloed pipes leading to the same screen, the data fed into a common operating picture behind the screen? That contextually-aware system would keep an eye on all the background details, understand the broader objectives, and feed the operator only the information she needs to do her job.
The Next Step: Stateful Orchestration
To do that, you need to insert a layer into the technological stack. The orchestration layer takes situational awareness to the next level by integrating not just the data, but the overall context. Instead of presenting raw sensor data and leaving the operator to piece together insights, a stateful system tracks the evolving status of every node (sensors, drones, ground units, etc.) across both time and space. By incorporating even basic machine learning models, it can then be made to show only the information that is changing, unexpected, or otherwise meaningful.
The result is a system that not only consolidates data, but dynamically orchestrates it—offering insights, predictions, and automated responses based on the real-time relationships among every asset in the field.
How Does This Impact Operators?
Stateful orchestration fundamentally changes how operators interact with their tools in three key ways:
1. Reduced Cognitive Load
Traditional fused systems place the responsibility of filtering through data on the operator, even if all the data is in one place. With stateful orchestration, that burden shifts. The system continuously updates and prioritizes data based on context—what’s happening, who’s involved, and how critical each element is. This allows operators to focus only on the most pressing information, without having to dig through endless layers of raw data.
2. Faster, More Informed Decisions
Since stateful orchestration tracks and predicts the evolving states of all assets, it can offer operators preemptive insights. Instead of reacting to an event that’s already happening, the system suggests responses based on real-time data, meaning operators are acting before a threat escalates. This reduces response time significantly and helps prevent information lags from leading to missed opportunities or critical oversights.
3. Autonomous, Orchestrated Responses
In fast-moving operations, autonomous systems like drones or ground units must be able to adjust on the fly without waiting for human command. Stateful orchestration enables this by sharing the current state of every node across the network. This allows assets to make decisions locally based on the global operational picture - or even just the local shared operating picture, if they’re cut off from the Cloud. For the operator, this means they’re not micromanaging each asset—instead, they’re overseeing and adjusting a self-coordinating network that already understands what needs to be done.
A Vision for Stateful Operations
We have all bought an “automated” or “smart” widget just to realize that it took more of our attention to operate than the dumb version did. Lack of stateful orchestration is a big part of why that is.
Cachai’s product Altiro provides that stateful orchestration capability, anywhere and across any combination of devices. This is a force multiplier, because it enables a system that scales across hundreds or thousands of nodes, orchestrating complex operations in real-time without overwhelming the operator. Each asset maintains state awareness, allowing autonomous actions to scale across nodes in full cooperation. And, with a bit of AI magic, diverse groups of devices can undertake new and innovative collaborative tasks that it would have taken years to program using rules-based automation.
This is what we want from our autonomous systems and our single pane of glass: the ability for an operator to oversee large-scale, multi-domain operations with minimal manual intervention, managing assets that can adjust their own behavior rationally to align with the mission while keeping the operator informed and in control of the bigger picture.
The Future of Situational Awareness
Stateful orchestration enhances consistency, resilience, and trustworthiness in distributed systems. By continuously updating the global state of all assets, it ensures that operators are always working with the most up-to-date, reliable information. It also frees up cognitive resources for higher-level strategic thinking, improves decision-making speeds, and reduces the likelihood of human error.
In a world where information overload can slow down even the best operators, stateful orchestration promises a new level of awareness, efficiency, and precision. No more 12 screens. No more data sifting. Just the right insights, at the right time, with the ability to act swiftly.
Interested in how stateful orchestration can transform your operations?
Learn more about Cachai’s stateful orchestration technologies and how they can help your organization stay ahead in complex, multi-domain environments.