The Next Generation Passive Optical Network (NG-PON) is currently being standardised and developed, with a goal to achieve higher bandwidth at 10Gb/s, greater capacity at thousands of users and longer backhaul reach at 60km or 100km. The aim is to provide cost effective solutions for telecom operators to vastly deploy optical access networks, enabling customers with the benefit of the greater bandwidth and wider range of services. This thesis presents research that has identified and addressed various design issues relating to next generation access networks. Interferometric noise may be present in future, ring based, access networks which utilise WDM and OADMs. Simulation and experiment results are presented which studies the performance tolerance to not-precisely-defined wavelength, in the presence of interferometric noise. The impact of receiver electrical filtering was also investigated. The next generation access network will, in the upstream direction, use burst transmission and are likely to need a large tolerance to wavelength drift due to the low cost equipment used at the customer’s premises. A demonstration of optical burst equalisation was presented, based on SOAs. This study also explores the possibility of reducing the SOA saturation induced non-linear distortions through simulations and experiments. As an extension to the optical burst equaliser and to remedy the saturation induced distortions, an intermediate site optical processing system was proposed. This solution not only performs burst-mode wavelength conversion at 10 Gb/s, but also pre-chirps the signal to allow long-reach transmission and suppressed level fluctuation to ease the requirements on the burst-mode receiver. As a result, a proof of concept 10Gb/s Wavelength Converting Optical Access Network (WCOAN) with up to 62km DWDM backhaul is experimentally demonstrate. It is designed to consolidate drifting wavelengths, generated with an uncooled laser in the upstream direction, into a stable wavelength channel for DWDM long backhaul transmission.

This research investigates the current structure of the Ministry of Defence's procurement system, with particular emphasis on the procurement of military sensor systems. A lifecycle common test environment, with an appropriate commercial construct for its implementation, is proposed. Sensor systems include radar, passive RF surveillance (ESM) as well as electro-optic, infrared, sonar and other acoustic monitoring systems that are used to gather intelligence for a number of purposes including 1. Pre-empting hostile acts 2. Reducing risk to friendly forces and non-combatants in danger zones 3. Informing and prosecuting attacks on hostile forces Sensor systems often form part of larger systems, also called systems of systems. In some cases, a number of sensors are required to work together to improve information extraction by data or information fusion. It will be seen that these are complex systems. They are often designed to adapt their modes of operation to meet evolving situations. In this way, they can optimise themselves to meet their deployment objectives. These are difficult systems to specify. Therefore, they are difficult systems to test; they are expected to respond to a large number of situations that cannot easily be defined in advance of their being encountered. This research brings together technical and commercial initiatives to remove many of the existing discontinuities along the lifecycle of such projects. The discontinuities harbour technical and commercial discrepancies that detract from achieving delivery and cost targets. A pragmatic Test and Evaluation concept is defined. It is backed by a commercial process. Together they provide an independent way to deliver continuous lifecycle evaluation and test of sensor systems. This research offers a quantifiable measure of military capability improvements that complies with Systems Engineering and Management good practice.

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