system architecture for c4i coalition operations
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A System Architecture for C4I for Coalition Operations
Gordon A. Hunt – UDT 2013 Spain
Chief Engineer, RTI • UCS WG Sub-Committee Chair • Commander USN-R
Agenda
• Background– Open Architecture and Current Approaches
• A Coalition is a System of Systems– Definitions and Examples
• Interoperability Architecture– It is all about the Data– How to capture and define its meaning– Interoperability by Design
Background
How Do We ‘Do’ Interoperability?
What is labeled ‘Open’?
© 2013 RTI
Current Technical Approaches
• Protocol Definitions & Standards– Tell me the messages
• Open Architecture Mandates– Interoperability on Commonality
• (Implementation) Architecture of the Day– Service Oriented Architecture – RESTful Interfaces– …
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Advanced Rapid COTS Insertion(ARCI)
• Focused, single purpose team– Interoperability by design to same spec– i.e. Interoperability by specification
• Short integration cycle– Software- 1 year– Hardware – 2 years
• Coordinated teams• Lessons Learned Include
– Technology – HW/SW– Contracting, Procurement, – Acquisition, Budgeting– Test & Evaluation
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Is Current Practice Working
• Recent studies have shown a growth in interoperability policy issuance in DoD– Thousands of pages of directives, instructions, and mandates– Numerous standards and architecture bodies in the DoD
• No Correlation between Increased Interoperability and Standards– Standards are necessary, but not sufficient for interoperability
• Conventional means of developing platform, unit command, and theater architectures are complex, manpower intensive, and time consuming.– Achieving Interoperability increases complexity– Complexity of systems-of-systems not understood or well
managed
Can’t make complexity go away, just move where it is
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Navy Open System Architecture
• Current signed direction– To coordinate business
practices promoting OA– Construct a limited number
of technical frameworks toimprove and promotecompetition
– Develop an Execution guidebook– Lead and guide the workforce– Metrics to measure ‘openness’ and progress
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Are these Approaches Sufficient?
What is different and unique in coalitions operations?
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SYSTEMS
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System of Systems
System of Systems• A system of systems
is a collection of task-oriented or dedicated systems that pool their resources and capabilities together to create a new, more complex system which offers more functionality and performance than simply the sum of the constituent systems.
System A
System B
System [n]
System A
System B
… System [n]
Has a set of >[n+1] capabilities
System of Systems Properties
1. Operational independence of the component systems
2. Managerial independence of its component systems
3. Evolutionary Independence of the constituent systems
4. Emergent Behavior
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Key Non-Functional Requirements for a System
• Interchangeability• Replaceability• Extensibility• Integratability
System
System A
System B
System
System B
System C
F(A,B) Results inX
F(C,B)Results inX
A and C provideEqual Capability
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Key Non-Functional Requirements for a System
• Interchangeability• Replaceability• Extensibility• Integratability
System
System A
System B
System
System B
System C
F(A,B)Results inX, Y, Z
F(C,B) Results inY, Z, W
C is NOT an Equal Capability, but it Is a suitable substitute
© 2013 RTI
System
Key Non-Functional Requirements for a System
• Interchangeability• Replaceability• Extensibility• Integratability
System
System B
System C
F(A,B) Results inX
F(A,B,C)Results inX and Y
System A
System
System B
System A
System C
F(C) Results inY
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System C
Key Non-Functional Requirements for a System
• Interchangeability• Replaceability• Extensibility• Integratability
System B
F(A)Results In X
F(A,B)Results inZ, where Z=G[f(X), g(Y)]
System A
System B
System A
F(B)Results in Y
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The Key Non-Functional Requirement for a SoS
• Interoperabilitythe ability of systems, units, or forces to provide services to and accept services from other systems, units, or forces, and to use the services so exchanged to enable them to operate effectively together.
F(A) and G(B)BecomeG[F(A)] and F[G(B)]
F(A)ResultsIn X
System B
System A
G(B)ResultsIn Y
System of Systems
System B
System A
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Levels of Conceptual Interoperability
Level 0: No Interoperability
Level 1: Technical Interoperability
Level 2: Syntactic Interoperability
Level 3: Semantic Interoperability
Level 4: Pragmatic Interoperability
Level 5: Dynamic Interoperability
Level 6: Conceptual Interoperability
Incr
easi
ng C
apab
ility
Inte
rope
ratio
n
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Level 0: No Interoperability
• Requires– A stand alone system
• Result– Stand alone systems that
have no interoperability
• Non-Functional Need Met
– None
Level 0: No Interoperability
Level 1: Technical Interoperability
Level 2: Syntactic Interoperability
Level 3: Semantic Interoperability
Level 4: Pragmatic Interoperability
Level 5: Dynamic Interoperability
Level 6: Conceptual Interoperability
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Level 1: Technical Interoperability
• Requires– Communications Infrastructure
established
• Result– Bits & Bytes are exchanged in an
unambiguous manner
• Non-Functional Need Met– Replaceability
Interchangeability
Level 0: No Interoperability
Level 1: Technical Interoperability
Level 2: Syntactic Interoperability
Level 3: Semantic Interoperability
Level 4: Pragmatic Interoperability
Level 5: Dynamic Interoperability
Level 6: Conceptual Interoperability
© 2013 RTI
Level 2: Syntactic Interoperability
• Requires– Communications Infrastructure
established– Common structure or common
data format for exchanging information
• Result– Bits/Bytes and the Structure of
Data are exchanged in an unambiguous manner
• Non-Functional Need Met– Interchangeability and
IntegrateabilityLevel 0: No Interoperability
Level 1: Technical Interoperability
Level 2: Syntactic Interoperability
Level 3: Semantic Interoperability
Level 4: Pragmatic Interoperability
Level 5: Dynamic Interoperability
Level 6: Conceptual Interoperability
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Level 3: Semantic Interoperability
Level 0: No Interoperability
Level 1: Technical Interoperability
Level 2: Syntactic Interoperability
Level 3: Semantic Interoperability
Level 4: Pragmatic Interoperability
Level 5: Dynamic Interoperability
Level 6: Conceptual Interoperability
• Required– Communications Infrastructure and
Common Data Format are established– Common information model is
defined for exchanging the meaning of information
• Result– Bits/Bytes and the structure of data
are exchanged in an unambiguous manner
– Content of the information exchanged is unambiguously defined
• Non-Functional Need Met– Actual, high-level Interoperability
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Integration by Example
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Interoperation by Example
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Interoperation by Example
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Interoperability by Example
The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step, otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated.
Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then one never can tell, After the procedure is completed one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life.
- Bransford & Johnson (1972)
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It is the Data that Matters
How do you Define & Design it?
What does the Architecture look like?
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MODEL
A model is anything used in any way to represent something else
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DATA MODEL
A data model is a representation that describes the data about the things that exist in your domain
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Systems of Systems are Different
System of
Systems
[n] types of systems
[n]sets of requirements +
the requirement for Semantic
Interoperability
many things to express
many different representations of those expressions
to achieve interoperability
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The SOS Data Model Shall…
1. Meet the requirements of all of the constituent systems
2. Support the overarching requirement for Semantic Interoperability
3. Allow for changes to be made to the model without requiring changes to the existing system and application interfaces that use it
Formal Language
Rigorous Documentation Formal Process
1. 2. 3.
We Need A Formal Approach!© 2013 RTI
Formal Language for Data Modeling
• Similar to structured, rigorous programming languages
• Ambiguity is not acceptable– Syntax– Semantics
Formal Language
Alphabet
Transformation Rules
Formation Rules
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Semantics, Ambiguity, and Language
Natural Language Representation
• A super charger costs 1500 dollars. I wait until the part goes on sale. I can spend 450 dollars, including 8.25% tax. On Monday, the store discounts everything by 50%. Each day an item is not sold, it is discounted another 25%. How soon can I buy my part?
Formal Language Representation
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Documentation Methodology
• Documenting only your messages is insufficient
• Documentation doesn’t end at the data model– Your system– Key decisions – Context
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Formal Process
• Mandates are insufficient with so many stakeholders
• Can’t dictate everything, must accommodate many things
• SOS DM needs to enforce rigorous well defined processes, not mandate messages
Atomic ElementsElements
of Meaning
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Putting the Pieces Together
Things to Model from
System A
Data Model
Data Modeling Process
Structure
Behavior
Context
representation A
representation A
representation [n]
per a Rigorous and Formal
Approach
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Data Centric Integration Solution
Legacy System A
Mediation
Future System C
Mediation
New System B
Mediation
• Technical Interoperability– Infrastructure &
Protocol
• Syntactic Interoperability– Common Data
Structure
• Semantic Interoperability– Common Data
Definition
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Who is Doing this Currently?
• US OSD and the UCS (UAV Control Segment)– Working Group has built a formal, conceptual model
by which to enforce interoperability.
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RTI’s Data Centric Integration Solution
Connext DDS Professional
DDS-RTPS Wire Interoperability
Messaging
Real-Time Apps DisparateApps/Systems
Integrator
Tools
Administration
Monitoring
Recording
Replay
LoggingSystem Viz
• Connext DDS– Wire Interoperability– Xtypes
• Connext Integrator– Mediation
• Future Evolutions– More powerful– More flexible– More systems.
Working as 1.
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Thoughts On Where We Are and Where We Have to Go…
• OA is an acquisition concept– It is not a specific technical matter
• A large infrastructure to manage OA isn’t needed– No Architecture solely for Architecture
• Interoperability has to be by design– By specification works for small teams
• Processes need to remain flexible– Systems are dynamic
• Need to own the most important aspect of a system, the data.– It content, context, and behavior….
© 2013 RTI