Technology framework for Integrated Digital Engineering using Semantics (TIDES)

Emerging new threats, warfighting concepts, and rapid advances in technology have inspired the US Department of Defense (DoD) to use Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) capabilities in order to design, engineer, and build advanced weapons systems.Ā Currently there is a dearth of integration mechanisms that enable collaborative information sharing between applications, data bases, models, and engineering analysis tools.ĀNeeded are ontology-based semantic methods and tools to facilitate collaborative information sharing and integration between systems life cycle activities including requirements, design, engineering analysis, manufacturing, testing, fielding, and sustainment. Recognizing these technical and pragmatic challenges, Knowledge Based Systems, Inc. (KBSI) proposes to design, implement, and validate a federated ontology-based digital engineering framework that enables semantic information integration and information exchange across weapons platform system of systems life cycle. The resulting Technology framework for Integrated Digital Engineering using Semantics (TIDES) will provide several innovative capabilities including the following: (i) ontology driven information generation between different tools and databases within the framework; (ii) natural language semantic search to facilitate rapid knowledge discovery and collaboration between weapon systems development team members; (iii) dynamic visualization mechanisms that enable shared situational awareness between collaborating systems development team members; and (iv) automated information discovery and sharing mechanisms to adaptively refine and manage the ontology models. KBSIÆs proposed Phase II SBIR project seeks to (i) establish focused technology application requirements, (ii) enhance, validate, and refine the ontology-based search and information integration methods (iii) design the technology application framework architecture, (iv) configure a technology application framework prototype, (v) experimentally test and validate the framework using representative use cases and data sets, and (vi) document the project results and formulate a technology insertion and transition plan. The central outcome of the Phase II project will be a federated ontology-based digital engineering framework that enables semantic information integration and exchange across different tools and databases during the weapons system development process.Ā The project innovations include: (i) novel ontology-driven methods for semantic information exchanges and integration between different federated systems, data sources, and team members; (ii) new ontology-directed methods that enable semantic search and information discovery over federated data sources; (iii) natural language-based methods for adaptive ontology discovery; and (iv) extensible architecture framework that can be cost effectively æplugged-inÆ to existing product life cycle management systems.