SBIR-STTR Award

Management Communications and Control, Inc. (MCCI) proposes application of software productivity tools to MDA high performance software engineering. MDA applications will be specified as data flow graph software architectures. Computer aided design and automatic code generation tools will generate high performance compilable code for parallel computing architectures from the graphical architectures. Rapid prototyping tools will enable import of MATLAB® algorithm designs and realization of workstation or local area network prototypes for functional verification and performance assessment. Reuse will be supported at the application component and math library levels. An approach to incorporation of fault testing and isolation into graphical architecture specifications will be developed. If successful, the effort will produce an open programming environment for high performance software that features a public domain graphical specification methodology, CAD and automated generation of ANSI C and Ada source code, and execution on commercial operating systems and/or middlewares. Anticipated Benefits/Commercial Applications: Successful application of graphical software architecture methodology to specification of new MDA applications and capture of legacy and R&D codes will create target independent, reusable software specifications. High performance implementations may be created for supported targets using computer aided design and automatic code generation tools. The architecture specification methodology with tool support will provide a seamless path from MATLAB® algorithm design to finished production code. Order of magnitude productivity gains will be enjoyed in developing and maintaining MDA application software.

Keywords:
Graphical Software Architecture, Data Flow Graphs, Autocoding, Computer Aided Design, MATLAB Import, Software Reuse, Fault Isolation Testing, Software Productivity

In phase I of this SBIR, Management Communications and Control, Inc. (MCCI) demonstrated the feasibility of applying the Autocoding Toolsetr for ballistic missile defense high performance (parallel) software development and legacy reengineering. The Autocoding Toolsetr includes tools for graphical application specification, hardware and software co-design, rapid prototyping, and automated code generation. With technology similar to that of the electronic design SPICE tools, the "virtual circuit" graphical specifications are translated to near error free application source code for industry "best practice" multi-tasking, multi-threaded implementations. The computational performance of applications developed with the Autocoding Toolsetr meets industry performance standards. In phase I, a moving target indicator (MTI) beam forming radar application was implemented using the Autocoding Toolsetr. A an order of magnitude productivity gain in the rate of production of source lines of code, relative to industry standards, was demonstrated with a zero error rate in the finished production code. For phase II, MCCI proposes a larger demonstration of the Autocoding Toolsetr's readiness for transition to use in shipboard ballistic missile defense software engineering in the Lockheed Martin, MS2 Advanced Digital Processing Laboratory, Moorestown, NJ.

Keywords:
software productivity , software error rate, legacy software reengineering, autocoding toolsetr, computer aided design, graphical programming, data fl