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COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY ISSUE OF JUNE 30,1997 PSA#1877

ROME LABORATORY'S DRAFT FY98 SBIR TOPICS PART 4 OF 6. ROME LABORATORY'S DRAFT FY 98 SBIR TOPICS. ROME LABORATORY IS PLEASED TO MAKE AVAILABLE THE FOLLOWING DRAFT SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATIVE RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM TOPICS. THESE TOPICS ARE NOT APPROVED AND ALL MAY NOT APPEAR IN THE FINAL SOLICITATION: SBIR TOPIC #AF98-125. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: Anthony M. Newton, RL/C3AB (315) 330-3096. TITLE: Object Oriented Design of Legacy Systems. CATEGORY: Exploratory Development. DOD CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: B19. SERVICE CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: AF1. OBJECTIVE: Develop a method for harvesting and exploiting object oriented data from IDEF models of command and control systems. DESCRIPTION: As we move into the 21st century, the Air Force faces the daunting task of re-engineering legacy systems to take advantage of advances in Information Technology. The DOD Joint Technical Architecture (JTA), requires an open, standard-based approach offering significant opportunities for reducing cost and cutting development and fielding time through enhancing software portability ease of systems upgrade, and hardware independence. The basis for the JTA is the Defense Information Infrastructure (DII) Common Operating Environment (COE). The COE concept provides for a reusable sense of common software services via standard application program interfaces (API). This concept mandates the use of object-oriented technology in both the analysis and design of current and future systems. Both the Global Command and Control System (GCCS) and the Global Combat Support System (GCSS), which are being built upon the JTA and COE standards, require the migration of legacy command and control systems to these new, unified systems. Successful migration of these legacy systems will require the evolution of those systems to object oriented technology. The advantages of object oriented technology in reusability, efficiency, and development are well-established. What isn't so well established is how one takes advantage of this technology in order to evolve legacy systems or develop new ones.Part of the re-engineering, or even understanding, of any system is the modeling of that system. Modeling techniques mandated by the JTA include IDEF0 for activity modeling and IDEF1X for data modeling. There can be much object-oriented information implicit in such models. Exploitation of such information would allow object-oriented analysis and design, which, in turn, would lead to the building of a new, evolved object-oriented system. The Air Force, then, is looking for methods of extracting object-oriented information from IDEF models and using it to expedite the object-oriented analysis and design of new systems. PHASE I: Design and demonstrate the feasibility of a technique for extracting object oriented data from IDEF models; design and demonstrate a technique for using this data for the object-oriented analysis of an existing system and the object-oriented analysis and design of a future system. PHASE II: Construct and demonstrate a software tool based on the technique developed in Phase I. Demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This software will be useful in the evolution of any information technology reliant system, whether for commercial or defense applications. The DOD Joint Technical Architecture (JTA), with its foundation in the DII COE, has a great need for such software in the evolution of legacy command and control systems, the development of new command and control systems, and in ensuring compliance of developing systems with DII COE standards. This software could also be highly useful throughout the spiral development process delineated in the Electronic Systems Center (ESC) Command and Control Acquisition Framework. In the commercial sector, similar trends in systems and software development require a tool for object oriented analysis and design of existing and future products. This software would greatly assist the Object Modeling Technique (OMT) process, from requirements and analysis through design and coding. The prevalence of IDEF modeling in the commercial sector testifies to the need to turn conceptual models into real systems. This software will provide the means for accomplishing this transformation. KEY WORDS: Object Oriented Analysis, Object Oriented Design, Object Oriented Technology, Object Oriented Data, IDEF Command and Control Models, Migration of Legacy Systems, Reusable Software, System Modeling. SBIR TOPIC #AF98-126. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: Jerry L. Dussault, RL/C3AB (315) 330-2067. TITLE: Advanced Distributed C4I Simulation Capabilities. CATEGORY: Exploratory Development. DOD CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: B19. SERVICE CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: AF1. OBJECTIVE: Develop Modeling and Simulation technology for use in analysis, training, and acquisition based modeling. DESCRIPTION: Historically, Modeling and Simulation (M&S) programs have been developed to serve particular purposes, with little or no attention to later integration or interoperability. The Air Force has recognized these deficiencies and is now emphasizing the definitionof standard architectures, frameworks, representations, etc. The goals are to reduce the number of models and simulations employed, and to maximize re-use, interoperability, and utility. The research proposed under this topic may address different domains of simulation, such as training, analysis, test and evaluation, etc., and varying degrees of resolution, such as entity or aggregate levels. Or, the research may span interoperability questions across varying domains or levels of resolution. Unique and innovative applications of existing commercial tools will be considered. The following is a specific list of interest areas: a. ADVANCED VIRTUAL BATTLESPACE SYNTHETIC ENVIRONMENT: The use of advanced visual and distributed computing techniques to provide synthetic battlespace feeds to real command and control (C2), such as those which enhance the operation of the ESC Command and Control Unified Battlespace Environment (CUBE). b. INTER-DOMAIN SIMULATION INTEROPERABILITY: The integration of various M&S capabilities, initially intended for a specific purpose (e.g., training, analysis, etc.) and now interoperating in a high level architecture, into common frameworks for the future. c. MULTI-LEVEL SIMULATION INTEROPERABILITY: Correlation of models which currently represent various levels (e.g., system, engagement, mission, theater) of war within a given domain of modeling and simulation. d. ADVANCED EXERCISE SCENARIO GENERATION: Advanced capabilities to generate visual scenarios such as system laydown, geographical representation, weather effects, etc., for use in ESC's Modeling and Simulation Center (MASC). e. ADVANCED EXERCISE AFTER ACTION REVIEW AND ANALYSIS (AARA): Tools which can be used for AARA, such as statistical analysis, plotting, etc., and used for either training or analysis purposes. f. COMMAND & CONTROL (C2): Simulation tools, designs, approaches, etc., which enhance C2 processes, operations, stimulation, or embedded capability. g. SPIRAL DEVELOPMENT: Tools, techniques, strategies, etc., which contribute to the ESC spiral development methodology. PHASE I: In Phase I the contractor is expected to research and analyze the modeling and simulation state, specifically relative to C2 issues, provide a plan for addressing one or more aspects of the enhancement of C2 modeling, simulation, training, and/or analysis, and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. PHASE II: Develop a prototype of the proposed approach and demonstrate its capability to be employed in ESC's Modeling and Simulation Center (MASC) or C2 Unified Battlespace Environment (CUBE) as part of spiral engine toolkit capability. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The modeling and simulation area is significantly ripe for both commercialization and dual use applications. Modeling and simulation is currently used extensively in the private sector, for both business and pleasure (games, amusement parks, etc.). The tools, prototypes, and research developed under this topic will be broadly applicable to the commercial sector with application to games, business use, the medical community, etc. KEY WORDS: Automated, Scenario Generation, Virtual Environment, Synthetic Environment, High Level Architecture, Inter-Domain Simulation Interoperability, C2 Simulation, Spiral Development. SBIR TOPIC #AF98-127. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: Margot R. Ashcroft, RL/XPD (315) 330-3021. TITLE: Innovative C4I Technologies. CATEGORY: Research and Development. DOD CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: B07. SERVICE CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: AF1. OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative technologies for enhancing the performance, availability, and affordability of C4I systems and subsystems. DESCRIPTION: Proposals may address any aspect of C4I pervasive technologies not specifically covered by other SBIR topics. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, innovative concepts and technologies in: Global Awareness, Dynamic Planning and Execution, and Global Information Exchange. 1. Global Awareness: Global Awareness encompasses the requirements for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and provides consistent battlespace knowledge and precision information in a global information base. Global Awareness develops the common picture of the battlespace providing enhanced real-time information to the warfighter which is as complete and on demand as required. It entails the operational capability for all pertinent levels of command to know and understand the relevant global military situation on a common, consistent basis. The functional capabilities necessary to achieve Global Awareness are: Consistent Battlespace Knowledge: The capability to elevate the level and speed of the warfighter's cognitive understanding of friendly, enemy, neutral, and geospatial situations, and to maintain consistency in that view across strategic, tactical and support forces. Precision Information: The capability to develop and manage sufficient and timely multi-modal operational information to assure an accurate and precise situational awareness to promote Consistent Battlespace Knowledge. Global Information Base: The capability to acquire, deconflict, fuse, store, maintain, support, and display worldwide operationally relevant data. Specific features include in-time tasking and "zooming," consistency, integrity and authentication. 2. Dynamic Planning and Execution Dynamic Planning and Execution is the operational capability to rapidly acquire and exploit superior consistent knowledge of the battlespace in order to shape and control the pace and phasing of engagements. Dynamic planning and execution encompasses a total warfare planning process from readiness and deployment planning to shooter engagement across the full spectrum of foreseeable military operations. All effort is focused on exploiting a superior understanding of the battlespace in order to shape expected actions within the adversary's decision cycle to proactively engage in rapid, tailorable, planning and execution integrated vertically and horizontally across mission, functions, and organizations. The intent is to construct agile robust plansin which near-real time modifications can be triggered by changes in the battlespace while maintaining consistency and minimizing disruption. The functional capabilities necessary to achieve Dynamic Planning and Execution are: Predictive Planning and Preemption: The capability to be proactive in the planning process across echelons, missions, components, and coalition forces. These capabilities extend to integrating other than hard kill weapons, mobility, logistics and ISR management into the planning process, as well as planning to anticipate and avoid surprise. The goal is to have a predictive understanding of the battlespace and to exploit it to shape expected actions within the adversary's decision cycle. Integrated Force Management and Execution: The ability to rapidly interleave planning and execution in order to achieve "just-in-time" tasking tied to a central strategy that spans the battlespace. The goal is to gain efficiency and agility in the pursuit of the commander's objectives within a dynamic battlespace. Execution of Time Critical Missions and Real-Time Sensor to Shooter Operations: The capability needed to enable target acquisition, battle management analysis, decision, and resource assignment, and in-time engagement. These requirements extend to a broad spectrum of time critical missions, from time phased attack of fixed and moving targets to the use of hunter-controller-killer assets. Since the C3I decision time cannot exceed the target exposure time, a key capability is C3I time critical operations. Joint, Combined and Coalition Operations: The capability and enabling decision making infrastructure needed to achieve dynamic synchronization of large scale missions and resources from components and coalition forces. 3. Global Information Exchange: Global Information Exchange is the ability to interconnect all members of the Air Force via a netted communication and information system, available everywhere for any task or mission. The ability to communicate, to move raw and processed information throughout a global communications grid, is fundamental to command and control. Inherent in this capability is the idea of universal information availability across different transmission media with different characteristics. The Air Force's information network must have global reach for its normal day-to-day operations as well as the capability to allow an instant surge of connectivity and capacity into a localized theater for mobile and fixed-site users. The latter capability is the most difficult and costly to provide but is a very critical and important tool for tactical theater operations. The functional capabilities necessary to achieve Global Information Exchange are: Distributed Information Infrastructure: Providing all mechanisms and services required to allow the commander to craft his C3I information environment, including the ability to establish distributed virtual staffs, to share a common consistent perception of the battlespace, and to construct distributed task teams among sensors, shooters, movers, and command posts. Universal transaction services: The ability to move information on demand from network to network or link to link without translation or conversion. Assurance of Services: Providing high quality services the warfighter can rely on to be available whenever and wherever needed, can be adapted, scaled, and be projected to meet dynamically changing demands and service capacities, and can be defended against physical and information warfare threats. Global Connection to Aerospace Force: Developing and demonstrating technologies for global access to command, control, and intelligence information among warfighting forces. PHASE I: Provide a report describing the proposed concept in detail and show its viability and feasibility. PHASE II: Fabricate and demonstrate a prototype device, subsystem, or software program. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Many C4I technologies have substantial dual-use potential and will impact competitiveness and performance of the commercial sector as well as the military sector. All solutions proposed must have potential for use/application in the commercial as well as military sector, and potential commercial applications must be discussed in the proposal. KEYWORDS: Command, Control, Communications, Computers Intelligence, Global Awareness, Dynamic Planning and Execution, Global Information Exchange. SBIR TOPIC #AF98-128. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: Joseph P. Cavano, RL/C3CB (315) 330-4033. TITLE: Mobile, Adaptive Knowledge Base Decision Agents. CATEGORY: Research and Development. DOD CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: B08. SERVICE CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: AF1. OBJECTIVE: To develop collaborative software agents that can play an active role in decision-making while solving the challenges of a global, net-based C4I information environment. DESCRIPTION: Autonomous software components that are active, persistent and can reason and communicate while navigating heterogeneous computing environments are typically considered intelligent agents.' Most agents perform a specific task on behalf of a user but usually they do not interact with others in a collaborative paradigm. They also tend to concentrate on the first phase of decision-making (i.e., searching the environment for information). This topic seeks to build upon agent technology developed by DARPA and Rome Lab and their corresponding access to existing C4I knowledge bases and expand it into the second and third phases of decision-making inventing, developing and analyzing possible courses of action and then selecting, recommending and communicating the best course of action. Agents need to be accessible from anywhere on the globe and be able to communicate key findings and results to appropriate entities, whether human or other machine agents. Agents may also be lazy in that they do not have to perform all the work themselves; instead, they can take advantage of other agents, information servers or problem solvers. Finally, agents must be adaptable and capable of serving a hierarchy of military users. PHASE I: Identify and justify a multi-agent technology approach to the decision-making process. The approach must be platform neutral, globally available, and build upon sound commercial technology whenever possible. Provide a report describing the concept and architecture in detail and develop an archetype knowledge base decision agent. PHASE II: Build an initial system by constructing several such agents and evaluate their effectiveness in solving specific C4I problems. COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: Phase III will develop a full-scale system that will commercialize the results of this Phase I and Phase II. Agent technology can augment human decision-making and build upon Internet information. It will have enormous applicability to military and commercial domains in the information age, ranging from law enforcement, finance, education, news delivery and health. KEYWORDS: Adaptive Information, Knowledge Bases, Collaborative Decision Making, Intelligent Agent. SBIR TOPIC #AF98-129. TECHNICAL POINTS OF CONTACT: Robert M. Flo, RL/C3AB,(315) 330-2334; Peter A. Jedrysik, RL/C3AB (315) 330-2158 ;Richard C. Metzger, RL/C3CA (315) 330-7652. TITLE: Data Visualization for Collaborative Wargaming and Battlefield Management of C4I System. CATEGORY: Research and Development. DOD CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: B07. SERVICE CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA: AF1. OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative technologies for improving current data visualization and manipulation capabilities for collaborative wargaming and battlefield management of C4I systems and large plans to enhance the overall decision-making process. DESCRIPTION: At the height of a military conflict, there is an abundance of automated information that must be managed efficiently to increase the pace of combat operations, improve the decision-making process, and synchronize various combat actions. The ultimate goal is: Give the battlefield commander, and his support staff, access to all information needed to win the war. And, more importantly, give it to him when he wants it, where he wants it, and how he wants it thus assisting the commander in more timely, informed, decisions on modifications to the present plan. Advancements in these C4I technology areas must be made in order for the tri-services to interact together effectively and with accurate information. The challenge of this effort is the development of innovative techniques and approaches which enhance

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