MANET Mesh Node Topology

Overview#

A patrol moving into a valley loses its satellite link, and the only thing keeping the command post connected to the forward elements is a self-healing radio mesh that nobody at the operations centre can actually see. The MANET Mesh Node Topology module closes that gap by pulling live Mobile Ad-hoc Network node data straight into the platform dashboard, so analysts and field commanders watch the tactical network the same way they watch the rest of the operational picture.

The module ingests node topology from external MANET management systems and presents radio frequencies, bandwidth, hop counts, signal strengths, and GPS positions as a coherent, classification-aware view. Operators see which nodes are reachable, where the mesh is thinning, and how the network is healing in near real time. Each node is also promoted into the common operational picture as an operational unit, so the radio mesh sits on the map alongside friendly forces, sensors, and tracks rather than living in a separate tool.

Key Features#

• Live Node Topology Ingestion: A REST adapter connects to an external MANET management system, retrieves mesh status and the current set of nodes, and brings node identity, name, and IP address into the platform without manual data entry.
• Radio and Link Health Metrics: Each node carries radio frequency, bandwidth, hop count, and signal strength, giving operators the link-quality detail they need to judge whether a relay is healthy or about to drop.
• GPS-Positioned Mesh View: Every node records latitude and longitude, so the mesh can be drawn on the operational map and coverage gaps become visually obvious before they affect communications.
• Clearance-Gated Visibility: Row-level filtering restricts each node record to users cleared at or above its classification level, letting multi-classification teams share one infrastructure while preserving need-to-know separation.
• Tenant-Scoped Persistence: Node data is written to PostgreSQL and scoped per tenant, so each organisation sees only its own mesh and data sovereignty is enforced at the storage layer.
• Aggregate Network Statistics: A statistics view reports total nodes, active nodes, average hop count, and average signal strength, giving watch-floor staff an at-a-glance health summary of the whole mesh.
• Operational Picture Promotion: Each synced node is published as an operational unit entity, placing the radio mesh directly into the shared map view alongside other tracked assets.
• Compliant Audit Trail: Every synchronisation emits a compliant audit record capturing who synced, from which source, how many nodes were ingested, and at what classification level.

Use Cases#

Field Command and Tactical Operations#

• Mesh Coverage Verification: Field commanders confirm which nodes are reachable and where coverage thins before committing a patrol or convoy to a route that depends on the radio mesh.
• Denied and Disconnected Communications: Teams operating in denied or degraded communications scenarios verify mesh continuity and identify relay gaps during a mission without leaving the platform.

Operations Centre and Watch Floor#

• Network Health Monitoring: Operations-centre analysts watch hop counts and signal strengths trend in near real time, spotting a failing relay before it isolates a forward element.
• Multi-Classification Collaboration: Mixed-clearance cells share a single operational view, with each member seeing exactly the nodes their classification level permits.

Planning and After-Action#

• Coverage Gap Assessment: Planners review historical and current mesh topology to identify persistent dead spots and adjust relay placement for future operations.
• Unified Situational Awareness: Commanders see the radio mesh on the same map as forces and sensors, removing the need to mentally fuse a separate networking tool into the operational picture.

Integration#

The module exposes mesh topology through a typed GraphQL API so client applications request exactly the node and statistics fields they need. The topology read field returns clearance-filtered nodes for the authenticated organisation, the statistics field returns aggregate mesh health, and the synchronisation mutation pulls fresh data from a named MANET management endpoint.

Read and write operations are named:

• manetNodes (read node topology, clearance-filtered, limit-bounded)
• manetStats (read aggregate mesh statistics)
• syncManetNode (pull node data from a MANET management endpoint)

Inbound connectivity to the external MANET management system uses a REST adapter that authenticates with an optional OAuth 2.0 bearer token and retrieves mesh status and node lists over HTTPS with certificate verification enforced. Every GraphQL field requires an authenticated session, and access is scoped to the caller's organisation, so a customer plugs in one management endpoint and immediately gains a tenant-isolated, clearance-aware mesh view. Each synchronised node is also published into the common operational picture as a normalised operational unit, so the same data benefits every map and timeline module on the platform rather than remaining siloed in one screen.

Open Standards#

• RFC 2501 (IETF Mobile Ad Hoc Networking): The REST adapter is built to the IETF MANET performance and evaluation model defined in RFC 2501, aligning ingested node and routing metrics with the recognised reference for ad-hoc network characterisation.
• NATO STANAG 4677: The adapter references NATO STANAG 4677 for MANET interoperability, so node data drawn from compliant management systems maps cleanly into the platform's operational model.
• OAuth 2.0 Bearer Token (RFC 6750): Calls to the external MANET management endpoint present an optional Authorization: Bearer token following the OAuth 2.0 token-usage standard.
• HTTPS / TLS: All adapter connections to the management endpoint are made over HTTPS with certificate verification enforced, protecting node topology in transit.
• GeoJSON-Compatible Coordinates (RFC 7946): Node positions are stored as decimal latitude and longitude, ready for direct rendering on standards-based mapping clients across the platform.
• JSON (RFC 8259): Node and mesh-status payloads are exchanged with the management system as JSON, the canonical interchange format for the adapter.
• GraphQL: The mesh topology read and write interface is exposed through a Strawberry GraphQL schema, the typed contract the operational dashboard uses to retrieve nodes and statistics.

Security & Compliance#

• Need-to-Know Row Filtering: Each node record carries a classification level, and results are filtered so a user only ever sees nodes at or below their own clearance, enforcing need-to-know at the row level rather than the screen level.
• Tenant Isolation: Every read, write, and statistics operation is scoped to the authenticated organisation, so one customer's mesh topology is never visible to another.
• Authenticated Access: All topology and statistics operations require an authenticated session before any node data is returned.
• Compliant Audit Records: Each synchronisation writes a compliant audit entry recording the user, source endpoint, node count, and classification level, supporting accountability and after-action review.
• Encrypted Transport: Connectivity to external MANET management systems is secured with HTTPS and enforced certificate verification.

Last Reviewed: 2026-05-26 Last Updated: 2026-05-26