Distributed Collaborative Environments for the 21st Century

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Distributed Collaborative Environments for
the21st Century

• Bill McQuay
• Technical Advisor
• Air Force Research Laboratory
• AFRL/IFSD

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Outline

• Introduction
• Defining a Distributed Collaborative Environment
• Collaborative Simulation Analysis
• Conclusions

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21st Century Collaborative Enterprises
Collaborative Planning
Design Manufacturing
Distributive Collaborative Environments
Advanced Distributed Learning Training
Distributed Command Control
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Levels of Information System Interoperability
(LISI) Maturity Model
Applying LISI Levels to Collaboration
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Evolution of Collaboration
The e-Collaboration Continuum
NetMeeting
InfoWorkSpace
Integrated / Framework
Federated
Standalone

• Human-Human Collaboration
• Temporal Relationships
• Independent Groups
• No Interaction Among Groups
• Closed Integration of Tools
• Examples
• VTC
• Shared Whiteboards
• Chat
• Document Workflow
• Resource Mgt/Control

• Human-Human Collaboration
• No Temporal Relationships
• Independent Applications
• Examples
• Email
• Bulletin Boards
• Shared Calendars
• News Groups
• Document Sharing

• Human-Human, Human-Resource,
• Resource-Resource
• Asynchronous Synchronous
• Integral to Enterprise Architecture
• 24/7/52
• Life Span of 10s of Years
• Open, Scalable Integration of Tools
• Enhanced Decision Support
• Prediction using Modeling Simulation

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Collaboration A Working Definition

• Two or more entities working to develop a
  "product by sharing
• and exchanging data, information, knowledge and
  activities.
• Entities - people, intelligent agents, tools,
• Product - report, software, hardware design,
  decision support

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Outline

• Introduction
• Defining a Distributed Collaborative Environment
• Collaborative Simulation Analysis
• Conclusions

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Distributed Collaborative EnvironmentDefining
Key Characteristics

• Interconnects The Participants
• -- Scientists, Engineers, Analysts, Managers
• -- Computational resources tools
• -- Persistent Databases
• Enables Distributed Interoperability
• -- Geographically Separate
• -- Temporally Distributed
• -- Multi-disciplinary Resources
• -- Seamlessly interoperate, archive and
• recall work products
• -- Manages virtual workspaces
• Supports Individuals and groups
• Persists for minutes, hours, days, or years

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Collaboration Technical Reference Model
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Distributed Collaborative EnvironmentThe Major
Components
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DCE Portal
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Collaborative Communications
Asynchronous Synchronous
Capability
Purpose

• Build the framework to support the live, real
  time interaction and collaboration of
  geographically separated human users
• Bring users from a variety of disciplines
  together to share their unique product knowledge
  and requirements

• Chat - public private
• Shared Whiteboard
• Application Sharing
• Threaded Discussions
• Instant Messaging
• Email
• Video Tele-Conferencing (VTC)

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Document Management
Purpose
Capability

• Web-based Access User Interface
• Hierarchical Organization Storage
• Object level Access Restriction
• Manage any Textual or Binary Data
• Threaded Discussions
• Versioning, Rollback Audit Trials
• Meta-Data Mgmt Document Search
• External Access Security (SSL)
• Workflow Integration

• Provide Enterprise Wide Web-based Documentation
  Management.
• Allow Users and Collaboration Middleware
  Components to Create, Search For, Access and
  Store documents from anywhere in the Enterprise

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Workflow Building
Purpose
Capability

• Provide ability to develop, execute and manage
  product development and enterprise business
  processes
• Support the execution and control of enterprise
  resources identified in a workflow process
• Provide runtime management capabilities and
  status information

• Multi-Pane User Interface
• Distributed Execution Viewing
• Drag Drop Workflow Development
• Persistent Storage of Workflows
• Management Control of any
• Enterprise Resource
• Dynamic Runtime Process Mgmt

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Form Building Processing
Purpose
Capability

• Provide ability to graphically develop, test
  and deploy electronic forms via Java 1.3 applets
• Form instances downloaded via web browser and
  applet. Data persisted dynamically on Server via
  JSP
• Forms can be used in conjunction with workflow
  and ECA rules to create a paperless automated
  enterprise

• Drag Drop Form GUI Builder
• Customizable Java Beans
• Automatic Code generation and Web
• deployment/publishing
• Absolutely NO CODING required to
• build a form and deploy it
• Automatic persistence for entered data
• within DocumentKonnect

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Enterprise Common Object Model
Authoring Tool - Standard UML Modeling Tool (i.e.
TogetherJ)
Purpose
Capability

• Distributed User Defined OO Data Model
• Dynamic Schema Changes
• Persistence
• Intelligence via Event-Condition-Action
• Messages
• Query Support
• State Rendering Visualization

• Provide representation of Product the
  Enterprise is developing including all classes,
  operations, attributes and relationships.
• Represents the shared information among all
  collaboration participants
• Provides the ability to react intelligently
  to external events queries

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Collaboration Agents
Agent Interface Processing
CORBA
Intelligent Processing
Resource Agent Functionality
CORBA RMI
Link Agent
JDBC
Java Code
Scripting
Purpose
Capability

• Receives Executes Work Tasks
• Manages Concurrent Resource
• Execution Requests
• Provides Adaptive Resource
• Management
• Publishes Resource Capabilities to the
• Collaboration
• Supports Dynamic Tasking
• Standard Resource Interface
• to the Collaboration Framework

• Provide robust, standard, intelligent Interface
  to any/all Enterprise Resources.
• Provide capabilities to maximize reuse of
  available resource(s) in support of other
  applications
• Support applicable Industry and DoD Resource
  Interface Standards

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Domain Specific Tools
Intelligent Processing
Agent Specific Functionality
Cost Affordability Tools
Capability
Purpose

• C2 Architecture Modeling
• Engagement Mission Level Simulations
• Distributed Virtual Test Beds (SIMAF, IDAL,
  etc.)
• HLA DIS Support
• Cost Affordability Tools

Applications/resources can include engineering
models, simulations, commercial administrative
and business software tools, hardware simulators,
cost models, affordability and cost of function
tools, and other laboratory or test facilities.
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Outline

• Introduction
• Defining a Distributed Collaborative Environment
• Collaborative Simulation Analysis
• Conclusions

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Collaborative Simulation Analysis Fall 2000
Analysis of Alternatives Experiment
Problem Statement Examine Uninhabited Aerial
Vehicle (UAV) contributions to the Air Forces
priority Time Critical Targets (TCT) Goal
Provide insights into tactics, vehicle
performance, and relative cost-effectiveness
of selected combinations of technology and system
configurations Cases - Baseline C4ISR
- Enhanced Space Based Radar
- Enhanced UAV - UAV Complemented
by SBR Scenario - Notional European
Landmass with varying topography foliage -
Moving military targets civilian vehicles
- BRDM, tanks, TELs, trucks - Mission
Level 4 hour simulation period - Campaign
Level 8 day simulation period
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Collaborative Simulation Analysis Process Model
Data Prep (Engineering)
Mission Level Assessment
Campaign Level Assessment
Non Real-time Trade Space Reduction
COSMOS
ALARM/ EWTAR
CART
ESAMS
MOSAIC
Concept Comparison Cost Analysis
JMASS
Real-time Pilot/Equipment in the Loop Concept
Trades
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Collaborative Simulation Analysis
Collaboration Workflows
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Collaborative Simulation Analysis Illustrative
Metrics Output
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Conclusions

• Demonstrated Maturity of Framework
• Collaboration within multiple levels of the
• organization is achievable
• DCE can reduce time to conduct design
• and analysis
• Resources Experts can operate in
• Native environments
• Formalizes current organizational processes
• Extends Best Practices in new areas
• Will apply DCEs to future major analyses