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Web-Based Simulation by Ernest H. Page Ah, the wonderfully Webbed world. Where would we be without it? Certainly, the age of the WWW is upon us. The emergence of the Web and the proliferation of Web-oriented technologies has driven engineers and scientists in many disciplines to re-evaluate the way they do business. Those involved with computer simulation are no exception to this phenomenon. "Web-based simulation" has been introduced and is currently the subject of great interest to both simulation researchers and practitioners. But what exactly is Web-based simulation? We consider that question, briefly, next. Getting Our Arms Around the Problem Web-based simulation is a diffuse topic. One need only examine the proceedings from the recent First International Conference on Web-Based Modeling and Simulation (sponsored by the Society for Computer Simulation) to verify that research and development efforts being put forward under the auspices of Web-based simulation run a wide gamut. We identify five primary areas of investigation: Simulation as hypermedia. Text, images, audio, video simulation the nature of the WWW design enables the production, storage and retrieval of "documents" containing any or all of these (and other) elements. The availability of simulation as a desktop browser-based commodity has the potential to significantly alter current teaching and training methodologies for simulation as a technique, and for disciplines that apply simulation - like engineering, physics and biology. Paradigms that focus on distance learning and interactive, simulation-based education and training are emerging. Simulation research methodology. The ability to rapidly disseminate models, results and publications on the Web offers new paradigms for the conduct of simulation research, and scientific research in general. The practical, economic and legal issues associated with electronic publication of documents, for example, are numerous. The electronic publication of simulation models raises additional considerations. Web-based access to simulation programs. Most commonly associated with the term Web-based simulation, this area includes both the remote execution of existing (legacy) simulations from a Web-browser through HTML forms and CGI scripts, and the development of mobile-code simulations (e.g. applets) that run on the client side. Distributed modeling and simulation. This area includes activities that deal with the use of the WWW and Web-oriented technologies (e.g. CORBA, Java RMI) as infrastructure to support distributed simulation execution. Internet gaming issues are also included here, as is research in tools, environments, and frameworks that support the distributed (collaborative) design and development of simulation models, to include the application of such technologies as the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Simulation of the WWW. Modeling and analysis of the WWW for performance characterization and optimization. Clearly, Web-based simulation cuts a wide swath on the simulation landscape. But such disparateness of concern is perhaps attendant with any new area of investigation. We probably should not expect a core focus for Web-based simulation to emerge within the next two years. Web-Based Simulation Research at MITRE Initiated during the first quarter of FY97, ostensibly to investigate the question, "What comes next after the DoD High Level Architecture?" a MITRE-Sponsored Research (MSR) effort in Web-based simulation has focused primarily on the distributed modeling and simulation aspects of the Web-based simulation problem. The Websim project has adopted the philosophy that the High-Level Architecture itself is potentially a useful starting point from which to define the Web-based simulation future. Many of the research and development activities of the Websim project have been aimed toward establishing or debunking the merits of this philosophy. The Websim project played a critical role in initiating the design and development of a Java version of the HLA runtime infrastructure (RTI). The project helped establish a special interest group on distributed simulation within the Object Management Group (OMG), and is participating in the adoption of the HLA service suite as CORBA standards. The MSR was also instrumental in the creation and organization of the First International Conference on Web-Based Modeling and Simulation. Activities for FY98 have centered around the formulation of industry alliances to investigate various aspects of the HLA technology transfer problem. We are working with Digital Image Design (DID), a leading company in the computer gaming industry, to incorporate an HLA interface within their next-generation gaming engine. As the computer gaming industry evolves, and as computer game users continue to demand higher levels of functionality and realism, the lines between games and training simulations will increasingly blur. DID's latest product, the F22 Total Air War, for example, includes a variety of command and control functionality and robust, comprehensive mission planning and after-action review capabilities. In a separate industry alliance, the Websim project is working with ThreadTec, Inc. to integrate HLA facilities within Silk, their Java-based, process-oriented simulation package. The goals of this effort are to bring RTI programmability to commercial simulation languages, to synthesize the conceptual frameworks used within the mainstream simulation community with the distributed operating system conceptual framework imposed by the HLA, and to investigate issues concerning the proper relationships between simulation-support languages and simulation-support architectures. We are also actively organizing the Second International Conference on Web-Based Modeling and Simulation with the Websim Principal Investigator serving as the Program Chair for that conference. Conclusions MITRE has been at the forefront of parallel and distributed simulation technology for nearly a decade. With significant efforts such as the Aggregate Level Simulation Protocol (ALSP), numerous projects in support of the Synthetic Theater of War (STOW) program, the application of parallel simulation to modeling problems critical to the FAA, and our integral role in the design and development of the DoD High-Level Architecture (HLA) for modeling and simulation - just to name a few. MITRE's perspective on the application of parallel and distributed simulation to real-world problems is perhaps unique within the broader simulation community. Web-based simulation portends a dramatic paradigm shift for those involved in simulation activities in the academic and commercial sectors. Through our MSR in Web-based simulation, we are attempting both to understand and to influence the nature of that shift and position MITRE to better serve its customers in the age of the wonderfully Webbed world. For more information, please contact Ernest Page using the employee directory. |
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