Leveraging a Robust Data Architecture for Rapid Combat System Integration, Testing, and Certification

The current combat software update process takes two years. VIStology proposes to develop a Semantic data Architecture for Future-proof Extensible integration (SAFE) approach that will leverage semantic technologies to allow adding and maintaining new components at runtime without affecting the legacy systems. Proposed semantically-rich protocols facilitate automating reasoning about the legacy and new components, which will make systems gracefully handle the addition of new components and data attributes, and to avoid undesirable side effects. Effectively, SAFE will enable capability upgrades at any time, regardless of the software version of the systems and components present on a ship. Instead of replacing entire software suite, individual modules of the combat management system can be deployed one at a time. To test the proposed approach, VIStology will work closely with its partner, which already provided a concrete use case that would drive the R&D effort in Phase I, but also be used to assess usability, correctness and efficiency of SAFE. This collaboration will guarantee that any product developed out of this effort will address real needs of its potential users, and that SAFE improves the efficiency and the quality of the acquisition of DoD systems.