| Recently service oriented architectures (SOAs) have gained a strong foothold. Software is treated as services, and, in particular, as web services when integrating web-based applications in a standardized way using open standards over an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone. As a consequence of this paradigm shift, simulations are being conceptualized and explored as web services that interoperate with other web services in a web-service environment. The most significant development is a web-service specification that is under way for the next generation of the IEEE 1516-2000 Standard series for Modeling and Simulation High Level Architecture (HLA). More specifically, this HLA evolution will incorporate (1) Extensible Markup Language (XML) schemas for datatyping and structuring, and (2) a Web Service Application Programming Interface (API), specified in the Web Service Definition Language (WSDL) with a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) binding, for transfer protocols.
Data, an essential enabler of network-centric warfare, is a key ingredient of modeling, simulation, and analysis. Due to the disparate sources of operational and authoritative data, data sharing is imperative. Shared data services can be conceptualized and (ultimately implemented) as web services to support communication and network modeling, simulation, and analysis. As such, shared data services will reap the benefit of on-demand data transfers. Furthermore, loosely coupled architectures of web services will allow greater ease and flexibility in development, reuse, and maintenance. This paper will summarize potential, identify challenges, and recommend feasible options for implementing shared data services as web services in support of communication and network modeling, simulation, and analysis. Furthermore, it will provide key aspects of shared data services to support modeling, simulation, and analysis in general. |
| Cam Tran, Ph.D. has been with SPAWARSYSCEN SAN DIEGO (a Navy's RDT&E organization) for over 17 years, participating in various aspects of C4ISR. He's a session Organizer and Chair for MILCOM 2004, 2005, and 2006. In addition, he is an active member of the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO, http://www.sisostds.org) (an IEEE standards sponsor) currently serving as the Chair of the Analysis (ANL) Forum Planning and Review Panel (PRP), Secretary of the Synthetic Mission Space Composability (SMS-COMPOSE) Forum PRP, as well as a member of the C2 M&S Services Forum PRP. |