SBIR-STTR Award

Modern wargaming combines computer-aided Modeling and Simulation (M&S) and analytical adjudication to provide an immersive platform to prototype, examine, and rate strategic decisions in any conceivable situation. To ensure quality realism, such a platform must be highly complex, requiring many distinct and specialized systems to correctly interoperate in an appropriate sequence. Tau Technologies proposes to create an inclusive Wargaming Planning and Execution user interface that unifies the various systems of the wargaming event process, from planning and development to execution and analysis. As a demonstration of this interfaces capabilities, we will leverage and enhance our existing M&S suite for space to showcase an example scenario of the customers design. Our suite contains custom applications designed to streamline the user workflow and improve the user experience within a full-featured and government-owned simulation framework the Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling (AFSIM). AFSIM has several versatile, multi-domain applications, whose capabilities Taus suite has extended even further. To make these extensions, Tau employed various Agile development techniques including unit and user testing, continuous integration and deployment, and customer-informed sprint requirement lists and backlogs. Using similar techniques, Tau can incrementally incorporate periodic customer feedback to simultaneously meet customer needs and advance AFSIMs capabilities.

Benefit:
Tau Technologies successful Phase I effort will result in the definition and development of a prototype Wargame Planning and Execution User Interface (UI) that meets the need for a workflow-supportive wargame planning and design software application. This UI will be designed to include simulation support for multi-domain wargame design through direct, intuitive access to existing Tau-developed scenario generation applications. Our approach will provide simplified management of simulation design and execution in a widely-used wargame modeling and simulation framework, the Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling (AFSIM), through Tau Technologies AFSIM-RV scenario generation and execution software suite. The AFSIM-RV suite gives the user script-free, GUI-driven access to AFSIMs powerful scenario generation and simulation execution capabilities. We will expand the AFSIM-RV suite to support the design and execution of simulations in multiple domains, and to provide output that supports relevant report generation in the planning process. We will define and prototype a UI designed to provide planning workflow management and responsive access to the AFSIM-RV simulation tools. Successful completion of the Phase I effort will include a demonstration of the software suites utility through a wargame planning and design scenario. The effort in Phase I will provide the necessary foundation for comprehensive development of the full planning and design software in a Phase II.

Keywords:
agile software development, agile software development, User Experience Optimization, Modeling and simulation (M&S), workflow automation, Operator-In-The-Loop (OITL), Wargame Planning and Design, Simulation Analysis and Adjudication, Scenario Development

The proposed Phase II effort will build on the work completed under the Phase I effort by continuing to explore the development of an end-to-end wargaming tool in support of the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The Overall Objective of the effort is: Deliver a functional prototype wargaming toolset that provides a user-friendly and intuitive process. In order to realize the overall objective, the effort will have two base period and two option period objectives focused on delivering a functional prototype tool and a sample wargaming using the tool. The base period will focus on the Advance Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling (AFSIM) as the Modeling and Simulation (M&S) framework and the option period will focus on a USMC priority M&S framework. Tau will execute this effort following an agile software development approach. This approach will allow the team to maintain velocity while also mitigating schedule and technical challenges and risks.