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The Open Group Sensor Open System Architecture™️ (SOSA) Consortium Establishes Advisory Board for Independent Review and Guidance

San Francisco, CA - March 15, 2022 - The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture™️ (SOSA) Consortium today announces the establishment of the SOSA Consortium Advisory Board, bringing key government and business leaders together to provide strategic guidance to market needs. 

The SOSA Advisory Board comprises advisors from government, industry and academia selected for their ability to provide relevant subject matter expertise, as well as independent strategic thinking for advancing the SOSA ecosystem.

The Advisory Group will be chaired by Mercury Systems CTO Dr. William Conley and Army Chief ITA C5ISR Benjamin Peddicord, with other members including:

  • Ken Applebaum – Founder and CEO, COTSWORKS
  • Steve Davidson –  Chief Scientist for Systems Architecture, Mitre Corporation
  • Ken Hermanny – Senior Director, General Manager, Mercury Systems
  • Bob Matthews – Advanced Concepts Engineer, L3Harris Mission Avionics
  • Capt. Chris McDowell – Program Manager, Air Combat Electronics
  • Nils Smith – Vice President, SwRI (Southwest Research Center)
  • Kirk Vollmecke – Major General, U.S. Army, Retired
  • Col. William “Dollar” Young -  U.S. Air Force

While Advisory Board Members hold a wide variety of positions in many different industry sectors, they will not represent their respective employers, but serve as individual Advisors to the SOSA Consortium.

“The role of the Advisory Group will be to help the Consortium anticipate and address strategic issues as we work to refine the technical quality and promote adoption of the SOSA technical standard,” said Dr. Ilya Lipkin, Air Force Steering Committee Chair for the SOSA Consortium. “The formation of the Group marks a new phase in the evolution of the Consortium and speaks to the considerable impact SOSA has had on the Department of Defense and commercial sensor system markets.”

“Developing the SOSA Consortium Advisory Board is a formidable step to strengthen and progress the valuable outputs of the SOSA Consortium,” said Judy Cerenzia, VP of Forum Operations at The Open Group. “We welcome their expertise and look forward to their guidance for bridging the SOSA Consortium’s strategic vision with customer needs and supplier capabilities as we continue to evolve the SOSA ecosystem.”

The SOSA Consortium Advisory Board will provide a means for the SOSA Consortium to strategically interact with market expertise beyond its membership in order to promote and expand SOSA adoption. The Board will:

  • Bring key business and technical leaders outside of the Consortium to participate and share information
  • Provide a mechanism for independent review and guidance without governance
  • Interact with the SOSA Steering Committee to identify priorities and direction of key government and commercial programs
  • Review strategic/technical plans and provide feedback on Consortium’s direction and strategy relative to market needs
  • Drive realization of SOSA goals, i.e., adoption of the standard
  • Advise the SOSA Steering Committee on market issues, needs, requirements, and direction
  • Expand market awareness and opportunities in adjacent markets

-ENDS-

About The Open Group

The Open Group is a global consortium that enables the achievement of business objectives through technology standards. Our diverse membership of more than 870 organizations includes customers, systems and solutions suppliers, tool vendors, integrators, academics, and consultants across multiple industries. Further information on The Open Group can be found at www.opengroup.org.

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