DIS - the next generation : a perspective for European space programmes

During the past decade, requirements within the US defence community for simulation-based tools to support acquisition, planning, (team) training, and analysis, have resulted in a standard for distributed simulation known as DIS (Distributed Interactive Simulation). The potential advantages of distributed simulation technologies are evident: increased flexibility, building on existing software and communications standards, maximization of the use of existing simulation assets, and thus reduced costs. Two important trends have recently emerged in the DIS community: a drive towards the use of DIS technology outside the area of defence applications, and a recognition of the fact that, while the DIS protocols constitute the low-level basis for distributed simulation, a set of standards and tools at a higher abstraction level is required to enable the timely and effective development of applications. This paper summarizes current developments in the DIS community: the move towards the proposed High Level Architecture (HLA), and the relevance of both the existing DIS standard and the emerging HLA for space applications. These developments are illustrated by examples from ongoing R&D work at TNO-FEL on: · an environment that supports scenario management for large scale distributed simulations; · the development of a generic Advanced Simulation Framework (ASF); · a feasibility study into the suitability of DIS and HLA for highly interactive distributed virtual environments. In particular the paper aims to illustrate the relevance of this work for applications in the space domain.