NATO ANEP-51 VOL 0

Abstract

General Introduction <br> Based on prior studies, AC/141(NG/5) has concluded that the goal of intra-ship Combat System compatibility and interoperability will be enhanced significantly by establishing standards for: <br> &#8226; The interface between the application functions and the supporting infrastructure of the Combat System. Application functions, whether manually or automatically performed, are dependent on the mission and operating context of the host Combat System. The functions of the infrastructure (such as computation, interconnection, and display) which are necessary to support the application functions, are generic to all Combat Systems. <br> &#8226; Common definitions of the information processed by the Combat System. The compatibility of the application functions of a Combat System depends critically on common understanding and definition of the information passed between them. <br> These standards have capitalised on recent developments in computer system technology, such as the Common Operating Environment (COE) and Open System Environment (OSE) concepts, to establish a Shipboard Open Systems Environment (SOSE) which will allow the development of application functions which are mutually compatible and independent of the Combat System infrastructure. <br> Use of the Shipboard Open Systems Environment for intra-ship Combat System design will offer substantial benefits: <br> &#8226; Improved combat function compatibility and interoperability, streamlined system integration, and transportability of function implementations between Combat Systems. <br> &#8226; Simplification of Combat System specification, design, and integration, without placing unacceptable constraints on individual ship projects. <br> &#8226; A reduction in system integration risk, substantially reducing the cost of this activity by ensuring the Compatibility of information held within and transmitted across the complete Naval Combat System. <br> The development and adoption of suitable standards and guidelines for the introduction of improved technology into NATO and National ship system projects across NATO will ensure that the full benefits of these standards will be realised. <br> For this reason a NATO Industrial Advisory Group Sub Group 52 (NIAG/SG-52) was tasked to conduct a set of pre-feasibility studies. The pre-feasibility studies were conducted in two phases. <br> The first phase addressed the Shipboard Open Systems Environment and included three major study areas: <br> a. The preparation and definition of a NATO catalogue of operational data that is communicated between equipment, sub-systems, and systems installed in a Naval platform. The NATO Generic Message Catalogue is defined in Volume 2 of this ANEP, and the NATO Data Structure Catalogue is defined in Volume 3. <br> b. The preparation of guidelines and standards for the specification of the above operational data. This drew upon the work undertaken to produce STANAG 4222 [Ref 6] and provides a formal and unambiguous definition of the standard data elements in Annex A of STANAG 4222. The rules for the definition of messages and data structures are defined in Volume 4 of this ANEP. <br> c. The preparation of a specification for interface standards that are applicable to the Naval shipboard combat system. The Shipboard Open Systems Environment (SOSE) interface standards describes the services (and, where applicable, the protocols) available at the interface between the application function and the generic application platform/infrastructure; i.e., the Application Program Interface (API). The focus of the standardisation effort took the advantage of commercial standards and Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) developments. Emerging technologies and standards were monitored and their impact on the SOSE interface definition assessed. The specification is contained in NATO ANEP-50. <br> The second phase addressed Naval Combat System Architecture (NCS) Design Principles Standardization. The principal areas of this study were: <br> a. Detailed definition of the SOSE services; in particular, those services that are identified as the "add-on" services in military real-time systems. Areas that required detailed definition included real-time database services and system control and management services. The study examined specific aspects of the proposed SOSE in greater depth and detail in order to enhance the standards to which future Combat Systems should adhere. As part of this study, emerging technologies that could impact future Combat System architecture were addressed. The results are documented in ANEP-53. <br> b. The preparation of guidelines on the consequences of the insertion of COTS products in Naval systems and strategies for the insertion of COTS products, with emphasis on the issues of integration and life-cycle support. The guidelines and strategies for the insertion of COTS products are presented in ANEP-54. <br> c. The extension of the Generic Message Catalogue (GMC), and its implementation on a database for analysis of similar and proposed new messages and maintenance of the Catalogue. Further definition of the procedures and standards on the use of the GMC and the associated representative Combat System architecture applied to Combat System design and integration were developed. <br> d. The extension of the GMC with performance indicators (e.g., accuracy, timing, etc.). <br> e. A survey of design tools for Combat System architecture, simulation, and performance. The results of the design tools survey are provided in ANEP-55. <br> All of these study areas were addressed by a single NIAG/SG-52 team, guaranteeing maximum consistency between the different aspects of the work and the outputs produced. <br> This ANEP-52 (Edition 2) contains the results of the study areas related to the Generic Message Catalogue.