Architecture Methodology Integration

Almost all Air Force information systems are developed using a structured analysis methodology at all levels (i.e. system engineering, software design and code). The result is that the Air Force spends 70% of its software lifecycle costs on maintenance. The Air Force anticipates that it can save millions of dollars in maintenance cost each year by converting the structured-analysis code into object oriented code. Use of existing code converters to accomplish this task results in programs that do not take full advantage of the modular nature of object oriented code and does not achieve the cost reduction. What is required is a methodology and supporting environment that converts the available information at the system engineering level and allows for the traceability within the architecture and down into a new object oriented design from which true object oriented code may be developed and the cost reduction objective realized. A limited approach would be to performa straight mapping from structured analysis elements to object oriented elements. However this approach is not much better than the conversions listed above and is almost guaranteed to miss some important element of the structured model. In this Phase I SBIR Trident Systems proposes to apply its InterchangeSE technology in an effort to produce a more robust and complete object oriented model from structured analysis models. Trident will develop a mapping from the structured analysis model into a common data model based on the international systems engineering standard known as GEIA-927. A mapping will then be developed from the common data model to a new set of data that represents the object oriented model. Structured analysis and object oriented model elements will be considered to exist in different "engineering domains" thus allowing both models to coexist in the repository simultaneously. Traceability will be maintained and manageable between the two data sets. Also Trident will investigate the development of a "template" of relationships between structured and object oriented data so taht checks, and recommendations may be made as to the optimal structure of the object oriented model. Finally, Trident Systems will provide a means to share this data set with a wider DoD community by publishing mdeols and modules created in teh environment to an "Open Architecture Asset Repository".