<s>
DATAR	B-Device
,	O
short	O
for	O
Digital	O
Automated	O
Tracking	O
and	O
Resolving	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
pioneering	O
computerized	O
battlefield	O
information	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DATAR	B-Device
combined	O
the	O
data	O
from	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
sensors	O
in	O
a	O
naval	O
task	O
force	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
"	O
overall	O
view	O
"	O
that	O
was	O
then	O
transmitted	O
back	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
ships	O
and	O
displayed	O
on	O
plan-position	B-Algorithm
indicators	I-Algorithm
similar	O
to	O
radar	B-Application
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
the	O
DATAR	B-Device
system	O
was	O
spurred	O
by	O
the	O
Royal	O
Navy	O
's	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Comprehensive	O
Display	O
System	O
(	O
CDS	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
Canadian	O
engineers	O
were	O
familiar	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
this	O
time	O
the	O
US	O
Air	O
Force	O
was	O
well	O
into	O
development	O
of	O
their	O
SAGE	B-Device
system	I-Device
and	O
the	O
RCAF	O
decided	O
that	O
commonality	O
with	O
that	O
force	O
was	O
more	O
important	O
than	O
commonality	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
Navy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Royal	O
Navy	O
computerized	O
their	O
CDS	O
in	O
the	O
new	O
Action	O
Data	O
Automation	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
US	O
Navy	O
decided	O
on	O
a	O
somewhat	O
simpler	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
Naval	B-Device
Tactical	I-Device
Data	I-Device
System	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
orders	O
for	O
DATAR	B-Device
were	O
forthcoming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Atlantic	O
Convoy	B-Application
Conference	O
of	O
1943	O
,	O
Canada	O
was	O
given	O
shared	O
control	O
of	O
all	O
convoys	B-Application
running	O
between	O
the	O
British	O
Isles	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Belyea	O
had	O
been	O
developing	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
an	O
automated	O
battlefield	O
control	O
system	O
for	O
some	O
time	O
,	O
after	O
having	O
studied	O
the	O
problem	O
of	O
dealing	O
with	O
a	O
coordinated	O
attack	O
by	O
submarines	O
on	O
convoys	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
World	O
War	O
II	O
the	O
slow	O
speeds	O
and	O
short	O
submerged	O
range	O
of	O
the	O
typical	O
U-boat	B-Operating_System
allowed	O
the	O
defenders	O
to	O
deal	O
with	O
them	O
one-by-one	O
,	O
but	O
as	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
newer	O
Soviet	O
designs	O
improved	O
it	O
appeared	O
that	O
a	O
coordinated	O
all-underwater	O
attack	O
was	O
a	O
real	O
possibility	O
,	O
one	O
for	O
which	O
he	O
felt	O
an	O
effective	O
defence	O
would	O
require	O
much	O
faster	O
reaction	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Belyea	O
's	O
idea	O
was	O
to	O
share	O
radar	B-Application
and	O
sonar	B-Application
data	O
between	O
ships	O
,	O
processing	O
the	O
data	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
present	O
a	O
unified	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
battlefield	O
relative	O
to	O
any	O
particular	O
ship	O
's	O
current	O
heading	O
and	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Belyea	O
had	O
experience	O
with	O
naval	O
training	O
simulators	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
knew	O
that	O
conventional	O
electrical	O
analogue	O
computation	O
and	O
display	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
sufficient	O
for	O
DATAR	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Belyea	O
's	O
basic	O
idea	O
of	O
sharing	O
precise	O
real	O
time	O
radar	B-Application
and	O
sonar	B-Application
data	O
between	O
all	O
ships	O
in	O
a	O
convoy	B-Application
,	O
compensating	O
for	O
ship	O
movement	O
and	O
distinguishing	O
between	O
friendly	O
and	O
enemy	O
ships	O
was	O
years	O
ahead	O
of	O
its	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
solution	O
pleased	O
everyone	O
and	O
the	O
DATAR	B-Device
project	O
was	O
born	O
in	O
1949	O
,	O
Ferranti	O
setting	O
up	O
a	O
new	O
shop	O
under	O
the	O
direction	O
of	O
Kenyon	O
Taylor	O
in	O
Malton	O
near	O
the	O
Avro	O
Canada	O
plants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1950	O
the	O
small	O
team	O
at	O
Ferranti	O
Canada	O
had	O
built	O
a	O
working	O
pulse-code	B-Algorithm
modulation	I-Algorithm
(	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
)	O
radio	O
system	O
that	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
transmit	O
digitized	O
radar	B-Application
data	O
over	O
long	O
distances	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
this	O
came	O
renewed	O
interest	O
in	O
DATAR	B-Device
,	O
and	O
over	O
the	O
next	O
two	O
years	O
they	O
spent	O
$1.9	O
million	O
( $	O
million	O
in	O
)	O
developing	O
a	O
prototype	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
prototype	O
machine	O
used	O
3,800	O
vacuum	O
tubes	O
and	O
stored	O
data	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
500	O
objects	O
on	O
a	O
magnetic	B-General_Concept
drum	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
production	O
setting	O
,	O
only	O
one	O
ship	O
in	O
a	O
task	O
force	O
would	O
carry	O
the	O
DATAR	B-Device
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
ships	O
had	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminals	I-General_Concept
that	O
allowed	O
the	O
operators	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
trackball	B-Device
based	O
on	O
a	O
Canadian	O
five-pin	O
bowling	O
ball	O
and	O
trigger	O
to	O
send	O
position	O
info	O
over	O
the	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
links	O
to	O
the	O
DATAR	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
DATAR	B-Device
then	O
processed	O
the	O
locations	O
,	O
translated	O
everything	O
into	O
the	O
various	O
ship	O
's	O
local	O
view	O
,	O
and	O
sent	O
the	O
data	O
back	O
to	O
them	O
over	O
the	O
same	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
links	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Here	O
it	O
was	O
displayed	O
on	O
another	O
console	O
originally	O
adapted	O
from	O
a	O
radar	B-Application
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
with	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Air	O
Force	O
's	O
Semi	B-Device
Automatic	I-Device
Ground	I-Device
Environment	I-Device
(	O
SAGE	B-Device
)	O
system	O
,	O
DATAR	B-Device
did	O
not	O
develop	O
tracks	O
automatically	O
,	O
relying	O
on	O
the	O
operators	O
to	O
continue	O
feeding	O
new	O
data	O
into	O
the	O
system	O
by	O
hand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
simulated	O
convoy	B-Application
was	O
set	O
up	O
,	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
shore	O
station	O
and	O
two	O
s	O
,	O
and	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DATAR	B-Device
performed	O
well	O
,	O
everyone	O
being	O
sent	O
proper	O
displays	O
of	O
the	O
radar	B-Application
and	O
simulated	O
sonar	B-Application
"	O
blips	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ferranti	O
was	O
extremely	O
interested	O
in	O
adapting	O
the	O
DATAR	B-Device
system	O
to	O
a	O
transistor-based	O
design	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
believed	O
would	O
solve	O
this	O
issue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Royal	O
Navy	O
would	O
start	O
work	O
on	O
their	O
Comprehensive	O
Display	O
System	O
that	O
year	O
under	O
the	O
direction	O
of	O
Elliot	O
Brothers	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
US	O
Navy	O
's	O
Naval	B-Device
Tactical	I-Device
Data	I-Device
System	I-Device
in	O
1956	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DATAR	B-Device
project	O
thus	O
ended	O
on	O
a	O
somewhat	O
sour	O
note	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DATAR	B-Device
work	O
did	O
not	O
go	O
completely	O
to	O
waste	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ferranti	O
Canada	O
used	O
the	O
basic	O
DATAR	B-Device
design	O
on	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
projects	O
,	O
transistorizing	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
eventually	O
led	O
to	O
both	O
ReserVec	B-Device
and	O
the	O
Ferranti-Packard	B-Device
6000	I-Device
mainframe	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
