Ontologies for Human Modeling (OHM)

Researchers across the DoD rely on digital human models (DHMs) to study a wide range of problems, such as improving the survivability of vehicle crashes by improving the ergonomics of cockpit seating arrangements; optimizing the position, shape, and composition of body armor; or understanding the cognitive load placed on soldiers during combat. Unfortunately, these DHMs are built for highly specialized applications with little forethought into making their output consumable by other models. To address this issue, Charles River Analytics proposes a framework using Ontologies for Human Modeling (OHM), which enables information exchange between DHMs, yielding a more complete model of the digital human. The OHM framework includes a design for data wrappers that provides a shareable format for information exchange and metadata that enables that information to be used effectively by other models, including existing DHMs.