Adding to the StreamShield product portfolio which already included the CSG-3100 IP content security gateway, Detica recently developed the StreamShield DCI-90. The DCI-90 is a high end IP traffic analysis system which provides sophisticated Deep Packet Inspection capabilities at 10Gbit/s with 40Gbit/s capabilities under development.

The DCI-90 is built around the IBM BladeCenter architecture and uses a mixture of standard IBM CPU blades combined with custom IP traffic processing blades designed and developed by Detica. Our custom blades provide I/O and analysis for multi gigabit speed traffic using high-end FPGAs to manage packet routing and backplane connectivity to application software on the CPU blades.

As well as the DCI-90, we have also developed the StreamShield CSG-3100 which provides inline TCP streams based content security and modification.

Detica used the DCI-10 (an earlier version of the DCI-90) to provide a telecoms customer with insight into the HTTP traffic running over its network in order to understand what was driving the traffic growth and resulting bandwidth costs within its network. The work involved developing high performance HTTP protocol analysis software for the DCI-10 together with a web-based reporting front end.

Using the technology solution, Detica carried out an iterative programme of traffic analysis and provided the customer with an assessment and strategic recommendations based on the findings.

Detica developed the signal modulator and control system for the MSF Radio Time Signal service. VT Communications, on behalf of the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL), run the transmission service which provides an accurate and reliable source of UK civil time. The signal modulator is frequency locked with very high accuracy to the NPL’s caesium reference as well as providing a time point sychronisation to the UTC signal.

The system provides dual redundancy for high resilience as well as a web-based control system to permit configuration and handling of time adjustments (such as leap seconds) as well as general health monitoring.

Detica developed the GAPS system for the MOD to process and analyse sonar data recorded by Royal Navy platforms on their return from sea.

The solution required the development and deployment of advanced signal processing algorithms to a processing grid consisting of 150 dual-CPU 3GHz Xeon servers with two 24-CPU Sun servers and tens of Terabytes of attached storage

Detica developed an ultra-high-performance calculation engine for pricing financial derivatives such as swaps and swaptions for the credit risk calculations performed by investment banks and other players in the capital markets.

The calculation engine is based on a standard single-CPU Linux server equipped with an add-in PCI Express card containing a high-end FPGA. The credit risk calculator is developed using a mixture of FPGA firmware and high performance C++ and provides on a single server the equivalent computing power to several tens of quad core CPUs.

Detica developed a multi-channel generic satellite modem platform that can be configured to be compatible with all standard satellite communication protocols. The challenge was to develop this platform to deliver high performance signal processing while remaining cost effective.

The development project involved PCB design; DSP algorithms modelled in Matlab before being implemented on an FPGA; C++ control software and a web-based GUI.

Detica developed and continues to supply the VLF radios used on submarines by the UK’s Royal Navy as well as by other navies around the world.

Designing radio receivers that work underwater is a unique challenge based on the rapid signal attenuation caused by the conductive seawater; the cyclic gain and phase effects of waves on the sea surface; and the impulsive interference generated at VLF frequencies by atmospheric disturbances such as lightning strikes.

Our receivers combine broadband digitisation over a wide dynamic range with a software implementation of custom signal processing algorithms to provide world leading bit error rates in unique operating conditions.

There is no predefined approach to the way we solve our customers’ problems ― although we spend much of our time developing electronics and software, the required solution might lie elsewhere.

An underseas electronic sensor developed for one of our customers had to maintain a constant depth despite changes to sea temperature, while remaining at sea autonomously for long periods of time on a limited battery power source. The solution we developed called for the use of a microhydraulic pump which we were unable to source in the market — so we designed and built one.