U.S. Army researchers have created a computer program designed to build three-dimensional avatars of uniformed personnel for use in the design of protective gear, equipment and vehicles, the Army reported April 4.

Kelly Field writes Gary Zientara and Reed Hoyt, researchers at the service branch’s Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, used a 3D body surface scanning tool from Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center to create 250 avatars of servicemen.

“Creating avatar models with this software enables individualized physiological modeling where an individual soldier’s avatar can be clothed and moved through different postures and positions in order to be able to test angles of vulnerability and eventually even exercise and test physiological responses in any climatic environment,” Zientara said.

Zientara noted that the program could potentially be used to build an online library of avatars for research use.

The USARIEM-built computer software works to identify a soldier’s surface anatomical components, external appendages and body positioning through a structure analysis of the 3D body scan.

The U.S. Army Installation Management Command reported that the number of participants in its annual Cyber Installation Support Summit has expanded since its first installment in 2014.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth Dahl and Maj. Gen. Lawarren Patterson co-chaired this year’s summit and discussed the expansion of the team from 40 representatives of Army elements in 2014 to its current group of around 100 people from the U.S. Cyber Command, National Security Agency, U.S. Army Reserve and sister services, the Army reported April 8.

“A few years ago it became apparent that the growth of cyber within the Army and the [Defense Department] was going to become a very large, complex mission, particularly from the standpoint of building out facilities to support cyber training and operations,” said Patterson, IMCOM deputy commanding general for operations and chief of staff.

Army IMCOM oversees 73 installations that work to protect global U.S. interests and require a line of defense in cybersecurity, the service branch said.

“IMCOM should be looking to pull together all service providers, all the people who have a stake or an equity involved, and then integrate that,” said Dahl.

He and Patterson noted that funding and prioritization are also focal points of discussion at the summit.

“We look at facility growth and planned facility growth to determine what priorities are urgent and what can wait,” explained Patterson.

The summit is scheduled quarterly and held in rotation at Fort Belvoid, Fort Gordon, Fort Meade and the IMCOM headquarters.

Phyllis Schneck, deputy undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security for cybersecurity and communications, has said DHS is ready to help secure federal networks with the National Cybersecurity Protection System, Fedscoop reported Thursday.

Greg Otto writes Schneck told an Intel Security-sponsored forum that the department uses the system, nicknamed Einstein, to gain situational awareness of cyber threats as DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate explore ways to bolster the platform’s  intrusion detection and prevention functions.

She added DHS aims to facilitate exchange of threat information between companies and agencies through the department’s Automated Indicator Sharing initiative.

The report said the department also uses data collected during cyber investigations by the Secret Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.