BOM Working Session Recap

1
BOM Working SessionRecap

• Fall 2001
• Thursday, September 13th
• Paul Gustavson

2
BOM Working SessionWhat Are We?

• Post SG
• Pre PDG
• Part PROC

Experience?
3
BOM Working SessionWhy Are We Here?

• Capture
• Experiences
• Needs
• Ideas
• Recommendations

• Discuss
• Component Technology
• building, using and maintaining Base Object
  Models
• potential application and impact of BOMs in
• military simulations,
• advanced distance learning, and
• commercial markets.

SISOs interest is to explore methods
that support and promote reuse of simulation
components encourage agile, rapid, and efficent
development and maintenance of FOMs.
4
BOM WS Topics (1/2)

• State of Simulation Interoperability(and HLA
  Federation Development)
• Where Weve Been
• Where We Are
• Where Were Going
• Reuse, Components, and the Importance of
  Standards
• Next Generation Interoperability and New
  Interoperability Landscapes
• Public Simulation Network (ADL)
• Experiential Digital Media
• Mixed Virtual Reality
• On Demand Simulation

Doug Clark (MTI SG)
Jean-Louis Igarza (NATO) Dave McKeeby (IIT)
Christopher Stapleton (IST/UCF) Chris Bouwens
(SAIC)
5
BOM WS Topics (2/2)

• Making BOMs Work (and Easy To Use)
• Triggers -vs.- Interactions
• OMT Extensions (for IF BOMs)
• Capturing Behavior (for ECAP BOMs)
• Other Meta-Data
• Mechanisms for Distribution

Steve Reichenthal (Boeing)
Michael Myjak
6
HLA Federation DevelopmentExperiences
State of Simulation Interoperability

• Time to Develop is an Issue
• Heavy reliance on existing FOMs (e.g. RPR FOM)
• Challenge is to shed complexity of FOM
  Development
• getting it done on time and on budget
• Need to Know Intent of Use
• Purpose,
• Intended Behavior
• Experience

• Need it For
• Reference FOMs
• BOMs
• other areas

7
FOMs - Advantages / Disadvantages
State of Simulation Interoperability

• Advantages
• Flexibility offered by FOMs allows for greater
  expansion of the battlespace environment

• Disadvantages
• Task for developing FOMs remains intricate and
  time consuming
• Exclusive use of one or two FOMs severely limits
  flexibility, capacity, and capability

8
I think there will be 3,4 maybe 5 FOMs that we
will ever see in use in this community. Thats
it!

• Warren Katz,
• RFOM SG Outbrief,
• Spring SIW 1998

9
I think there is a world market for about five
computers.

• Thomas Watson,
• chairman of the board of IBM,
• 1943

10
640K out to be enough for anybody.

• Bill Gates,
• 1981

11
State of Simulation Interoperability
What is our long term interest?

• DoD MS Master Plan
• Establish a common high-level simulation
  architecture to facilitate the interoperability
  of all types of models and simulations among
  themselves and with C4I systems, as well as to
  facilitate the reuse of MS components

12
State of Simulation Interoperability
What is our long term interest?

• DoD MS Vision
• ...common use of these environments will
  promote a closer interaction between the
  operations and acquisition communities in
  carrying out their respective responsibilities.
• To allow maximum utility and flexibility, these
  modeling and simulation environments will be
  constructed from affordable, reusable components
  interoperating through an open systems
  architecture.

Are We There Yet?
13
Reuse, Components and the Importance of Standards
Reuse, Components, and Standards

• The Nature of BOMs

Jean-Louis Igarza (NATO) Dave McKeeby (IIT)
14
Reuse, Components, and Standards
Reuse a definition

• Reuse
• The use of MS resources, (e.g., models,
  simulations, databases, algorithms, tools) for
  purposes beyond those for which they were
  originally developed. Re-use can occur within an
  organization or in different organizations, or in
  different application areas.Reference Glossary
  of NATO Modeling and Simulation Master Plan
  (November 1998)
• Reusability capability to re-use MS resources
  according to the above defined meaning.
• Remark No official definition for Reusability

15
WWW.IITRI.ORG
Why is Reuse a Challenge?

• Current initiatives advertise that they foster
  reuse. Few, if any are focusing on reuse at the
  building block level -- the model.

16
ReuseCost Effectiveness
Reuse, Components, and Standards

• Whats in it for me to develop/use reuseable
  components?
• Saves Time
• Leverage Experiences
• Reduce Development Risk
• Other Markets where it works
• Software (ActiveX components, JavaScripts, VCLs)

17
Making Reuse a Reality The Real Needs
Reuse, Components, and Standards

• Documentation (Meta-Data)
• VVA of components
• Flexibility
• Scalability
• Repositories

18
What is a BOM?
Reuse, Components, and Standards

• A reuseable component or pattern
• Represents a single aspect of simulation
  interplay
• Can be used as a building block in the
  construction of Interoperable Environments
  (FOMs) and simulation systems (SOMs)
• SISO approved form of Reference FOM

19
What is a BOM?
Reuse, Components, and Standards
HLA BOMs -A single aspect of federation
interplaythat can be used as a building block of
FOMs and SOMs SISO Reference FOM Study Group
- Spring 98
Simulation Enterprise BOMs - A single aspect of
simulation interplaythat can be used as a
building block in the construction of
Interoperable Environments SISO BOM Study
Group - Fall 2000
20
Why Should I Use a BOM?
Reuse, Components, and Standards

• Promotes Simulation Interoperability Through
  Component Reuse
• Reuse is Important!
• Build Your FOMs Faster / Better
• Integrate Your Federates Faster / More Easily

21
BOM Architectural Elements
Making BOMs Work

• Types
• Interaction BOMs
• Trigger BOMs
• Object Attribute Update
• Discreet Object-to-Object Interaction

• Categories
• Interface (IF) BOMs
• Encapsulated (ECAP) BOMs

• Other Important Facets
• Meta-Data
• OMT Interface Specification
• Behavior Implementation

• Level of Tangibility
• Concrete BOMs
• Abstract BOMs

• Level of Implementation
• Design-Time BOMs (DTBs)
• Run-Time BOMs (RTBs)

22
Potential Application / DomainsUse of BOMs

• Propagation models (Naval Meta Training FOM)
• XML Objects for ModISE
• Logistic Activities (Boeing)
• Arenda for Cross InteroperabilityMilitary MS
  Computer Game Industry(Swedish Defense
  Industry)
• Public Simulation Network (PSN)
• On Demand Simulation
• Experienced-based Digital Media

Christopher Stapleton (IST/UCF) Chris Bouwens
(SAIC)
23
Potential Impact via BOMs
Next Generation Interoperability

• Next Generation Interoperability
• Rapid Federation Integration
• Multi-FOM Middleware
• New Interoperability Landscapes
• Transforming Simulation Into The Next Media
  Revolution
• Application of BOMs in Experiential Consumer
  Markets
• Commercial Market Potential

24
Technologies To Watch
Next Generation Interoperability

• Nanotechnology
• Alternative Energy
• Holographic Storage
• Light-Speed Networks
• Information Security
• Electronic Paper
• Biotechnology
• Robotics
• Virtual Reality
• Natural Language

25
Making BOMs Work (and Easy To Use)

• Is the OMT (1516) enough?
• What about Meta-Data?
• Intent of Use
• User Experience
• Conceptual Models
• What about Encapsulating Behavior?
• Embedding Scripts within XML
• XML - its not just data anymore.
• DTDs -vs- Schemas?

Steve Reichenthal (Boeing)
26
Deploying BOMs
Mechanisms for Distribution

• How do collect / distribute BOMs?
• Design Time BOMs
• Run-Time BOMs
• Distributed Interactive Library
• Pre-Execution (Development Library)
• During Execution
• Dynamic Composibility
• Virtual Reality Namespace Services (VRNS)

Michael Myjak
27
Ways To Get Involved

• BOM Reflector (SISO-SG-BOM)
• 84 Subscribers
• White Papers
• Practical Experiences
• Innovative Ideas
• Abstracts Due 05 Nov 2001
• SIW BOM Working Sessions
• More Pilot Projects

28
WS Comments

• Very important area in creating viable MS
  solutions.
• To technical but very interesting.
• Not technical enough.
• This forum was of the most interest and relevance
  to me of all the sessions. It wil be of great
  use in my current development.

29
SIW Recommendations

• Lets continue.
• WS or Forum?
• Discussion-based
• Quieter Air Conditioners
• One hour BMS tutorial on SIW Monday?

30
Keep in Mind Other Past Jello Technologies
The telephone has to many shortcomings to be
seriously considered as a means of communication.
The device is inherently of no value to us.
Western Union internal memo, 1876
31
Questions?