DDS for Simulation: How the Connectivity

Framework is Meeting Interoperability Challenges

Welcome and THANK YOU for coming!

• Agenda:
– Intro to Real-Time Innovations and Data Distribution Service
– Intro to VT MAK’s products
– Customer testimonial
– DEMO: Tying it all together
• We will end at 0855 for those who are attending the PALT
• You can play with the DEMO and tools after we break. We can go
much more in-depth

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

The Power of Simulation

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

DUI Sim - How does it work?

• Inputs slowed down

• Reduced feedback
• Inaccurate response time
• Doesn’t keep up with physics
• Low-fidelity simulation of sober driving
• Effective feedback for those used to driving sober

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

What if you learned to
drive on the DUI Sim?

Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.
How do you train the
world’s best drivers?

Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

Focus on fidelity

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

How do you train the
world’s best military?

Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

The same way:
Focus on fidelity
Fidelity (n):
1. Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support
2. The degree of exactness with which something can be copied or reproduced

Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

Components of high-fidelity
• Good models (i.e. maps, missions, equipment, foes)
• Humans & real-world HW in the loop
• Live, virtual, & constructive realities
• Distributed, cross-branch, cross-ally
• Security
• Ability to monitor & instruct
• Fast, interoperable communications

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

DDS for High-Fidelity Communication
• Low latency (real-time, physics speed)
• Highly available and fault-tolerant
• Autonomous – no admin required
• Robust security
– Authentication
– Encryption
– Access Control
• TRL 9 – deployed in hundreds of systems
©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.
Data Distribution Service
Technology Description
We Sell a Databus
Application Application

Data
DDS is the standard
that defines a databus

Application Application

Message centric
Data-centric technology Client/Server
connects applications to Remote Objects
the data, not to each other Publish-subscribe
SOA
DDS – An OMG Standard
• Managed by Cross-vendor source portability
• Interoperability and portability
– Programming interface
Data
– Network protocol Standard API Model

– Data model specification

DDS Implementation
• Encompasses:
– Data model and entity discovery
Standard Wire-Protocol
– Messaging
– Real-time data management and
QoS Cross-vendor interoperability
– Security
We Enable a “Data Everywhere” Abstraction
• Doesn’t actually send all
Topic
data…
Data Type • Every application gets
QoS everything it needs, when
it needs it
Topic
Type – Applications declare
Data needs and capabilities
QoS
– Databus delivers data
Data
Topic • Applications interface only
Type
QoS
to data
– Every app speaks its own
Shared Global Data Space language
– Databus maps language,
DDS DataBus
CPU, OS, transport
• Fast, reliable, scalable
The Databus Decouples Software Like No Other
• Flow: discovery, rates, reliability uncoupled
– Any network, any transport
• Space: services live anywhere
– Cloud, fog, devices
– Move them transparently
– Full, easy redundancy
• Time: robust system operations
– No dependency on startup sequence
– Participants come & go at will
And, Since Systems are All About The Data…
• Decoupled subsystems work independently
• Data-centric sharing lets them cooperate
Real-Time Innovations
Connext DDS in A&D
Hundreds of A&D Programs
 U.S. & Allied military adopt DDS to achieve Interoperability
• Dominant in military
– DISA: DISR mandated
– Navy: Open Architecture,
FORCEnet, Product Line
Architecture
– Air Force, Navy and DISA: NESI
– Army, OSD: UCS
– NATO, UK MoD, South Korea,
many more
– TRL-9: proven reliability in battle
• Hundreds of active programs
– Multiple interoperable
implementations
 US Army Asset Tracking System (JBC-P)

Legacy Capability: Next-Gen Capability:

• 500K lines of code • 50K lines of code
• 8 yrs to develop • 1 yr to develop
• 21 servers • 1 laptop
• Achieved: 20K tracked • Achieved: 250K+
updates/sec, reliability and tracked updates/sec,
uptime challenges no single point of
failure
“This would not have been possible with any other known technology.”
—Network Ops Center Technical Lead
AMRDEC-SED System Integration Labs
• Hardware-in-the-Loop labs for the UH-60, CH-47F and AH-64E Army
Helicopters

ni.com 23
Latest SIL: Apache AH-64E

ni.com 24
Results
• Reduced number of computers to be managed by 80%
• Shrank footprint from 6 full-sized racks to one
• Removed all costly reflective memory cards, hubs, cabling
• Increased I/O card stability under LabVIEW (Windows), superior to that in
previous Linux architecture
• Reduced Cost
15 x 5U rack mount computers 2 x 1U computer
1 x 256MB reflective memory card 1 x RTI DDS Connext
1 x PXI-8260 chassis
10 x PCI 1553 cards 4 x PXI 1553 cards
8 x PCI ARINC 429 cards 4 x PXI A429 cards
$184,500 $110,000
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Distributed Simulations enable Joint Mission Training
HIL Simulation Virtual Simulation Cloud-based assets Constructive Simulation

DDS Databus HIL-DDS gateway DDS WAN gateway DDS Databus

X509 X509

Connext DDS Databus

X509 X509

DDS Databus DDS Databus Recorded

Instructor
Blue force tracker C4I System running DDS mission
Live station
data
Sensors
 VT MAK
Product Overview

April 10, 2018

10-Apr-18 27
 Over Two Decades Helping Customers Build and Populate
3D Simulated Environments

10-Apr-18 28
 MAK Products

MAK offers a comprehensive suite of simulation software that provides

state-of-the-art stand-alone capabilities, yet works harmoniously as
components of an integrated system.

● SIMULATE: Complete scenario generation and virtual simulation solutions

● VISUALIZE: Beautiful scenes and informative content - experience your modeling
and simulation from every vantage point
● TERRAIN: Creating the best synthetic environment for modeling and simulation
● LINK: Connecting every simulation with our powerful and flexible interoperability
tools
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 VR-Forces
A robust simulation framework to design,
develop, and execute complex scenarios
Integrated 2D/3D Display
Entity and Aggregate Level Simulation
Simulation of:
● Land, air and sea entities
● Behaviors and Interactions
● Sensors
● Weapons
● The Synthetic Environment
Powerful API supports full customization

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 VR-Forces is used as…..

…a CGF …a desktop trainer …a Command Staff Trainer

…a threat generator …an embedded trainer

…an experimentation platform
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 VR-Engage
A Flexible, Multi-role Virtual Simulator

First Person Shooter Flight Simulator

Vehicle Crew: Driver Vehicle Crew: Gunner

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 VR-Vantage
● Multi-channel Image Generator
● 2D and 3D Visualization
● Scenario Monitoring, Control and AAR
● Simulated Video & Sensor Simulation
● Interactive real-time tactical map

10-Apr-18 33
 Sensor Simulation
SensorFX high fidelity sensor
visualization for VR-Vantage
● FLIRs and Thermal Imagers
● Image Intensifiers/Night Vision Goggles
● EO Cameras
RadarFX Server for SAR/ISAR
Physics and EO-Engineering based
● Signatures, sensor effects
● Highly Configurable
● Semi-Automated Classification Tools

10-Apr-18 34
 MAK’s Terrain Agility Solutions
Hand Modeled Procedural Terrain
VR-Vantage/VR-Forces/VR-Engage

Stream from server

Load directly
OpenFlt
Metaflight
CDB

Database
Tools
Direct From Source Streaming Terrain

Geographic Information

You choose which approach(es) to take

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 VR-TheWorld Server

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 Interoperability Products
Connect Your Diverse Networks

HLA 1516 HLA 1.3

MAK RTI RTI

VR-Exchange
VR-link Federate VR-link Federate

DIS DDS

MAK Application
VR-link Federate
Data Logger

10-Apr-18 37
 WebLVC
Entities and Other
Simulation Data
HLA HLA
Federate
MAK HLA

WebLVC Server
Web App HLA HLA
Federate

Terrain and Maps

Web Mapping Elevation
Protocols VR-TheWorld Imagery
Server
Features
Simulated Camera and
Sensor Feeds
HLA
CGF

HLA HLA Flight

VR-Vantage IG Sim

10-Apr-18 38
 VT MAK: Helping Customers develop simulation
systems to train, plan, experiment, analyze,
prototype and demonstrate.

10-Apr-18 39
Real-Time Innovations
Customer testimonial
Real-Time Innovations
DEMO
RTI TSS and Harris FliteScene
• Safety based Linux
FliteScene
• OpenGL SC 1.0
• Uses TSS Callbacks
• RTI TSS Reference
Implementation
• RTI Connext Micro
Integration of RTI’s TSS with Harris FliteScene

• Create IDL from Data Model header files

• Generate DDS and TSS type specific code using RTI tools

• Created RTI TSS Configuration file

• Linked Harris object files with RTI TSS

, Inc.

F18 HLA VR-Vantage

Federate Stealth
Simulated F18 data to
Harris FliteScene FACE
HLA Federation
UoC through RTI’s DDS
and FACE TSS

HLA – DDS
gateway FACE TSS

Connext DDS Connext DDS

Tools & Services - Overview
Tools
• Data Persistence
– Persistence Service
– Recorder Recording Wireshark
Admin Monitor Shapes Excel
– Database Integration Console Console
Demo Add-in
• Monitoring / Debugging Services
– Replay
– Monitor
– Distributed Logger
– Administration Console
Routing Recording Replay Persistence Database Queuing Web
– Spreadsheet Add-in Service Service Service Service Integration Service Integration
– Wireshark Service
Utilities
• Integration
– Routing Service
– Queuing Service
Code DDS Ping DDS Spy Type Record RTI Package
Generator Convert Convert Installer

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

Admin Console

• System Awareness
– Who/What/How?
– Exactly data types published/subscribed?
– System performance
• Debugging
– QoSes and/or types mismatches.
– View/administer the log messages
• Administration
– Control RTI Services remotely.
• Data Visualization

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

 Integration with 3rd Party Tools
• Maintained by RTI • Maintained externally
– National Instruments LabVIEW toolkit – Mathworks Simulink and Matlab
• Windows and NI Linux (RT Targets) – InformeDDS by Simventions.
– Wireshark • From Launcher
– Microsoft® Excel® – Rational Rhapsody
• Provided with Professional
• IDL Generator for Enterprise Architect
– Experimental tool

©2018 Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

OMG DDS vs. Army DDS
OMG DDS Army DDS
Feature
(Data Distribution Service) (Data Dissemination Service)
Peer to Peer, Server-less
Federated Client/Server Broker,
Architecture (No single points of Attack, Failure
requires multiple hops, servers
or Congestion)
Standardized: API, Protocol(RTPS)
API / Protocol (Code portability & wire HTTP
interoperability)
IDL defined with Type XML
Data Model Extensibility, Mutability (Inefficient, Interoperability not
(Efficient Binary Data only) enforceable)
20 QoS Policies
QoS (Reliable, Durable, Filtering, Content filtering at Server
Liveliness, History, etc)
DDS Secure Framework
Security Authentication, Topic Based HTTPS
Access Control, Tagging, Logging
Safety DO-178C Certifiable versions ???