Exploring Ontology-Based Interactions Among C2 and M&S Systems: The Common Maneuver Network and Mobility Common Operational Picture Demonstration

Abstract

Achieving semantic interoperability between simulation systems and Command and Control (C2) systems continues to be a challenging area of research and development. One area of considerable study is development of a common representation of the maneuver network to obtain consistency in the results computed by simulations and C2 systems when determining how a ground force will move through some portion of the battle space. The Common Maneuver Network (CMN) program has implemented and demonstrated the ability to obtain consistent results from the One Semi-Automated Force (OneSAF) and an Army C2 system (Army Battle Command System). Moreover, the Army's Assured Mobility concept calls for establishing the mobility common operational picture (M-COP) facilitating command decision-making regarding how best to deploy, move, and maneuver, by ground or vertical means, where and when desired, without interruption or delay, to achieve the intent. The Department of Defense Global Information Grid (GIG) will play a central role in composing the M-COP as a focus area of interest to land warfare decision makers. Network centric operations require the integration of complex communications networks, data from disparate sources, and service-oriented software applications. In the GIG, data and information necessary for the M-COP will be made available through discoverable and callable web-based services to the spectrum of users, software agents, and software systems. The use of ontologies to formally represent data semantics and knowledge combined with service based software architectures provides new opportunities for the integration of command and control systems, simulations, models, and dynamically changing data. This paper describes concepts and architecture for an experiment to further investigate and demonstrate the use of knowledge-based technologies to support tactical maneuver. Automated route planning, route monitoring and intelligent software-initiated route changes are provided in response to unexpected external events such as reports of improvised explosive device (IED) incidents. We discuss the utility of the M-COP ontology for real-time software-based sense-making in response to battlespace data streams fed by a variety of sensor systems. We also discuss lessons learned and planned follow-on experiments that will investigate higher scale capabilities and other characteristics of GIG services based on an expanded version of this initial demonstration prototype, including integration with emerging Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) standards such as the Coalition Battle Management Language (C-BML).