Points of Contact
Bob Armstrong, Director of Technology, 757.686.6209
Will Richards, Battle Lab Manager, 757.686.6228
Description
The VMASC Battle Lab is an innovative computer simulation laboratory designed to provide the advanced M&S infrastructure necessary to support VMASC core research in the areas of
- Collaboration
- Composability
- Distributed Simulation
- Human-Computer Interfaces
- Human Factors
- Mathematical Modeling
- Simulation Methodologies
- Systems Integration
- Virtual Environments
- Visualization
The Battle Lab is a scalable, reconfigurable system built upon open communications architecture. This system facilitates both distributed simulation and distributed experimentation as well as provides a framework for extending and linking to other academic, government, and eventually commercial Battle Lab facilities. This might be called the Distributed Battle Lab Architecture (DisBLA). Just as there is no single way to use a Battle Lab, there is no single hardware and software configuration for a Battle Lab. The hardware and software have been selected and integrated to support the many possible objectives and demands of potential customers. The following characteristics are desirable descriptors of a well-designed facility:
- Flexibility
The Battle Lab system is capable of performing a number of different functions, not all of which can be predicted at design. The lab has the flexibility to be reconfigured rapidly to meet changing uses and requirements. - Scalability
The system can be expanded by adding resources to address increasingly complex situations and greater service demand. - Supportability
The system is based on readily maintainable, supportable, and expandable commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. - Open
A Battle Lab's value is enhanced greatly when the facility has the capability of functioning as a component of a larger distributed system of Battle Labs. Therefore, the system has the capability to communicate over local and long haul networks with other dissimilar systems with little change in configuration. - Multi-Modal
The system can exploit new and emerging technologies developed to reduce the barrier between human operator and machine through multi-modal display and interaction techniques and technologies. Input formats include keyboard, joystick, pointer, voice, and feature recognition; output formats include auditory, 2D and 3D visual representations, and even haptic displays. - Interactive
The system is capable of testing 'what if' scenarios through a combination of human-in-the-loop, semi-automated, and fully automated components.
At a physical level, the Battle Laboratory consists of the following components or subsystems:
- Scalable Computer Platform
The computing resources of the Battle Lab consist of a number of high-powered, Intel-based workstations running either NT or LINUX. The workstations are configured to operate individually or as high performance computer clusters formed through the use of Beowulf software. - Communications Network
The computing resources of the Battle Lab are networked via a switched TCP/IP gigabit Ethernet backbone. The Battle Lab is connected to high speed Internet services through a dedicated gateway. - Middleware Components
Middleware software is required to provide interoperability among heterogeneous applications, protocols and databases. Middleware components include HLA, CORBA, DIS, and DCOM. - Data Storage
The Battle Lab requires the capability to store relatively large amounts of data with high reliability and availability. This is provided with a Network Area Storage System having a capacity of at least 1 terabytes. - Visual Display
The Battle Lab requires multiple large-scale displays capable of displaying data in 2D and in 3D with tracking and active stereo. The displays should support user interaction. A likely visual system would consist of three large plasma screens and one immersive desk display. - Simulator
The Battle Lab will contain at least one human-in-the-loop simulator. Appropriate simulators might include a CCTT tank or HMMWV (Hummvee) simulators. - Instrumentation
Instrumentation and communication equipment to provide an interface to a live simulation component is desirable. This will facilitate the integration of live, virtual, and constructive simulations in the same experiment. - Application Server
The nature and open requirements of the Battle Lab concept dictate that the lab be operated at an unclassified level; however, the facility will have security systems to prevent external tampering. The system should be visible to external users and clients through a web-enabled application server. - Applications
The Battle Lab will host a variety of development tools and standard Department of Defense simulations such as JSAF, JTLS, JCATS, and OneSAF.
