SAGES: System Acquisition Guidance from Expert Systems

ABSTRACT: The high costs and inherent dangers of live training with air platforms have influenced the increasing use of simulation-based training. However, selecting a system to effectively meet training objectives can be challenging, particularly one that must blend multiple disparate technologies. Among these challenges is the need to acquire visual display systems that optimally support training objectives. To support this need, Aptima, Inc., proposes to develop SAGES (System Acquisition Guidance from Expert Systems), a model-based solution intended to provide deep insight into the relationships between visual display attributes and training objectives. The SAGES system will include tools to characterize visual display systems, specify training objectives, and explore the tradeoffs for how well a system meets a set of training objectives compared to another system. An expert system will be at the center of this solution to automatically analyze and prioritize systems based on a data-driven model. SAGES will also be designed with a flexible architecture that can include future research to benefit the robustness of the expert system. BENEFIT: The SAGES system will offer extensive benefits to acquisition professionals, training communities, and researchers. Acquisition professionals will be able to make informed decisions on the tradeoffs of visual display system purchases with minimal time and effort. Training communities will be able to better understand existing training technology to improve the success rates for meeting training objectives. Research communities can refer to the SAGES expert system to generate and/or test hypotheses on the relationships between visual display attributes and training objectives. Furthermore, the commercial applications for SAGES are promising. All sectors of the Department of Defense rely on virtual environments for air platform training, and must carefully select visual display technology to meet training objectives. A similar application for SAGES can benefit the commercial aviation industry as they address the impact of HR5900 Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010. Finally, the medical simulation market continues to grow, which undoubtedly requires high visual fidelity for effective training, thus requiring support determining visual display technologies to meeting training objectives.