Globalisation, coupled with the accessibility of the Internet in the modern world, can result in things meaning very different things to different people. Common terms can be misused too; we have seen some very interesting interpretations of meanings in our various lifetimes! We have decided to put a lexicon on the website so we can keep the pages tight to the usually defined and abbreviated form. Apologies if that makes them a little awkward to read. Rather than a straight glossary, herein is a lexicon to aid better the background as often a little more context is needed in this highly specialist field and easily stated, yet difficult to actually do set of technologies and problems.

This is not going to be exhaustive, but will list many of the acronyms and areas where an explanation is best served. We will assume most of the common Telecommunications and Military Signals terms are standard, for the avoidance of doubt we will always use the UK meaning. If we choose to alter that to a NATO or other jurisdiction then it will be listed below. Feel free to Contact Us to ask us to update this page with something we haven't yet put on here.

The common Electronic Warfare acronyms are excluded.

The following links are the various pages in alphabetic order for our site's use of various abbreviations and our intended meaning, {use the links to relevant pages}:

CAD - Computer-Aided Design. We mean that to mean any software solution that aids in the computational complexity of analysis and placement of elements, attributes and location of an overall entity that we may be creating and designing. In order to do this the software may well need to call upon various modelling capabilities in order to effect optimum analysis and placement.

CBRN/CBRNE - This has evolved from earlier terms and forms used throughout the last century. We take it to mean Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear. The E extension means Enhanced [Improvised] Explosives threat.

CCRF - Civil Contingency Reaction Forces.

CCTV - Closed Circuit Television.

CDE - Centre for Defence Enterprise. This is an innovation 'incubation' team of the UK Ministry of Defence.

CDP - Chief of Defence Personnel. This is a senior position of the UK Ministry of Defence.

CDSO - Chief Defence Security Officer. Board Member with the responsibility for the Defence Security Controller aspects of the Company and all CROWN matters. The post holder may be a DIRECTOR and/or SHARE HOLDER of the company as defined by the COMPANIES ACT.

CE - Conformité Européenne. This is a certification that a product has met standards of fitness to be sold and used within Europe [EU].

CEO - Chief Executive Officer. Board Member with the most significant authority for the Company. In the UK Laws of a Limited Company this role is also deemed to be the Managing Director of our Company. The post holder is therefore a DIRECTOR and SHARE HOLDER of the Company as defined by the COMPANIES ACT.

CERN - Conseil Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire. This is the combined European research organisation that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world.

CFD - Computational Fluid Dynamics, or more simply put the numerical analysis of fluid mechanics. This is also meaning Gases and other phases that conform to fluid mechanics.

CFL - Compact Fluorescent Lamp. Mecury vapour, miniature, fluorescent-tubed, low-energy lighting. With the benefits of full-colour, high-power LED it is likely CFL technology will compete hard with the wider benefits of LED lighting.

CFO - Chief Financial Officer. Board Member with the significant financial authority for the Company. In the UK Laws of a Limited Company this role is also deemed to be the Financial and Commercial Director of our Company. The post holder is therefore a DIRECTOR and SHARE HOLDER of the company as defined by the COMPANIES ACT.

CHIPS - Chemicals Hazard Information for Packaging and Supply. This was until recently a set of UK regulations which define the labelling of hazardous substances; it is now replaced with the European CLP regulations {see also REACH and CLP}.

CHP - Combined Heat and Power systems. Our usage is advanced fuel cell in nature and high efficiency heat exchangers and heat reclaim systems along with appropriate filtering and zoning.

CIO - Chief Information Officer. Board Member with the responsibility for the Data Integrity, Assurance and Validity. This Officer has the responsibility of our Company's resilience and recovery plans. The post holder may be a DIRECTOR and/or SHARE HOLDER of the Company as defined by the COMPANIES ACT.

CIOL - Chartered Institute of Linguistics. Founded in 1910, CIOL is a professional organisation promoting language proficiency in modern languages worldwide.

CLP - European Chemical Labelling and Packaging Regulations. {See also REACH and CHIPS}.

CNC - Computer Numerical Control, This is generally used to describe control systems for engineering fabrication machines such as routers, millers, drilling, folding, welding systems. The CNC system allows for the various precise movements to be predefined [often from CAD], so that the machining can be both precise and can be repeated with very close tolerances.

CONDO - Contractors On Deployment Operations. The UK Ministry of Defence requires from time-to-time to have certain suppliers' staffing assist them. To achieve this the suppliers, acting as contractors, have special terms of engagement {along with training}.

COO - Chief Operating Officer. Board Member with the significant operational authority for the Company. The Officer has the responsibility of our Comapny for the day to day running of business. The post holder may be a DIRECTOR and/or SHARE HOLDER of the Company as defined by the COMPANIES ACT.

COSHH - Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health. This is a set of UK regulations [and statutory instruments SI 2003/978 & SI 2004/3386] that are complementary to CHIPS and REACH.

COTS - Commercial Off The Shelf. This is a US federal acquisition regulation term that the UK has adopted. Essentially it is the acquisition methodology of favouring matured and stable in-service capabilities. Military-only versions of this are called MOTS [US call these Mil-COTS].

CTO - Chief Technical Officer. Board Member with the significant Technical authority for the company. The Officer has the responsibility for our company for all Science and Engineering matters and the overall Technical Strategy of the company. The post holder is therefore a DIRECTOR and SHARE HOLDER of the company as defined by the COMPANIES ACT.

CVR - Cockpit Voice Recorder. This is the aviation recorder that is used for crash analysis of an aircraft and typically records the various pilot and co-pilot microphones, an area microphone in the cockpit and the voice intercom bus(es).

CWGC - Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

DARPA - Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US. The organisation has the specialist programmes of AEO {Adaptive Execution Office}, DSO {Defence Sciences Office}, I2O {Information Innovation Office}, MTO {Microsystems Technology Office}, STO {Strategic Technology Office}, TTO {Tactical Technology Office} and BTO {Biological Technologies Office}.

DCLG - Department for Communities and Local Government. UK Central Government Department with the overall responsibility for all the regional local government organisations.

DDA - The Disability Discrimination Act. This covers any physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

DE&S - Defence Equipment & Support. This is UK Ministry of Defence's main trading organisation with industry.

DEFCON - Defence Contract [sic: Terms and Conditions] covered by the UK AOF.

DF - Direction Finding.

DIN - Deutsches Institut für Normung. German Institute for industrial Standards.

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid. This is a segmented complex molecule with the purpose of carrying most of the genetic information for a given biological cell.

DSO - Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US. The organisation has the specialist programmes of AEO {Adaptive Execution Office}, DSO {Defence Sciences Office}, I2O {Information Innovation Office}, MTO {Microsystems Technology Office}, STO {Strategic Technology Office}, TTO {Tactical Technology Office} and BTO {Biological Technologies Office}.

DSTL - Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The UK Ministry of Defence science and technology laboratories with the remit to maximise the impact of science and technology for the defence and security of the UK.

DSP - Digital Signal Processor.