Distributed Mission Operations Gateway

ABSTRACT:The ultimate goal of this SBIR is to provide the Air Force and more specifically, the Distributed Mission OperationsSpace (DMO-S) community, with a way to connect the DMO Network to multiple AFSPC simulated operational environments to support DMO-S exercise activities.Sonalysts plans to develop a DMO to Standard Space Trainer (SST) Gateway to integrate each SST plug-in to support DMO-S global exercises.The Phase II will build upon the Phase I proof-of-concept software and produce a Phase II DS Gateway prototype to fulfill AFRLs requirements.The Sonalysts team will produce a prototype of the proposed solution, perform testing in a representative end-user environment, and perform a feasibility review of the system design.Upon completion of the project, Sonalysts will produce a Final Report documenting the research and deliver the prototype software and associated documentation detailed in the deliverables section in Volume 2.BENEFIT:To enable a unified and interconnected view between DMO and SST environments mandates the need for tools and technologies that homogenize data elements.This is same barrier being tackled by framework research conducted in the areas of Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), Model Driven Interoperability (MDI), Model Driven Engineering (MDE), and Model Driven Message Interoperability (MDMI).One aspect of each of these fields of research is the interchange or loose coupling of information.Ongoing research and this proposed gateway-translator seek to exploit a fusion of abstract representations of syntax, semantics, and rules.In each of the approaches, the context or semantics (includes the actual data-value) of the data elements within a communication protocols structure provides the more significant factors influencing the message translation (e.g., selection) and transformation processes.To that end, an overarching design goal of the proposed gateway-translator is to semantically unify communications by acting as the go-between or broker between DMO and SST-based simulations.By using configurable semantics to focus on the organization of and action upon data elements, this knowledge aids in determining the appropriate transformation of structure and value. Additionally, while prototyping such a middleware strategy, the approach must consider performance impacts due to the additional determination, translation, and transformation overhead (e.g., processing time and memory).A successful Phase II effort will provide a foundation upon which the Phase II prototype can transition to a Phase III production system.Upon successful completion of Phase II, Sonalysts plans on commercializing this technology into DoD programs like Concurrent Test, Training, and Operations (CTTO), Distributed Multi-Echelon Training System (DMETS), and Command and Control/Battle Management Communications (C2BMC) by demonstrating the feasibility of the Gateway concept across available systems within the DMON and large defense prime contractors.Concurrently, Sonalysts will focus our marketing efforts with the respective Air Force, Navy, and Army exercise programs.