A primary mission for Sandia National Laboratories is the protection of critical national assets. We accomplish this through the design of world class physical security systems, but how can we be sure that those systems provide the protection required for this important mission? Force-on-force exercises and subject matter expert opinions have been the main methods. Force-on-force exercises are expensive and are only a simulation of reality. Subject matter experts can miss things that are outside of their experience or new enough to be poorly understood. Now using Dante, we have the power to simulate threats at the right fidelity to understand how well physical security systems perform.
Creating your Dante Environment
Dante simulates adversary attacks on sites of concern in an automated force-on-force simulation. These Monte Carlo, batch simulations produce large amounts of data allowing analysts to explore the statistical results of attacks against the site’s physical security system.
Analysts use the Dante Scenario Editor to author the necessary elements to run a virtual force-on-force exercise. The terrain for the site is developed as a high-fidelity, 3D model with key features such as roads, fences, buildings, trees, and other terrain elements. On top of the terrain, the analyst configures sensor systems such as cameras, fence sensors, and radars so the elements of detection and assessment are modeled. The analyst then adds the blue response force to include response teams in the field and command elements such as the central alarm station and the blue commander to direct the response.
Video Gallery
AR Tabletop Demo Videos
Physical Security Modeling and Analysis
Dante Impact
Designers use Dante to understand impacts of design choices or security changes before implementation at their site. Through vulnerability analysis, we can measure the effectiveness of a system as it currently stands and then consider changes to the system and understand their impact long before breaking ground on new construction.
The threat is constantly evolving at a rapid pace, for example, unmanned aircraft systems and how to counter them has recently become a major concern. Sandia maintains a development team dedicated to Dante, adding new features, behaviors, or technologies that are simulated to understand their impacts on the security of sites. Dante has the flexibility to assess and simulate emerging threats.
Dante is available to US Government and contracted entities under a Government Use Notice. Sandia can provide training on the product and support for analyses.
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Dante is an application that is built upon the Umbra Simulation Framework.
Contact
Dante is supported by the Interactive Systems Simulation & Analysis (ISSA) Department at Sandia National Laboratories. ISSA both conducts Dante development for customers and supports customer’s use of Dante. This group provides updates, technical support, training, advice, and user group resources relating to Dante.
For more information, contact Brian Hart: bhart@sandia.gov, 505-284-9070