The Joint Synthetic Battlespace for Research and Development (JSB-RD) program is performing research and development in the areas of Modeling and Simulation (M&S), advanced visualization and analysis, and Decision Support. The goal of this work is to create a robust environment for use in ongoing research efforts in areas including Information Fusion, Effects Based Operations, and Predictive Battlespace Awareness. Present day mission level simulations suffer from overly simplistic, inaccurate communication link models that significantly overestimate available in-theater communications, a vital enabler of Command, Control and Communications (C3). Predictions based from such models can, and generally do, substantially differ from those encountered under actual battle conditions. In an effort to improve the accuracy and reliability of mission level simulation predictions, JSB-RD is adding detailed military link models into their core environment, along with the necessary logic to properly address C3 effects within the synthetic world. This paper chronicles these JSB-RD efforts to date.
This paper first presents a high level view of the JSB-RD project, followed by a detailed discussion of current efforts to enhance simulation predictions accuracy by integrating detailed military communications link models with existing military mission models.
KEYWORDS: Process modeling, Lawrencium, Process control, Data modeling, Computer simulations, C4ISR, Control systems, Modeling and simulation, Computer architecture, Systems modeling
The Virtual Testbed for Advanced Command and Control Concepts (VTAC) program is performing research and development efforts leading to the creation of a testbed for new Command and Control (C2) processes, subprocesses and embedded automated systems and subsystems. This testbed will initially support the capture and modeling of existing C2 processes/subprocesses. Having modeled these at proper levels of abstraction, proposed revisions or replacements to processes, systems and subsystems can be evaluated within a virtual workspace that integrates human operators and automated systems in the context of a larger C2 process. By utilizing such a testbed early in the development cycle, expected improvements resulting from specific revisions or replacements can be quantitatively established. Crossover effects resulting from changes to one or more interrelated processes can also be measured. Quantified measures of improvement can then be provided to decision makers for use in cost-to-performance benefits analysis prior to implementing proposed revisions, replacements, or a sequence of planned enhancements.
This paper first presents a high-level view of the VTAC project, followed by a discussion of an example C2 process that was captured, abstracted, and modeled. The abstraction approach, model implementation, and simulations results are covered in detail.
State-of-the-art simulation computing requirements are continually approaching and then exceeding the performance capabilities of existing computers. This trend remains true even with huge yearly gains in processing power and general computing capabilities; simulation scope and fidelity often increases as well. Accordingly, simulation studies often expend days or weeks executing a single test case. Compounding the problem, stochastic models often require execution of each test case with multiple random number seeds to provide valid results. Many techniques have been developed to improve the performance of simulations without sacrificing model fidelity: optimistic simulation, distributed simulation, parallel multi-processing, and the use of supercomputers such as Beowulf clusters. An approach and prototype toolset has been developed that augments existing optimization techniques to improve multiple-execution timelines. This approach, similar in concept to the SETI @ home experiment, makes maximum use of unused licenses and computers, which can be geographically distributed. Using a publish/subscribe architecture, simulation executions are dispatched to distributed machines for execution. Simulation results are then processed, collated, and transferred to a single site for analysis.
KEYWORDS: Local area networks, Performance modeling, Modeling and simulation, Internet, Data fusion, Computer simulations, Data communications, Data mining, Systems modeling, Process modeling
The Joint Battlespace Infosphere (JBI) program is performing a technology investigation into global communications, data mining and warehousing, and data fusion technologies by focusing on techniques and methodologies that support twenty first century military distributed collaboration. Advancement of these technologies is vitally important if military decision makers are to have the right data, in the right format, at the right time and place to support making the right decisions within available timelines. A quantitative understanding of individual and combinational effects arising from the application of technologies within a framework is presently far too complex to evaluate at more than a cursory depth. In order to facilitate quantitative analysis under these circumstances, the Distributed Information Enterprise Modeling and Simulation (DIEMS) team was formed to apply modeling and simulation (M&S) techniques to help in addressing JBI analysis challenges. The DIEMS team has been tasked utilizing collaborative distributed M&S architectures to quantitatively evaluate JBI technologies and tradeoffs. This paper first presents a high level view of the DIEMS project. Once this approach has been established, a more concentrated view of the detailed communications simulation techniques used in generating the underlying support data sets is presented.
Joint Synthetic Battlespace for Decision Support (JSB-DS) is a developing set of concepts and an affiliated prototype environment with a goal of investigating the nature of decision support within a Command and Control (C2) context. To date, this investigation has focused on processing raw operational data into decision quality information and then presenting that information in a format that is useful and intuitive to a decision maker. The JSB-DS prototype was developed to support experimentation involving visual representation of, and interaction with, operational information. JSB-DS's prototype environment utilizes mission level battlefield simulations as a means to investigate decision and visualization aids with respect to situation awareness and reduction in decision timelines. These distributed simulations support dynamic re-tasking of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and airborne strike assets within a Time Critical Target (TCT) prosecution vignette. The JSB-DS environment can serve as a basis for testing C2/TCT processes, procedures and training.
KEYWORDS: Computer simulations, Chemical elements, Data processing, Process modeling, Systems modeling, Process control, Distributed interactive simulations, Clocks, Data modeling, Standards development
Collaborative Technologies are an innovative area of endeavor that allows engineering teams to define, integrate and conduct distributed simulation experiments as part of a structured, repeatable process. Workflow techniques can be employed to capture, and frequently automate, internal processes and data flow necessary to answer questions within a wide variety of application domains. Workflow implementations can be constructed in a generalized fashion to provide a working process template to address a focused topic area. These templates define the basic scope and tenants of an experimental domain - as well as any required model sets - and allow extensive exploration within the envelope of that scope. One such template was constructed and used to answer questions postulated by the Global Awareness Virtual Test Bed (GAVTB). The domain for this template involved a study of the effects of information superiority on prosecution of time critical targets (TCT's). This experiment and Workflow template are used as an example case to highlight the approach and application of collaborative techniques in developing Workflow templates addressing multiple levels of Distributed Simulation.
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