Distributed Real-time Simulation and High Level Architecture
The Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) and High Level Architecture
technology initiated by
the US Department of Defense (DoD) has been aimed at providing a
"Simulated Environment" for training and military exercise. DIS and HLA
allow many users spread over a large geographic area to interact
in a single simulation in real-time.
The explosive growth of the Internet provides an opportunity to extend
the HLA technology to non-military applications. However, realising
this promise requires solution to some basic problems, including
overcoming Internet's bandwidth limitation, ensuring efficient object
management and data distribution techniques.
We are currently focusing our research on Data distribution, object and ownership
management issues using a nonmilitary test platform.
Data Distribution Management (DDM)
In a large-scale distributed simulation with thousands of federates and
objects, efficient communication of data among these objects is an
important issue. In this project we focus on data filtering mechanisms
and will investigate the impact of grid-based filtering on
performance of distributed simulation.
We also intend to identify the optimal grid cell size
and the extend the optimal cell size may contribute to
improvement of DDM.
Applying Agent Technology in HLA
In the Runtime Infrastructure of HLA, the purpose of Data Distribution
Management (DDM) services is to reduce the amount of irrelevant data
sent (communicated) between federates (simulations) and cut network
communication cost. The current DDM schemes employed in RTI,
i.e. region-based DDM and grid-based DDM, are both oriented to send as
little irrelevant data to subscribers as possible, but they only
manage to filter part of this information and some irrelevant data is
still being communicated. In our DDM implementation, we are looking
into using intelligent agents to perform data filtering and send the
subscribers the exact information that they require, thereby reducing
communication costs to a minimum.
Distributed Simulation of Air Traffic Control
Air traffic simulation has been widely used for training and control
of military and non-military air traffic. We have developed a distributed air
traffic control (ATC) simulator on a Fujitsu AP3000 distributed memory
computer system using DoD's High Level Architecture (HLA).
The test-platform is a non-military HLA application that simulates air
traffic control in a distributed environment using the DMSO/RTI
1.3. We will use the ATC simulator as a test platform for studying
different aspects of HLA, e.g. object, ownership and data distribution
management. We also intend to investigate the suitability of HLA for
non-military air traffic control.
Researchers
Rassul Ayani, Visiting Professor
Gary Tan, Assistant Professor
Farshad Moradi, Research fellow
Liang Xu, MSc student
Yusong Zhang, MSc student