LEGOS: Object-based software components for mission-critical systems. Final report, June 1, 1995--December 31, 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-08-01

An estimated 85% of the installed base of software is a custom application with a production quantity of one. In practice, almost 100% of military software systems are custom software. Paradoxically, the marginal costs of producing additional units are near zero. So why hasn`t the software market, a market with high design costs and low productions costs evolved like other similar custom widget industries, such as automobiles and hardware chips? The military software industry seems immune to market pressures that have motivated a multilevel supply chain structure in other widget industries: design cost recovery, improve quality through specialization, and enablemore » rapid assembly from purchased components. The primary goal of the ComponentWare Consortium (CWC) technology plan was to overcome barriers to building and deploying mission-critical information systems by using verified, reusable software components (Component Ware). The adoption of the ComponentWare infrastructure is predicated upon a critical mass of the leading platform vendors` inevitable adoption of adopting emerging, object-based, distributed computing frameworks--initially CORBA and COM/OLE. The long-range goal of this work is to build and deploy military systems from verified reusable architectures. The promise of component-based applications is to enable developers to snap together new applications by mixing and matching prefabricated software components. A key result of this effort is the concept of reusable software architectures. A second important contribution is the notion that a software architecture is something that can be captured in a formal language and reused across multiple applications. The formalization and reuse of software architectures provide major cost and schedule improvements. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is fast becoming the industry standard for object-oriented analysis and design notation for object-based systems. However, the lack of a standard real-time distributed object operating system, lack of a standard Computer-Aided Software Environment (CASE) tool notation and lack of a standard CASE tool repository has limited the realization of component software. The approach to fulfilling this need is the software component factory innovation. The factory approach takes advantage of emerging standards such as UML, CORBA, Java and the Internet. The key technical innovation of the software component factory is the ability to assemble and test new system configurations as well as assemble new tools on demand from existing tools and architecture design repositories.« less

Towards Archetypes-Based Software Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piho, Gunnar; Roost, Mart; Perkins, David; Tepandi, Jaak

We present a framework for the archetypes based engineering of domains, requirements and software (Archetypes-Based Software Development, ABD). An archetype is defined as a primordial object that occurs consistently and universally in business domains and in business software systems. An archetype pattern is a collaboration of archetypes. Archetypes and archetype patterns are used to capture conceptual information into domain specific models that are utilized by ABD. The focus of ABD is on software factories - family-based development artefacts (domain specific languages, patterns, frameworks, tools, micro processes, and others) that can be used to build the family members. We demonstrate the usage of ABD for developing laboratory information management system (LIMS) software for the Clinical and Biomedical Proteomics Group, at the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Leeds.

Orbit determination software development for microprocessor based systems: Evaluation and recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shenitz, C. M.; Mcgarry, F. E.; Tasaki, K. K.

1980-01-01

A guide is presented for National Aeronautics and Space Administration management personnel who stand to benefit from the lessons learned in developing microprocessor-based flight dynamics software systems. The essential functional characteristics of microprocessors are presented. The relevant areas of system support software are examined, as are the distinguishing characteristics of flight dynamics software. Design examples are provided to illustrate the major points presented, and actual development experience obtained in this area is provided as evidence to support the conclusions reached.

Software-codec-based full motion video conferencing on the PC using visual pattern image sequence coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnett, Barry S.; Bovik, Alan C.

1995-04-01

This paper presents a real time full motion video conferencing system based on the Visual Pattern Image Sequence Coding (VPISC) software codec. The prototype system hardware is comprised of two personal computers, two camcorders, two frame grabbers, and an ethernet connection. The prototype system software has a simple structure. It runs under the Disk Operating System, and includes a user interface, a video I/O interface, an event driven network interface, and a free running or frame synchronous video codec that also acts as the controller for the video and network interfaces. Two video coders have been tested in this system. Simple implementations of Visual Pattern Image Coding and VPISC have both proven to support full motion video conferencing with good visual quality. Future work will concentrate on expanding this prototype to support the motion compensated version of VPISC, as well as encompassing point-to-point modem I/O and multiple network protocols. The application will be ported to multiple hardware platforms and operating systems. The motivation for developing this prototype system is to demonstrate the practicality of software based real time video codecs. Furthermore, software video codecs are not only cheaper, but are more flexible system solutions because they enable different computer platforms to exchange encoded video information without requiring on-board protocol compatible video codex hardware. Software based solutions enable true low cost video conferencing that fits the `open systems' model of interoperability that is so important for building portable hardware and software applications.

A near-infrared fluorescence-based surgical navigation system imaging software for sentinel lymph node detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Jinzuo; Chi, Chongwei; Zhang, Shuang; Ma, Xibo; Tian, Jie

2014-02-01

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) in vivo detection is vital in breast cancer surgery. A new near-infrared fluorescence-based surgical navigation system (SNS) imaging software, which has been developed by our research group, is presented for SLN detection surgery in this paper. The software is based on the fluorescence-based surgical navigation hardware system (SNHS) which has been developed in our lab, and is designed specifically for intraoperative imaging and postoperative data analysis. The surgical navigation imaging software consists of the following software modules, which mainly include the control module, the image grabbing module, the real-time display module, the data saving module and the image processing module. And some algorithms have been designed to achieve the performance of the software, for example, the image registration algorithm based on correlation matching. Some of the key features of the software include: setting the control parameters of the SNS; acquiring, display and storing the intraoperative imaging data in real-time automatically; analysis and processing of the saved image data. The developed software has been used to successfully detect the SLNs in 21 cases of breast cancer patients. In the near future, we plan to improve the software performance and it will be extensively used for clinical purpose.

Computer-Based Educational Software System. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandt, Richard C.; Davis, Bradley N.

CBESS (Computer-Based Educational Software System) is a set of 22 programs addressing authoring, instructional delivery, and instructional management. The programs are divided into five groups: (1) Computer-Based Memorization System (CBMS), which helps students acquire and maintain declarative (factual) knowledge (11 programs); (2) Language Skills…

Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) data base reporting software user's guide and system description. Volume 2: Program descriptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The structure and functions of each reporting software program for the Software Engineering Laboratory data base are described. Baseline diagrams, module descriptions, and listings of program generation files are included.

Software Tools for Developing and Simulating the NASA LaRC CMF Motion Base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, Richard B., Jr.; Carrelli, David J.

2006-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF) motion base has provided many design and analysis challenges. In the process of addressing these challenges, a comprehensive suite of software tools was developed. The software tools development began with a detailed MATLAB/Simulink model of the motion base which was used primarily for safety loads prediction, design of the closed loop compensator and development of the motion base safety systems1. A Simulink model of the digital control law, from which a portion of the embedded code is directly generated, was later added to this model to form a closed loop system model. Concurrently, software that runs on a PC was created to display and record motion base parameters. It includes a user interface for controlling time history displays, strip chart displays, data storage, and initializing of function generators used during motion base testing. Finally, a software tool was developed for kinematic analysis and prediction of mechanical clearances for the motion system. These tools work together in an integrated package to support normal operations of the motion base, simulate the end to end operation of the motion base system providing facilities for software-in-the-loop testing, mechanical geometry and sensor data visualizations, and function generator setup and evaluation.

Feasibility of using a knowledge-based system concept for in-flight primary flight display research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ricks, Wendell R.

1991-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using knowledge-based systems architectures for inflight research of primary flight display information management issues. The feasibility relied on the ability to integrate knowledge-based systems with existing onboard aircraft systems. And, given the hardware and software platforms available, the feasibility also depended on the ability to use interpreted LISP software with the real time operation of the primary flight display. In addition to evaluating these feasibility issues, the study determined whether the software engineering advantages of knowledge-based systems found for this application in the earlier workstation study extended to the inflight research environment. To study these issues, two integrated knowledge-based systems were designed to control the primary flight display according to pre-existing specifications of an ongoing primary flight display information management research effort. These two systems were implemented to assess the feasibility and software engineering issues listed. Flight test results were successful in showing the feasibility of using knowledge-based systems inflight with actual aircraft data.

Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britchcliffe, Michael J.; Conroy, Bruce L.; Anderson, Paul E.; Wilson, Ahmad

2011-01-01

This software is used in an automated cryogenic control system developed to monitor and control the operation of small-scale cryocoolers. The system was designed to automate the cryogenically cooled low-noise amplifier system described in "Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System" (NPO-47246), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 35, No. 5 (May 2011), page 7a. The software contains algorithms necessary to convert non-linear output voltages from the cryogenic diode-type thermometers and vacuum pressure and helium pressure sensors, to temperature and pressure units. The control function algorithms use the monitor data to control the cooler power, vacuum solenoid, vacuum pump, and electrical warm-up heaters. The control algorithms are based on a rule-based system that activates the required device based on the operating mode. The external interface is Web-based. It acts as a Web server, providing pages for monitor, control, and configuration. No client software from the external user is required.

Knowledge-based approach for generating target system specifications from a domain model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gomaa, Hassan; Kerschberg, Larry; Sugumaran, Vijayan

1992-01-01

Several institutions in industry and academia are pursuing research efforts in domain modeling to address unresolved issues in software reuse. To demonstrate the concepts of domain modeling and software reuse, a prototype software engineering environment is being developed at George Mason University to support the creation of domain models and the generation of target system specifications. This prototype environment, which is application domain independent, consists of an integrated set of commercial off-the-shelf software tools and custom-developed software tools. This paper describes the knowledge-based tool that was developed as part of the environment to generate target system specifications from a domain model.

An expert system based software sizing tool, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedlander, David

1990-01-01

A software tool was developed for predicting the size of a future computer program at an early stage in its development. The system is intended to enable a user who is not expert in Software Engineering to estimate software size in lines of source code with an accuracy similar to that of an expert, based on the program's functional specifications. The project was planned as a knowledge based system with a field prototype as the goal of Phase 2 and a commercial system planned for Phase 3. The researchers used techniques from Artificial Intelligence and knowledge from human experts and existing software from NASA's COSMIC database. They devised a classification scheme for the software specifications, and a small set of generic software components that represent complexity and apply to large classes of programs. The specifications are converted to generic components by a set of rules and the generic components are input to a nonlinear sizing function which makes the final prediction. The system developed for this project predicted code sizes from the database with a bias factor of 1.06 and a fluctuation factor of 1.77, an accuracy similar to that of human experts but without their significant optimistic bias.

Integrated Online Software for Libraries: An Overview of Today's Best-Selling IOLS. Options from the U.S. Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cibbarelli, Pamela

1996-01-01

Profiles the top-selling IOLS (integrated online library systems) software for libraries based on sales figures reported in the 1996 "Library Journal" annual survey of the library automation marketplace. Highlights include microcomputer-based systems and minicomputer-based systems, system components, MARC formats, and market sectors.…

Advances in knowledge-based software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truszkowski, Walt

1991-01-01

The underlying hypothesis of this work is that a rigorous and comprehensive software reuse methodology can bring about a more effective and efficient utilization of constrained resources in the development of large-scale software systems by both government and industry. It is also believed that correct use of this type of software engineering methodology can significantly contribute to the higher levels of reliability that will be required of future operational systems. An overview and discussion of current research in the development and application of two systems that support a rigorous reuse paradigm are presented: the Knowledge-Based Software Engineering Environment (KBSEE) and the Knowledge Acquisition fo the Preservation of Tradeoffs and Underlying Rationales (KAPTUR) systems. Emphasis is on a presentation of operational scenarios which highlight the major functional capabilities of the two systems.

RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Curtis L.; Choi, Yong-Joon; Zou, Ling

This INL plan comprehensively describes the software for RELAP-7 and documents the software, interface, and software design requirements for the application. The plan also describes the testing-based software verification and validation (SV&V) process—a set of specially designed software models used to test RELAP-7. The RELAP-7 (Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program) code is a nuclear reactor system safety analysis code being developed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The code is based on the INL’s modern scientific software development framework – MOOSE (Multi-Physics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment). The overall design goal of RELAP-7 is to take advantage of the previous thirty yearsmore » of advancements in computer architecture, software design, numerical integration methods, and physical models. The end result will be a reactor systems analysis capability that retains and improves upon RELAP5’s capability and extends the analysis capability for all reactor system simulation scenarios.« less

A Petri Net-Based Software Process Model for Developing Process-Oriented Information Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yu; Oberweis, Andreas

Aiming at increasing flexibility, efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of information processing and resource deployment in organizations to ensure customer satisfaction and high quality of products and services, process-oriented information systems (POIS) represent a promising realization form of computerized business information systems. Due to the complexity of POIS, explicit and specialized software process models are required to guide POIS development. In this chapter we characterize POIS with an architecture framework and present a Petri net-based software process model tailored for POIS development with consideration of organizational roles. As integrated parts of the software process model, we also introduce XML nets, a variant of high-level Petri nets as basic methodology for business processes modeling, and an XML net-based software toolset providing comprehensive functionalities for POIS development.

AVE-SESAME program for the REEDA System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hickey, J. S.

1981-01-01

The REEDA system software was modified and improved to process the AVE-SESAME severe storm data. A random access file system for the AVE storm data was designed, tested, and implemented. The AVE/SESAME software was modified to incorporate the random access file input and to interface with new graphics hardware/software now available on the REEDA system. Software was developed to graphically display the AVE/SESAME data in the convention normally used by severe storm researchers. Software was converted to AVE/SESAME software systems and interfaced with existing graphics hardware/software available on the REEDA System. Software documentation was provided for existing AVE/SESAME programs underlining functional flow charts and interacting questions. All AVE/SESAME data sets in random access format was processed to allow developed software to access the entire AVE/SESAME data base. The existing software was modified to allow for processing of different AVE/SESAME data set types including satellite surface and radar data.

A conceptual model for megaprogramming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tracz, Will

1990-01-01

Megaprogramming is component-based software engineering and life-cycle management. Magaprogramming and its relationship to other research initiatives (common prototyping system/common prototyping language, domain specific software architectures, and software understanding) are analyzed. The desirable attributes of megaprogramming software components are identified and a software development model and resulting prototype megaprogramming system (library interconnection language extended by annotated Ada) are described.

Software Tools for Development on the Peregrine System | High-Performance

Science.gov Websites

Computing | NREL Software Tools for Development on the Peregrine System Software Tools for and manage software at the source code level. Cross-Platform Make and SCons The "Cross-Platform Make" (CMake) package is from Kitware, and SCons is a modern software build tool based on Python

Contingency theoretic methodology for agent-based web-oriented manufacturing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durrett, John R.; Burnell, Lisa J.; Priest, John W.

2000-12-01

The development of distributed, agent-based, web-oriented, N-tier Information Systems (IS) must be supported by a design methodology capable of responding to the convergence of shifts in business process design, organizational structure, computing, and telecommunications infrastructures. We introduce a contingency theoretic model for the use of open, ubiquitous software infrastructure in the design of flexible organizational IS. Our basic premise is that developers should change in the way they view the software design process from a view toward the solution of a problem to one of the dynamic creation of teams of software components. We postulate that developing effective, efficient, flexible, component-based distributed software requires reconceptualizing the current development model. The basic concepts of distributed software design are merged with the environment-causes-structure relationship from contingency theory; the task-uncertainty of organizational- information-processing relationships from information processing theory; and the concept of inter-process dependencies from coordination theory. Software processes are considered as employees, groups of processes as software teams, and distributed systems as software organizations. Design techniques already used in the design of flexible business processes and well researched in the domain of the organizational sciences are presented. Guidelines that can be utilized in the creation of component-based distributed software will be discussed.

Evaluation and selection of open-source EMR software packages based on integrated AHP and TOPSIS.

PubMed

Zaidan, A A; Zaidan, B B; Al-Haiqi, Ahmed; Kiah, M L M; Hussain, Muzammil; Abdulnabi, Mohamed

2015-02-01

Evaluating and selecting software packages that meet the requirements of an organization are difficult aspects of software engineering process. Selecting the wrong open-source EMR software package can be costly and may adversely affect business processes and functioning of the organization. This study aims to evaluate and select open-source EMR software packages based on multi-criteria decision-making. A hands-on study was performed and a set of open-source EMR software packages were implemented locally on separate virtual machines to examine the systems more closely. Several measures as evaluation basis were specified, and the systems were selected based a set of metric outcomes using Integrated Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS. The experimental results showed that GNUmed and OpenEMR software can provide better basis on ranking score records than other open-source EMR software packages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Systems, methods and apparatus for developing and maintaining evolving systems with software product lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G. (Inventor); Rash, James L. (Inventor); Pena, Joaquin (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which an evolutionary system is managed and viewed as a software product line. In some embodiments, the core architecture is a relatively unchanging part of the system, and each version of the system is viewed as a product from the product line. Each software product is generated from the core architecture with some agent-based additions. The result may be a multi-agent system software product line.

45 CFR 307.5 - Mandatory computerized support enforcement systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... hardware, operational system software, and electronic linkages with the separate components of an... plans to use and how they will interface with the base system; (3) Provide documentation that the... and for operating costs including hardware, operational software and applications software of a...

45 CFR 307.5 - Mandatory computerized support enforcement systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... hardware, operational system software, and electronic linkages with the separate components of an... plans to use and how they will interface with the base system; (3) Provide documentation that the... and for operating costs including hardware, operational software and applications software of a...

45 CFR 307.5 - Mandatory computerized support enforcement systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... hardware, operational system software, and electronic linkages with the separate components of an... plans to use and how they will interface with the base system; (3) Provide documentation that the... and for operating costs including hardware, operational software and applications software of a...

Large Scale Portability of Hospital Information System Software

PubMed Central

Munnecke, Thomas H.; Kuhn, Ingeborg M.

1986-01-01

As part of its Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) the Veterans Administration installed new hospital information systems in 169 of its facilities during 1984 and 1985. The application software for these systems is based on the ANS MUMPS language, is public domain, and is designed to be operating system and hardware independent. The software, developed by VA employees, is built upon a layered approach, where application packages layer on a common data dictionary which is supported by a Kernel of software. Communications between facilities are based on public domain Department of Defense ARPA net standards for domain naming, mail transfer protocols, and message formats, layered on a variety of communications technologies.

The Role and Quality of Software Safety in the NASA Constellation Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Layman, Lucas; Basili, Victor R.; Zelkowitz, Marvin V.

2010-01-01

In this study, we examine software safety risk in the early design phase of the NASA Constellation spaceflight program. Obtaining an accurate, program-wide picture of software safety risk is difficult across multiple, independently-developing systems. We leverage one source of safety information, hazard analysis, to provide NASA quality assurance managers with information regarding the ongoing state of software safety across the program. The goal of this research is two-fold: 1) to quantify the relative importance of software with respect to system safety; and 2) to quantify the level of risk presented by software in the hazard analysis. We examined 154 hazard reports created during the preliminary design phase of three major flight hardware systems within the Constellation program. To quantify the importance of software, we collected metrics based on the number of software-related causes and controls of hazardous conditions. To quantify the level of risk presented by software, we created a metric scheme to measure the specificity of these software causes. We found that from 49-70% of hazardous conditions in the three systems could be caused by software or software was involved in the prevention of the hazardous condition. We also found that 12-17% of the 2013 hazard causes involved software, and that 23-29% of all causes had a software control. Furthermore, 10-12% of all controls were software-based. There is potential for inaccuracy in these counts, however, as software causes are not consistently scoped, and the presence of software in a cause or control is not always clear. The application of our software specificity metrics also identified risks in the hazard reporting process. In particular, we found a number of traceability risks in the hazard reports may impede verification of software and system safety.

Human-machine interface (HMI) report for 241-SY-101 data acquisition [and control] system (DACS) upgrade study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Truitt, R.W.

1997-10-22

This report provides an independent evaluation of information for a Windows based Human Machine Interface (HMI) to replace the existing DOS based Iconics HMI currently used in the Data Acquisition and Control System (DACS) used at Tank 241-SY-101. A fundamental reason for this evaluation is because of the difficulty of maintaining the system with obsolete, unsupported software. The DACS uses a software operator interface (Genesis for DOS HMI) that is no longer supported by its manufacturer, Iconics. In addition to its obsolescence, it is complex and difficult to train additional personnel on. The FY 1997 budget allocated $40K for phasemore » 1 of a software/hardware upgrade that would have allowed the old DOS based system to be replaced by a current Windows based system. Unfortunately, budget constraints during FY 1997 has prompted deferral of the upgrade. The upgrade needs to be performed at the earliest possible time, before other failures render the system useless. Once completed, the upgrade could alleviate other concerns: spare pump software may be able to be incorporated into the same software as the existing pump, thereby eliminating the parallel path dilemma; and the newer, less complex software should expedite training of future personnel, and in the process, require that less technical time be required to maintain the system.« less

FASEA: A FPGA Acquisition System and Software Event Analysis for liquid scintillation counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steele, T.; Mo, L.; Bignell, L.; Smith, M.; Alexiev, D.

2009-10-01

The FASEA (FPGA based Acquisition and Software Event Analysis) system has been developed to replace the MAC3 for coincidence pulse processing. The system uses a National Instruments Virtex 5 FPGA card (PXI-7842R) for data acquisition and a purpose developed data analysis software for data analysis. Initial comparisons to the MAC3 unit are included based on measurements of 89Sr and 3H, confirming that the system is able to accurately emulate the behaviour of the MAC3 unit.

Software dependability in the Tandem GUARDIAN system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Inhwan; Iyer, Ravishankar K.

1995-01-01

Based on extensive field failure data for Tandem's GUARDIAN operating system this paper discusses evaluation of the dependability of operational software. Software faults considered are major defects that result in processor failures and invoke backup processes to take over. The paper categorizes the underlying causes of software failures and evaluates the effectiveness of the process pair technique in tolerating software faults. A model to describe the impact of software faults on the reliability of an overall system is proposed. The model is used to evaluate the significance of key factors that determine software dependability and to identify areas for improvement. An analysis of the data shows that about 77% of processor failures that are initially considered due to software are confirmed as software problems. The analysis shows that the use of process pairs to provide checkpointing and restart (originally intended for tolerating hardware faults) allows the system to tolerate about 75% of reported software faults that result in processor failures. The loose coupling between processors, which results in the backup execution (the processor state and the sequence of events) being different from the original execution, is a major reason for the measured software fault tolerance. Over two-thirds (72%) of measured software failures are recurrences of previously reported faults. Modeling, based on the data, shows that, in addition to reducing the number of software faults, software dependability can be enhanced by reducing the recurrence rate.

Development of a methodology for assessing the safety of embedded software systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrett, C. J.; Guarro, S. B.; Apostolakis, G. E.

1993-01-01

A Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM) based on an integrated approach to modeling and analyzing the behavior of software-driven embedded systems for assessing and verifying reliability and safety is discussed. DFM is based on an extension of the Logic Flowgraph Methodology to incorporate state transition models. System models which express the logic of the system in terms of causal relationships between physical variables and temporal characteristics of software modules are analyzed to determine how a certain state can be reached. This is done by developing timed fault trees which take the form of logical combinations of static trees relating the system parameters at different point in time. The resulting information concerning the hardware and software states can be used to eliminate unsafe execution paths and identify testing criteria for safety critical software functions.

A Database-Based and Web-Based Meta-CASE System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eessaar, Erki; Sgirka, Rünno

Each Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) system provides support to a software process or specific tasks or activities that are part of a software process. Each meta-CASE system allows us to create new CASE systems. The creators of a new CASE system have to specify abstract syntax of the language that is used in the system and functionality as well as non-functional properties of the new system. Many meta-CASE systems record their data directly in files. In this paper, we introduce a meta-CASE system, the enabling technology of which is an object-relational database system (ORDBMS). The system allows users to manage specifications of languages and create models by using these languages. The system has web-based and form-based user interface. We have created a proof-of-concept prototype of the system by using PostgreSQL ORDBMS and PHP scripting language.

Knowledge based system verification and validation as related to automation of space station subsystems: Rationale for a knowledge based system lifecycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, Keith; Wong, Carla

1988-01-01

The role of verification and validation (V and V) in software has been to support and strengthen the software lifecycle and to ensure that the resultant code meets the standards of the requirements documents. Knowledge Based System (KBS) V and V should serve the same role, but the KBS lifecycle is ill-defined. The rationale of a simple form of the KBS lifecycle is presented, including accommodation to certain critical KBS differences from software development.

Open source electronic health record and patient data management system for intensive care.

PubMed

Massaut, Jacques; Reper, Pascal

2008-01-01

In Intensive Care Units, the amount of data to be processed for patients care, the turn over of the patients, the necessity for reliability and for review processes indicate the use of Patient Data Management Systems (PDMS) and electronic health records (EHR). To respond to the needs of an Intensive Care Unit and not to be locked with proprietary software, we developed a PDMS and EHR based on open source software and components. The software was designed as a client-server architecture running on the Linux operating system and powered by the PostgreSQL data base system. The client software was developed in C using GTK interface library. The application offers to the users the following functions: medical notes captures, observations and treatments, nursing charts with administration of medications, scoring systems for classification, and possibilities to encode medical activities for billing processes. Since his deployment in February 2004, the PDMS was used to care more than three thousands patients with the expected software reliability and facilitated data management and review processes. Communications with other medical software were not developed from the start, and are realized by the use of the Mirth HL7 communication engine. Further upgrade of the system will include multi-platform support, use of typed language with static analysis, and configurable interface. The developed system based on open source software components was able to respond to the medical needs of the local ICU environment. The use of OSS for development allowed us to customize the software to the preexisting organization and contributed to the acceptability of the whole system.

Plug into a Network.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vander Linden, Doug; Clark, Larry

1994-01-01

Stand-alone, single-user software programs for classroom use can be prohibitively expensive, compared to information-sharing network systems. Based on a Kansas district's experience, this article explains three types of networks (device-sharing, operating-system-based, and client-server-based) and discusses network protocols, software choices,…

A GUI Based Software for Sizing Stand Alone AC Coupled Hybrid PV-Diesel Power System under Malaysia Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syafiqah Syahirah Mohamed, Nor; Amalina Banu Mohamat Adek, Noor; Hamid, Nurul Farhana Abd

2018-03-01

This paper presents the development of Graphical User Interface (GUI) software for sizing main component in AC coupled photovoltaic (PV) hybrid power system based on Malaysia climate. This software provides guideline for PV system integrator to design effectively the size of components and system configuration to match the system and load requirement with geographical condition. The concept of the proposed software is balancing the annual average renewable energy generation and load demand. In this study, the PV to diesel generator (DG) ratio is introduced by considering the hybrid system energy contribution. The GUI software is able to size the main components in the PV hybrid system to meet with the set target of energy contribution ratio. The rated powers of the components to be defined are PV array, grid-tie inverter, bi-directional inverter, battery storage and DG. GUI is used to perform all the system sizing procedures to make it user friendly interface as a sizing tool for AC coupled PV hybrid system. The GUI will be done by using Visual Studio 2015 based on the real data under Malaysia Climate.

Software Engineering Improvement Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

In performance of this task order, bd Systems personnel provided support to the Flight Software Branch and the Software Working Group through multiple tasks related to software engineering improvement and to activities of the independent Technical Authority (iTA) Discipline Technical Warrant Holder (DTWH) for software engineering. To ensure that the products, comments, and recommendations complied with customer requirements and the statement of work, bd Systems personnel maintained close coordination with the customer. These personnel performed work in areas such as update of agency requirements and directives database, software effort estimation, software problem reports, a web-based process asset library, miscellaneous documentation review, software system requirements, issue tracking software survey, systems engineering NPR, and project-related reviews. This report contains a summary of the work performed and the accomplishments in each of these areas.

Software-Based Student Response Systems: An Interdisciplinary Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Carol M.; Hoffman, Michael S.; Casey, Nancy C.; Cox, Maureen P.

2015-01-01

Colleagues from information technology and three academic departments collaborated on an instructional technology initiative to employ student response systems in classes in mathematics, accounting and education. The instructors assessed the viability of using software-based systems to enable students to use their own devices (cell phones,…

Practical Application of Model-based Programming and State-based Architecture to Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horvath, Gregory A.; Ingham, Michel D.; Chung, Seung; Martin, Oliver; Williams, Brian

2006-01-01

Innovative systems and software engineering solutions are required to meet the increasingly challenging demands of deep-space robotic missions. While recent advances in the development of an integrated systems and software engineering approach have begun to address some of these issues, they are still at the core highly manual and, therefore, error-prone. This paper describes a task aimed at infusing MIT's model-based executive, Titan, into JPL's Mission Data System (MDS), a unified state-based architecture, systems engineering process, and supporting software framework. Results of the task are presented, including a discussion of the benefits and challenges associated with integrating mature model-based programming techniques and technologies into a rigorously-defined domain specific architecture.

Mitigating Motion Base Safety Issues: The NASA LaRC CMF Implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, Richard B., Jr.; Grupton, Lawrence E.; Martinez, Debbie; Carrelli, David J.

2005-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF) motion base design has taken advantage of inherent hydraulic characteristics to implement safety features using hardware solutions only. Motion system safety has always been a concern and its implementation is addressed differently by each organization. Some approaches rely heavily on software safety features. Software which performs safety functions is subject to more scrutiny making its approval, modification, and development time consuming and expensive. The NASA LaRC's CMF motion system is used for research and, as such, requires that the software be updated or modified frequently. The CMF's customers need the ability to update the simulation software frequently without the associated cost incurred with safety critical software. This paper describes the CMF engineering team's approach to achieving motion base safety by designing and implementing all safety features in hardware, resulting in applications software (including motion cueing and actuator dynamic control) being completely independent of the safety devices. This allows the CMF safety systems to remain intact and unaffected by frequent research system modifications.

Software reliability through fault-avoidance and fault-tolerance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vouk, Mladen A.; Mcallister, David F.

1993-01-01

Strategies and tools for the testing, risk assessment and risk control of dependable software-based systems were developed. Part of this project consists of studies to enable the transfer of technology to industry, for example the risk management techniques for safety-concious systems. Theoretical investigations of Boolean and Relational Operator (BRO) testing strategy were conducted for condition-based testing. The Basic Graph Generation and Analysis tool (BGG) was extended to fully incorporate several variants of the BRO metric. Single- and multi-phase risk, coverage and time-based models are being developed to provide additional theoretical and empirical basis for estimation of the reliability and availability of large, highly dependable software. A model for software process and risk management was developed. The use of cause-effect graphing for software specification and validation was investigated. Lastly, advanced software fault-tolerance models were studied to provide alternatives and improvements in situations where simple software fault-tolerance strategies break down.

Knowledge Based Software Assistant Conference Proceedings (4th) Held in Syracuse, New York on 12-14 September 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-01

Sanders Associates. Inc. A demonstration of knowledge-based support for the evolut ;cnry development of software system requirements uskig mitV/9 text...Conference Commiffee W Douga W~t Spin-Off Technologies 4 AN OVERVIEW OF RADC’S KNOWLEDGE BASED SOFTWARE ASSISTANT PROGRAM Donald M. Elefante Rome Air...Knowledge-Based Software Assistant is a formally based, computer-mediated paradigm for the specification, development, evolution , and Ir ig term

OAST Space Theme Workshop. Volume 3: Working group summary. 4: Software (E-4). A. Summary. B. Technology needs (form 1). C. Priority assessment (form 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Only a few efforts are currently underway to develop an adequate technology base for the various themes. Particular attention must be given to software commonality and evolutionary capability, to increased system integrity and autonomy; and to improved communications among the program users, the program developers, and the programs themselves. There is a need for quantum improvement in software development methods and increasing the awareness of software by all concerned. Major thrusts identified include: (1) data and systems management; (2) software technology for autonomous systems; (3) technology and methods for improving the software development process; (4) advances related to systems of software elements including their architecture, their attributes as systems, and their interfaces with users and other systems; and (5) applications of software including both the basic algorithms used in a number of applications and the software specific to a particular theme or discipline area. The impact of each theme on software is assessed.

Tools for Administration of a UNIX-Based Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeClaire, Stephen; Farrar, Edward

2004-01-01

Several computer programs have been developed to enable efficient administration of a large, heterogeneous, UNIX-based computing and communication network that includes a variety of computers connected to a variety of subnetworks. One program provides secure software tools for administrators to create, modify, lock, and delete accounts of specific users. This program also provides tools for users to change their UNIX passwords and log-in shells. These tools check for errors. Another program comprises a client and a server component that, together, provide a secure mechanism to create, modify, and query quota levels on a network file system (NFS) mounted by use of the VERITAS File SystemJ software. The client software resides on an internal secure computer with a secure Web interface; one can gain access to the client software from any authorized computer capable of running web-browser software. The server software resides on a UNIX computer configured with the VERITAS software system. Directories where VERITAS quotas are applied are NFS-mounted. Another program is a Web-based, client/server Internet Protocol (IP) address tool that facilitates maintenance lookup of information about IP addresses for a network of computers.

A Web-Based Learning System for Software Test Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Minhong; Jia, Haiyang; Sugumaran, V.; Ran, Weijia; Liao, Jian

2011-01-01

Fierce competition, globalization, and technology innovation have forced software companies to search for new ways to improve competitive advantage. Web-based learning is increasingly being used by software companies as an emergent approach for enhancing the skills of knowledge workers. However, the current practice of Web-based learning is…

Software evolution. What kind of evolution?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres-Carbonell, J. J.; Parets-Llorca, J.

2001-06-01

Most Software Systems capable of adapting to the environment or of performing some kind of adaptive activity (such as pattern learning, behavior simulations and the like) use concepts and models from Biology. Nevertheless, such approaches are based on the Modern Synthesis, i.e., Darwinism plus Mendelism, and this implies preadaptive mutations in, and subsequent selection of the better adapted individuals. These pre-adaptive changes usually do not produce the desired effect, are virtually useless and require some kind of backtracking for the system to obtain profit from adaptation. It is our contention that an evolutionary approach in Software Systems development cannot be based on pre-adaptive mutations, but rather on post-adaptive ones, that is, anticipatory mutations and modifications (Lamarkism). A novel way of understanding evolution in Software Systems based on applied Lamarkism is presented and a framework that allows the incorporation of modifications according to the necessities of the system and the will of the modeller is proposed.

Development of the disable software reporting system on the basis of the neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavrylenko, S.; Babenko, O.; Ignatova, E.

2018-04-01

The PE structure of malicious and secure software is analyzed, features are highlighted, binary sign vectors are obtained and used as inputs for training the neural network. A software model for detecting malware based on the ART-1 neural network was developed, optimal similarity coefficients were found, and testing was performed. The obtained research results showed the possibility of using the developed system of identifying malicious software in computer systems protection systems

System integration test plan for HANDI 2000 business management system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, D.

This document presents the system integration test plan for the Commercial-Off-The-Shelf, PassPort and PeopleSoft software, and custom software created to work with the COTS products. The PP software is an integrated application for AP, Contract Management, Inventory Management, Purchasing and Material Safety Data Sheet. The PS software is an integrated application for Project Costing, General Ledger, Human Resources/Training, Payroll, and Base Benefits.

Software ``Best'' Practices: Agile Deconstructed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, Steven

Software “best” practices depend entirely on context - in terms of the problem domain, the system constructed, the software designers, and the “customers” ultimately deriving value from the system. Agile practices no longer have the luxury of “choosing” small non-mission critical projects with co-located teams. Project stakeholders are selecting and adapting practices based on a combina tion of interest, need and staffing. For example, growing product portfolios through a merger or the acquisition of a company exposes legacy systems to new staff, new software integration challenges, and new ideas. Innovation in communications (tools and processes) to span the growth and contraction of both information and organizations, while managing the adoption of changing software practices, is imperative for success. Traditional web-based tools such as web pages, document libraries, and forums are not suf ficient. A blend of tweeting, blogs, wikis, instant messaging, web-based confer encing, and telepresence creates a new dimension of communication “best” practices.

Specification-based software sizing: An empirical investigation of function metrics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeffery, Ross; Stathis, John

1993-01-01

For some time the software industry has espoused the need for improved specification-based software size metrics. This paper reports on a study of nineteen recently developed systems in a variety of application domains. The systems were developed by a single software services corporation using a variety of languages. The study investigated several metric characteristics. It shows that: earlier research into inter-item correlation within the overall function count is partially supported; a priori function counts, in themself, do not explain the majority of the effort variation in software development in the organization studied; documentation quality is critical to accurate function identification; and rater error is substantial in manual function counting. The implication of these findings for organizations using function based metrics are explored.

Application of LANDSAT system for improving methodology for inventory and classification of wetlands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilmer, D. S. (Principal Investigator)

1976-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A newly developed software system for generating statistics on surface water features was tested using LANDSAT data acquired previous to 1975. This software test provided a satisfactory evaluation of the system and also allowed expansion of data base on prairie water features. The software system recognizes water on the basis of a classification algorithm. This classification is accomplished by level thresholding a single near infrared data channel. After each pixel is classified as water or nonwater, the software system then recognizes ponds or lakes as sets of contiguous pixels or as single isolated pixels in the case of very small ponds. Pixels are considered to be contiguous if they are adjacent between successive scan lines. After delineating each water feature, the software system then assigns the feature a position based upon a geographic grid system and calculates the feature's planimetric area, its perimeter, and a parameter known as the shape factor.

Advanced software development workstation project ACCESS user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

ACCESS is a knowledge based software information system designed to assist the user in modifying retrieved software to satisfy user specifications. A user's guide is presented for the knowledge engineer who wishes to create for ACCESS a knowledge base consisting of representations of objects in some software system. This knowledge is accessible to an end user who wishes to use the catalogued software objects to create a new application program or an input stream for an existing system. The application specific portion of an ACCESS knowledge base consists of a taxonomy of object classes, as well as instances of these classes. All objects in the knowledge base are stored in an associative memory. ACCESS provides a standard interface for the end user to browse and modify objects. In addition, the interface can be customized by the addition of application specific data entry forms and by specification of display order for the taxonomy and object attributes. These customization options are described.

Collaboration Between NASA Centers of Excellence on Autonomous System Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, Charles H.; Larson, William E.; Delgado, H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Software for space systems flight operations has its roots in the early days of the space program when computer systems were incapable of supporting highly complex and flexible control logic. Control systems relied on fast data acquisition and supervisory control from a roomful of systems engineers on the ground. Even though computer hardware and software has become many orders of magnitude more capable, space systems have largely adhered to this original paradigm In an effort to break this mold, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has invested in the development of model-based diagnosis and control applications for ten years having broad experience in both ground and spacecraft systems and software. KSC has now partnered with Ames Research Center (ARC), NASA's Center of Excellence in Information Technology, to create a new paradigm for the control of dynamic space systems. ARC has developed model-based diagnosis and intelligent planning software that enables spacecraft to handle most routine problems automatically and allocate resources in a flexible way to realize mission objectives. ARC demonstrated the utility of onboard diagnosis and planning with an experiment aboard Deep Space I in 1999. This paper highlights the software control system collaboration between KSC and ARC. KSC has developed a Mars In-situ Resource Utilization testbed based on the Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) reaction. This plant, built in KSC's Applied Chemistry Laboratory, is capable of producing the large amount of Oxygen that would be needed to support a Human Mars Mission. KSC and ARC are cooperating to develop an autonomous, fault-tolerant control system for RWGS to meet the need for autonomy on deep space missions. The paper will also describe how the new system software paradigm will be applied to Vehicle Health Monitoring, tested on the new X vehicles and integrated into future launch processing systems.

Proposing an Evidence-Based Strategy for Software Requirements Engineering.

PubMed

Lindoerfer, Doris; Mansmann, Ulrich

2016-01-01

This paper discusses an evidence-based approach to software requirements engineering. The approach is called evidence-based, since it uses publications on the specific problem as a surrogate for stakeholder interests, to formulate risks and testing experiences. This complements the idea that agile software development models are more relevant, in which requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams. The strategy is exemplified and applied to the development of a Software Requirements list used to develop software systems for patient registries.

The Design and Realization of Radio Telescope Control Software in Windows XP System with VC++

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Rong-Bing; Aili, Yu; Zhang, Jin; Yu, Yun

2007-03-01

The main function of the radio telescope control software is to drive the radio telescope to track the target accurately. The design of radio telescope control software is based on Windows XP system with VC++. The functions of the software, communication mode and the user interface is introduced in this article.

VA's Integrated Imaging System on three platforms.

PubMed

Dayhoff, R E; Maloney, D L; Majurski, W J

1992-01-01

The DHCP Integrated Imaging System provides users with integrated patient data including text, image and graphics data. This system has been transferred from its original two screen DOS-based MUMPS platform to an X window workstation and a Microsoft Windows-based workstation. There are differences between these various platforms that impact on software design and on software development strategy. Data structures and conventions were used to isolate hardware, operating system, imaging software, and user-interface differences between platforms in the implementation of functionality for text and image display and interaction. The use of an object-oriented approach greatly increased system portability.

VA's Integrated Imaging System on three platforms.

PubMed Central

Dayhoff, R. E.; Maloney, D. L.; Majurski, W. J.

1992-01-01

The DHCP Integrated Imaging System provides users with integrated patient data including text, image and graphics data. This system has been transferred from its original two screen DOS-based MUMPS platform to an X window workstation and a Microsoft Windows-based workstation. There are differences between these various platforms that impact on software design and on software development strategy. Data structures and conventions were used to isolate hardware, operating system, imaging software, and user-interface differences between platforms in the implementation of functionality for text and image display and interaction. The use of an object-oriented approach greatly increased system portability. PMID:1482983

Removing a barrier to computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance--the RODS Open Source Project.

PubMed

Espino, Jeremy U; Wagner, M; Szczepaniak, C; Tsui, F C; Su, H; Olszewski, R; Liu, Z; Chapman, W; Zeng, X; Ma, L; Lu, Z; Dara, J

2004-09-24

Computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance requires high-quality software that is well-supported and affordable. Developing software in an open-source framework, which entails free distribution and use of software and continuous, community-based software development, can produce software with such characteristics, and can do so rapidly. The objective of the Real-Time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance (RODS) Open Source Project is to accelerate the deployment of computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance systems by writing software and catalyzing the formation of a community of users, developers, consultants, and scientists who support its use. The University of Pittsburgh seeded the Open Source Project by releasing the RODS software under the GNU General Public License. An infrastructure was created, consisting of a website, mailing lists for developers and users, designated software developers, and shared code-development tools. These resources are intended to encourage growth of the Open Source Project community. Progress is measured by assessing website usage, number of software downloads, number of inquiries, number of system deployments, and number of new features or modules added to the code base. During September--November 2003, users generated 5,370 page views of the project website, 59 software downloads, 20 inquiries, one new deployment, and addition of four features. Thus far, health departments and companies have been more interested in using the software as is than in customizing or developing new features. The RODS laboratory anticipates that after initial installation has been completed, health departments and companies will begin to customize the software and contribute their enhancements to the public code base.

COTS-based OO-component approach for software inter-operability and reuse (software systems engineering methodology)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yin, J.; Oyaki, A.; Hwang, C.; Hung, C.

2000-01-01

The purpose of this research and study paper is to provide a summary description and results of rapid development accomplishments at NASA/JPL in the area of advanced distributed computing technology using a Commercial-Off--The-Shelf (COTS)-based object oriented component approach to open inter-operable software development and software reuse.

Software architecture of the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farris, Allen; Klinglesmith, Dan; Seamons, John; Torres, Nicolas; Buscher, David; Young, John

2010-07-01

Merging software from 36 independent work packages into a coherent, unified software system with a lifespan of twenty years is the challenge faced by the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI). We solve this problem by using standardized interface software automatically generated from simple highlevel descriptions of these systems, relying only on Linux, GNU, and POSIX without complex software such as CORBA. This approach, based on gigabit Ethernet with a TCP/IP protocol, provides the flexibility to integrate and manage diverse, independent systems using a centralized supervisory system that provides a database manager, data collectors, fault handling, and an operator interface.

Preparing a scientific manuscript in Linux: Today's possibilities and limitations.

PubMed

Tchantchaleishvili, Vakhtang; Schmitto, Jan D

2011-10-22

Increasing number of scientists are enthusiastic about using free, open source software for their research purposes. Authors' specific goal was to examine whether a Linux-based operating system with open source software packages would allow to prepare a submission-ready scientific manuscript without the need to use the proprietary software. Preparation and editing of scientific manuscripts is possible using Linux and open source software. This letter to the editor describes key steps for preparation of a publication-ready scientific manuscript in a Linux-based operating system, as well as discusses the necessary software components. This manuscript was created using Linux and open source programs for Linux.

Intelligent fault management for the Space Station active thermal control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Tim; Faltisco, Robert M.

1992-01-01

The Thermal Advanced Automation Project (TAAP) approach and architecture is described for automating the Space Station Freedom (SSF) Active Thermal Control System (ATCS). The baseline functionally and advanced automation techniques for Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) will be compared and contrasted. Advanced automation techniques such as rule-based systems and model-based reasoning should be utilized to efficiently control, monitor, and diagnose this extremely complex physical system. TAAP is developing advanced FDIR software for use on the SSF thermal control system. The goal of TAAP is to join Knowledge-Based System (KBS) technology, using a combination of rules and model-based reasoning, with conventional monitoring and control software in order to maximize autonomy of the ATCS. TAAP's predecessor was NASA's Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) project which was the first large real-time expert system to use both extensive rules and model-based reasoning to control and perform FDIR on a large, complex physical system. TEXSYS showed that a method is needed for safely and inexpensively testing all possible faults of the ATCS, particularly those potentially damaging to the hardware, in order to develop a fully capable FDIR system. TAAP therefore includes the development of a high-fidelity simulation of the thermal control system. The simulation provides realistic, dynamic ATCS behavior and fault insertion capability for software testing without hardware related risks or expense. In addition, thermal engineers will gain greater confidence in the KBS FDIR software than was possible prior to this kind of simulation testing. The TAAP KBS will initially be a ground-based extension of the baseline ATCS monitoring and control software and could be migrated on-board as additional computation resources are made available.

Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) Toolkit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatesh, Meera; Kapadia, Ravi; Walker, Mark; Wilkins, Kim

2013-01-01

A framework of software components has been implemented to facilitate the development of ISHM systems according to a methodology based on Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). This framework is collectively referred to as the Toolkit and was developed using General Atomics' Health MAP (TM) technology. The toolkit is intended to provide assistance to software developers of mission-critical system health monitoring applications in the specification, implementation, configuration, and deployment of such applications. In addition to software tools designed to facilitate these objectives, the toolkit also provides direction to software developers in accordance with an ISHM specification and development methodology. The development tools are based on an RCM approach for the development of ISHM systems. This approach focuses on defining, detecting, and predicting the likelihood of system functional failures and their undesirable consequences.

From Bridges and Rockets, Lessons for Software Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holloway, C. Michael

2004-01-01

Although differences exist between building software systems and building physical structures such as bridges and rockets, enough similarities exist that software engineers can learn lessons from failures in traditional engineering disciplines. This paper draws lessons from two well-known failures the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940 and the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 and applies these lessons to software system development. The following specific applications are made: (1) the verification and validation of a software system should not be based on a single method, or a single style of methods; (2) the tendency to embrace the latest fad should be overcome; and (3) the introduction of software control into safety-critical systems should be done cautiously.

Performing Verification and Validation in Reuse-Based Software Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Addy, Edward A.

1999-01-01

The implementation of reuse-based software engineering not only introduces new activities to the software development process, such as domain analysis and domain modeling, it also impacts other aspects of software engineering. Other areas of software engineering that are affected include Configuration Management, Testing, Quality Control, and Verification and Validation (V&V). Activities in each of these areas must be adapted to address the entire domain or product line rather than a specific application system. This paper discusses changes and enhancements to the V&V process, in order to adapt V&V to reuse-based software engineering.

Unisys' experience in software quality and productivity management of an existing system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munson, John B.

1988-01-01

A summary of Quality Improvement techniques, implementation, and results in the maintenance, management, and modification of large software systems for the Space Shuttle Program's ground-based systems is provided.

NASA JPL Distributed Systems Technology (DST) Object-Oriented Component Approach for Software Inter-Operability and Reuse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Laverne; Hung, Chaw-Kwei; Lin, Imin

2000-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of NASA JPL Distributed Systems Technology (DST) Section's object-oriented component approach to open inter-operable systems software development and software reuse. It will address what is meant by the terminology object component software, give an overview of the component-based development approach and how it relates to infrastructure support of software architectures and promotes reuse, enumerate on the benefits of this approach, and give examples of application prototypes demonstrating its usage and advantages. Utilization of the object-oriented component technology approach for system development and software reuse will apply to several areas within JPL, and possibly across other NASA Centers.

Emerging Technologies for Software-Reliant Systems of Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, light intensity , motion, or proximity to objects [Raghavendra 2006]. Cognitive Network A cognitive...systems evolutionary development emergent behavior geographic distribution Maier also defines four types of SoS based on their management...by multinational teams. Many organizations use offshoring as a way to reduce costs of software development. Large web- based systems often use

Development of a 32-bit UNIX-based ELAS workstation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiering, Bruce A.; Pearson, Ronnie W.; Cheng, Thomas D.

1987-01-01

A mini/microcomputer UNIX-based image analysis workstation has been designed and is being implemented to use the Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software (ELAS). The hardware system includes a MASSCOMP 5600 computer, which is a 32-bit UNIX-based system (compatible with AT&T System V and Berkeley 4.2 BSD operating system), a floating point accelerator, a 474-megabyte fixed disk, a tri-density magnetic tape drive, and an 1152 by 910 by 12-plane color graphics/image interface. The software conversion includes reconfiguring the ELAs driver Master Task, recompiling and then testing the converted application modules. This hardware and software configuration is a self-sufficient image analysis workstation which can be used as a stand-alone system, or networked with other compatible workstations.

Software Project Management and Measurement on the World-Wide-Web (WWW)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John; Ramakrishnan, Sudhaka

1996-01-01

We briefly describe a system for forms-based, work-flow management that helps members of a software development team overcome geographical barriers to collaboration. Our system, called the Web Integrated Software Environment (WISE), is implemented as a World-Wide-Web service that allows for management and measurement of software development projects based on dynamic analysis of change activity in the workflow. WISE tracks issues in a software development process, provides informal communication between the users with different roles, supports to-do lists, and helps in software process improvement. WISE minimizes the time devoted to metrics collection and analysis by providing implicit delivery of messages between users based on the content of project documents. The use of a database in WISE is hidden from the users who view WISE as maintaining a personal 'to-do list' of tasks related to the many projects on which they may play different roles.

A software engineering approach to expert system design and verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bochsler, Daniel C.; Goodwin, Mary Ann

1988-01-01

Software engineering design and verification methods for developing expert systems are not yet well defined. Integration of expert system technology into software production environments will require effective software engineering methodologies to support the entire life cycle of expert systems. The software engineering methods used to design and verify an expert system, RENEX, is discussed. RENEX demonstrates autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations, including replanning trajectory events and subsystem fault detection, onboard a space vehicle during flight. The RENEX designers utilized a number of software engineering methodologies to deal with the complex problems inherent in this system. An overview is presented of the methods utilized. Details of the verification process receive special emphasis. The benefits and weaknesses of the methods for supporting the development life cycle of expert systems are evaluated, and recommendations are made based on the overall experiences with the methods.

Defect measurement and analysis of JPL ground software: a case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, John D.; Spagnuolo, John N., Jr.

2004-01-01

Ground software systems at JPL must meet high assurance standards while remaining on schedule due to relatively immovable launch dates for spacecraft that will be controlled by such systems. Toward this end, the Software Quality Improvement (SQI) project's Measurement and Benchmarking (M&B) team is collecting and analyzing defect data of JPL ground system software projects to build software defect prediction models. The aim of these models is to improve predictability with regard to software quality activities. Predictive models will quantitatively define typical trends for JPL ground systems as well as Critical Discriminators (CDs) to provide explanations for atypical deviations from the norm at JPL. CDs are software characteristics that can be estimated or foreseen early in a software project's planning. Thus, these CDs will assist in planning for the predicted degree to which software quality activities for a project are likely to deviation from the normal JPL ground system based on pasted experience across the lab.

Software-Based Safety Systems in Space - Learning from other Domains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klicker, M.; Putzer, H.

2012-01-01

Increasing complexity and new emerging capabilities for manned and unmanned missions have been the hallmark of the past decades of space exploration. One of the drivers in this process was the ever increasing use of software and software-intensive systems to implement system functions necessary to the capabilities needed. The course of technological evolution suggests that this development will continue well into the future with a number of challenges for the safety community some of which shall be discussed in this paper. The current state of the art reveals a number of problems with developing and assessing safety critical software which explains the reluctance of the space community to rely on software-based safety measures to mitigate hazards. Among others, usually lack of trustworthy evidence of software integrity in all foreseeable situations and the difficulties to integrate software in the traditional safety analysis framework are cited. Experience from other domains and recent developments in modern software development methodologies and verification techniques are analysed for the suitability for space systems and an avionics architectural framework (see STANAG 4626) for the implementation of safety critical software is proposed. This is shown to create among other features the possibility of numerous degradation modes enhancing overall system safety and interoperability of computerized space systems. It also potentially simplifies international cooperation on a technical level by introducing a higher degree of compatibility. As software safety cannot be tested or argued into a system in hindsight, the development process and especially the architecture chosen are essential to establish safety properties for the software used to implement safety functions. The core of the safety argument revolves around the separation of different functions and software modules from each other by minimal coupling of functions and credible separation mechanisms in the architecture combined with rigorous development methodologies for the software itself.

Agent-based models of cellular systems.

PubMed

Cannata, Nicola; Corradini, Flavio; Merelli, Emanuela; Tesei, Luca

2013-01-01

Software agents are particularly suitable for engineering models and simulations of cellular systems. In a very natural and intuitive manner, individual software components are therein delegated to reproduce "in silico" the behavior of individual components of alive systems at a given level of resolution. Individuals' actions and interactions among individuals allow complex collective behavior to emerge. In this chapter we first introduce the readers to software agents and multi-agent systems, reviewing the evolution of agent-based modeling of biomolecular systems in the last decade. We then describe the main tools, platforms, and methodologies available for programming societies of agents, possibly profiting also of toolkits that do not require advanced programming skills.

Managing the Evolution of an Enterprise Architecture using a MAS-Product-Line Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pena, Joaquin; Hinchey, Michael G.; Resinas, manuel; Sterritt, Roy; Rash, James L.

2006-01-01

We view an evolutionary system ns being n software product line. The core architecture is the unchanging part of the system, and each version of the system may be viewed as a product from the product line. Each "product" may be described as the core architecture with sonre agent-based additions. The result is a multiagent system software product line. We describe an approach to such n Software Product Line-based approach using the MaCMAS Agent-Oriented nzethoclology. The approach scales to enterprise nrchitectures as a multiagent system is an approprinre means of representing a changing enterprise nrchitectclre nnd the inferaction between components in it.

Reuse Metrics for Object Oriented Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bieman, James M.

1998-01-01

One way to increase the quality of software products and the productivity of software development is to reuse existing software components when building new software systems. In order to monitor improvements in reuse, the level of reuse must be measured. In this NASA supported project we (1) derived a suite of metrics which quantify reuse attributes for object oriented, object based, and procedural software, (2) designed prototype tools to take these measurements in Ada, C++, Java, and C software, (3) evaluated the reuse in available software, (4) analyzed the relationship between coupling, cohesion, inheritance, and reuse, (5) collected object oriented software systems for our empirical analyses, and (6) developed quantitative criteria and methods for restructuring software to improve reusability.

A General Water Resources Regulation Software System in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LEI, X.

2017-12-01

To avoid iterative development of core modules in water resource normal regulation and emergency regulation and improve the capability of maintenance and optimization upgrading of regulation models and business logics, a general water resources regulation software framework was developed based on the collection and analysis of common demands for water resources regulation and emergency management. It can provide a customizable, secondary developed and extensible software framework for the three-level platform "MWR-Basin-Province". Meanwhile, this general software system can realize business collaboration and information sharing of water resources regulation schemes among the three-level platforms, so as to improve the decision-making ability of national water resources regulation. There are four main modules involved in the general software system: 1) A complete set of general water resources regulation modules allows secondary developer to custom-develop water resources regulation decision-making systems; 2) A complete set of model base and model computing software released in the form of Cloud services; 3) A complete set of tools to build the concept map and model system of basin water resources regulation, as well as a model management system to calibrate and configure model parameters; 4) A database which satisfies business functions and functional requirements of general water resources regulation software can finally provide technical support for building basin or regional water resources regulation models.

Knowledge-based system V and V in the Space Station Freedom program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelley, Keith; Hamilton, David; Culbert, Chris

1992-01-01

Knowledge Based Systems (KBS's) are expected to be heavily used in the Space Station Freedom Program (SSFP). Although SSFP Verification and Validation (V&V) requirements are based on the latest state-of-the-practice in software engineering technology, they may be insufficient for Knowledge Based Systems (KBS's); it is widely stated that there are differences in both approach and execution between KBS V&V and conventional software V&V. In order to better understand this issue, we have surveyed and/or interviewed developers from sixty expert system projects in order to understand the differences and difficulties in KBS V&V. We have used this survey results to analyze the SSFP V&V requirements for conventional software in order to determine which specific requirements are inappropriate for KBS V&V and why they are inappropriate. Further work will result in a set of recommendations that can be used either as guidelines for applying conventional software V&V requirements to KBS's or as modifications to extend the existing SSFP conventional software V&V requirements to include KBS requirements. The results of this work are significant to many projects, in addition to SSFP, which will involve KBS's.

Software Trends and Trendsetters: How They're Shaping an Industry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGinty, Tony; And Others

1987-01-01

Discusses trends in educational software and the effects of new developments on publishers and on the computer industry. Marketing prospects for software are examined, and recent advances are highlighted, including integrated learning systems, skill-based software, software tied to textbooks, networking, and freeware. (LRW)

The Application of V&V within Reuse-Based Software Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Addy, Edward

1996-01-01

Verification and Validation (V&V) is performed during application development for many systems, especially safety-critical and mission-critical systems. The V&V process is intended to discover errors as early as possible during the development process. Early discovery is important in order to minimize the cost and other impacts of correcting these errors. In reuse-based software engineering, decisions on the requirements, design and even implementation of domain assets can can be made prior to beginning development of a specific system. in order to bring the effectiveness of V&V to bear within reuse-based software engineering. V&V must be incorporated within the domain engineering process.

System and method for deriving a process-based specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael Gerard (Inventor); Rouff, Christopher A. (Inventor); Rash, James Larry (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A system and method for deriving a process-based specification for a system is disclosed. The process-based specification is mathematically inferred from a trace-based specification. The trace-based specification is derived from a non-empty set of traces or natural language scenarios. The process-based specification is mathematically equivalent to the trace-based specification. Code is generated, if applicable, from the process-based specification. A process, or phases of a process, using the features disclosed can be reversed and repeated to allow for an interactive development and modification of legacy systems. The process is applicable to any class of system, including, but not limited to, biological and physical systems, electrical and electro-mechanical systems in addition to software, hardware and hybrid hardware-software systems.

Automated software development workstation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

Engineering software development was automated using an expert system (rule-based) approach. The use of this technology offers benefits not available from current software development and maintenance methodologies. A workstation was built with a library or program data base with methods for browsing the designs stored; a system for graphical specification of designs including a capability for hierarchical refinement and definition in a graphical design system; and an automated code generation capability in FORTRAN. The workstation was then used in a demonstration with examples from an attitude control subsystem design for the space station. Documentation and recommendations are presented.

Spatial data software integration - Merging CAD/CAM/mapping with GIS and image processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Logan, Thomas L.; Bryant, Nevin A.

1987-01-01

The integration of CAD/CAM/mapping with image processing using geographic information systems (GISs) as the interface is examined. Particular emphasis is given to the development of software interfaces between JPL's Video Image Communication and Retrieval (VICAR)/Imaged Based Information System (IBIS) raster-based GIS and the CAD/CAM/mapping system. The design and functions of the VICAR and IBIS are described. Vector data capture and editing are studied. Various software programs for interfacing between the VICAR/IBIS and CAD/CAM/mapping are presented and analyzed.

Adaptive optics system for the IRSOL solar observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramelli, Renzo; Bucher, Roberto; Rossini, Leopoldo; Bianda, Michele; Balemi, Silvano

2010-07-01

We present a low cost adaptive optics system developed for the solar observatory at Istituto Ricerche Solari Locarno (IRSOL), Switzerland. The Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor is based on a Dalsa CCD camera with 256 pixels × 256 pixels working at 1kHz. The wavefront compensation is obtained by a deformable mirror with 37 actuators and a Tip-Tilt mirror. A real time control software has been developed on a RTAI-Linux PC. Scicos/Scilab based software has been realized for an online analysis of the system behavior. The software is completely open source.

Rule groupings: A software engineering approach towards verification of expert systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehrotra, Mala

1991-01-01

Currently, most expert system shells do not address software engineering issues for developing or maintaining expert systems. As a result, large expert systems tend to be incomprehensible, difficult to debug or modify and almost impossible to verify or validate. Partitioning rule based systems into rule groups which reflect the underlying subdomains of the problem should enhance the comprehensibility, maintainability, and reliability of expert system software. Attempts were made to semiautomatically structure a CLIPS rule base into groups of related rules that carry the same type of information. Different distance metrics that capture relevant information from the rules for grouping are discussed. Two clustering algorithms that partition the rule base into groups of related rules are given. Two independent evaluation criteria are developed to measure the effectiveness of the grouping strategies. Results of the experiment with three sample rule bases are presented.

A diagnostic prototype of the potable water subsystem of the Space Station Freedom ECLSS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lukefahr, Brenda D.; Rochowiak, Daniel M.; Benson, Brian L.; Rogers, John S.; Mckee, James W.

1989-01-01

In analyzing the baseline Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) command and control architecture, various processes are found which would be enhanced by the use of knowledge based system methods of implementation. The most suitable process for prototyping using rule based methods are documented, while domain knowledge resources and other practical considerations are examined. Requirements for a prototype rule based software system are documented. These requirements reflect Space Station Freedom ECLSS software and hardware development efforts, and knowledge based system requirements. A quick prototype knowledge based system environment is researched and developed.

A Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) development overview - AI-based control of a Space Station prototype thermal bus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glass, B. J.; Hack, E. C.

1990-01-01

A knowledge-based control system for real-time control and fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external thermal control system (TCS) is discussed in this paper. The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) has been demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of both fault anticipation and detection and real-time control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were achieved by using a symbolic control approach, layering model-based expert system software on a conventional numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous during software development and testing. One representative example is given from on-line TCS tests of TEXSYS. The integration and testing of TEXSYS with a live TCS testbed provides some insight on the use of formal software design, development and documentation methodologies to qualify knowledge-based systems for on-line or flight applications.

At the Creation: Chaos, Control, and Automation--Commercial Software Development for Archives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drr, W. Theodore

1988-01-01

An approach to the design of flexible text-based management systems for archives includes tiers for repository, software, and user management systems. Each tier has four layers--objective, program, result, and interface. Traps awaiting software development companies involve the market, competition, operations, and finance. (10 references) (MES)

ESSCOTS for Learning: Transforming Commercial Software into Powerful Educational Tools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McArthur, David; And Others

1995-01-01

Gives an overview of Educational Support Systems based on commercial off-the-shelf software (ESSCOTS), and discusses the benefits of developing such educational software. Presents results of a study that revealed the learning processes of middle and high school students who used a geographical information system. (JMV)

Methods and Software for Building Bibliographic Data Bases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daehn, Ralph M.

1985-01-01

This in-depth look at database management systems (DBMS) for microcomputers covers data entry, information retrieval, security, DBMS software and design, and downloading of literature search results. The advantages of in-house systems versus online search vendors are discussed, and specifications of three software packages and 14 sources are…

77 FR 75659 - Certain Video Analytics Software, Systems, Components Thereof, and Products Containing Same...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-21

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-852] Certain Video Analytics Software..., 2012, based on a complaint filed by ObjectVideo, Inc. (``ObjectVideo'') of Reston, Virginia. 77 FR... United States after importation of certain video analytics software systems, components thereof, and...

Engineering Complex Embedded Systems with State Analysis and the Mission Data System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingham, Michel D.; Rasmussen, Robert D.; Bennett, Matthew B.; Moncada, Alex C.

2004-01-01

It has become clear that spacecraft system complexity is reaching a threshold where customary methods of control are no longer affordable or sufficiently reliable. At the heart of this problem are the conventional approaches to systems and software engineering based on subsystem-level functional decomposition, which fail to scale in the tangled web of interactions typically encountered in complex spacecraft designs. Furthermore, there is a fundamental gap between the requirements on software specified by systems engineers and the implementation of these requirements by software engineers. Software engineers must perform the translation of requirements into software code, hoping to accurately capture the systems engineer's understanding of the system behavior, which is not always explicitly specified. This gap opens up the possibility for misinterpretation of the systems engineer s intent, potentially leading to software errors. This problem is addressed by a systems engineering methodology called State Analysis, which provides a process for capturing system and software requirements in the form of explicit models. This paper describes how requirements for complex aerospace systems can be developed using State Analysis and how these requirements inform the design of the system software, using representative spacecraft examples.

3D Game-Based Learning System for Improving Learning Achievement in Software Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su,Chung-Ho; Cheng, Ching-Hsue

2013-01-01

The advancement of game-based learning has encouraged many related studies, such that students could better learn curriculum by 3-dimension virtual reality. To enhance software engineering learning, this paper develops a 3D game-based learning system to assist teaching and assess the students' motivation, satisfaction and learning achievement. A…

Preparing a scientific manuscript in Linux: Today's possibilities and limitations

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Increasing number of scientists are enthusiastic about using free, open source software for their research purposes. Authors' specific goal was to examine whether a Linux-based operating system with open source software packages would allow to prepare a submission-ready scientific manuscript without the need to use the proprietary software. Findings Preparation and editing of scientific manuscripts is possible using Linux and open source software. This letter to the editor describes key steps for preparation of a publication-ready scientific manuscript in a Linux-based operating system, as well as discusses the necessary software components. This manuscript was created using Linux and open source programs for Linux. PMID:22018246

Object-oriented design of medical imaging software.

PubMed

Ligier, Y; Ratib, O; Logean, M; Girard, C; Perrier, R; Scherrer, J R

1994-01-01

A special software package for interactive display and manipulation of medical images was developed at the University Hospital of Geneva, as part of a hospital wide Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). This software package, called Osiris, was especially designed to be easily usable and adaptable to the needs of noncomputer-oriented physicians. The Osiris software has been developed to allow the visualization of medical images obtained from any imaging modality. It provides generic manipulation tools, processing tools, and analysis tools more specific to clinical applications. This software, based on an object-oriented paradigm, is portable and extensible. Osiris is available on two different operating systems: the Unix X-11/OSF-Motif based workstations, and the Macintosh family.

Airland Battlefield Environment (ALBE) Tactical Decision Aid (TDA) Demonstration Program,

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-12

Management System (DBMS) software, GKS graphics libraries, and user interface software. These components of the ATB system software architecture will be... knowlede base ano auqent the decision mak:n• process by providing infocr-mation useful in the formulation and execution of battlefield strategies...Topographic Laboratories as an Engineer. Ms. Capps is managing the software development of the AirLand Battlefield Environment (ALBE) geographic

Knowledge-based reusable software synthesis system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donaldson, Cammie

1989-01-01

The Eli system, a knowledge-based reusable software synthesis system, is being developed for NASA Langley under a Phase 2 SBIR contract. Named after Eli Whitney, the inventor of interchangeable parts, Eli assists engineers of large-scale software systems in reusing components while they are composing their software specifications or designs. Eli will identify reuse potential, search for components, select component variants, and synthesize components into the developer's specifications. The Eli project began as a Phase 1 SBIR to define a reusable software synthesis methodology that integrates reusabilityinto the top-down development process and to develop an approach for an expert system to promote and accomplish reuse. The objectives of the Eli Phase 2 work are to integrate advanced technologies to automate the development of reusable components within the context of large system developments, to integrate with user development methodologies without significant changes in method or learning of special languages, and to make reuse the easiest operation to perform. Eli will try to address a number of reuse problems including developing software with reusable components, managing reusable components, identifying reusable components, and transitioning reuse technology. Eli is both a library facility for classifying, storing, and retrieving reusable components and a design environment that emphasizes, encourages, and supports reuse.

A comparison of two software architectural styles for space-based control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dvorak, D.

2003-01-01

In the hardware/software design of control systems it is almost an article of faith to decompose a system into loosely coupled subsystems, with state variables encapsulated inside device and subsystem objects.

Rule groupings: An approach towards verification of expert systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehrotra, Mala

1991-01-01

Knowledge-based expert systems are playing an increasingly important role in NASA space and aircraft systems. However, many of NASA's software applications are life- or mission-critical and knowledge-based systems do not lend themselves to the traditional verification and validation techniques for highly reliable software. Rule-based systems lack the control abstractions found in procedural languages. Hence, it is difficult to verify or maintain such systems. Our goal is to automatically structure a rule-based system into a set of rule-groups having a well-defined interface to other rule-groups. Once a rule base is decomposed into such 'firewalled' units, studying the interactions between rules would become more tractable. Verification-aid tools can then be developed to test the behavior of each such rule-group. Furthermore, the interactions between rule-groups can be studied in a manner similar to integration testing. Such efforts will go a long way towards increasing our confidence in the expert-system software. Our research efforts address the feasibility of automating the identification of rule groups, in order to decompose the rule base into a number of meaningful units.

The research and practice of spacecraft software engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chengxin; Wang, Jinghua; Xu, Xiaoguang

2017-06-01

In order to ensure the safety and reliability of spacecraft software products, it is necessary to execute engineering management. Firstly, the paper introduces the problems of unsystematic planning, uncertain classified management and uncontinuous improved mechanism in domestic and foreign spacecraft software engineering management. Then, it proposes a solution for software engineering management based on system-integrated ideology in the perspective of spacecraft system. Finally, a application result of spacecraft is given as an example. The research can provides a reference for executing spacecraft software engineering management and improving software product quality.

Measurement and analysis of operating system fault tolerance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, I.; Tang, D.; Iyer, R. K.

1992-01-01

This paper demonstrates a methodology to model and evaluate the fault tolerance characteristics of operational software. The methodology is illustrated through case studies on three different operating systems: the Tandem GUARDIAN fault-tolerant system, the VAX/VMS distributed system, and the IBM/MVS system. Measurements are made on these systems for substantial periods to collect software error and recovery data. In addition to investigating basic dependability characteristics such as major software problems and error distributions, we develop two levels of models to describe error and recovery processes inside an operating system and on multiple instances of an operating system running in a distributed environment. Based on the models, reward analysis is conducted to evaluate the loss of service due to software errors and the effect of the fault-tolerance techniques implemented in the systems. Software error correlation in multicomputer systems is also investigated.

A Management Information System for Allocating, Monitoring and Reviewing Work Assignments.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

This thesis investigated the feasibility of developing a small scale management information system on a micro-computer. The working system was...ORSA journal. The management information system was designed using Ashton-Tate’s dBaseIII software. As designed, the system will operate on any...computer operating under microsoft’s Disk Operating System (MS-DOS). The user must provide his own dBaseIII software. A similar management information system could

Model based verification of the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Protocol for NASA systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, John D.; Gilliam, David

2004-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has tens of thousands of networked computer systems and applications. Software Security vulnerabilities present risks such as lost or corrupted data, information theft, and unavailability of critical systems. These risks represent potentially enormous costs to NASA. The NASA Code Q research initiative 'Reducing Software Security Risk (RSSR) Trough an Integrated Approach' offers formal verification of information technology (IT), through the creation of a Software Security Assessment Instrument (SSAI), to address software security risks.

TMS communications software. Volume 2: Bus interface unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregor, P. J.

1979-01-01

A data bus communication system to support the space shuttle's Trend Monitoring System (TMS) and to provide a basis for evaluation of the bus concept is described. Installation of the system included developing both hardware and software interfaces between the bus and the specific TMS computers and terminals. The software written for the microprocessor-based bus interface units is described. The software implements both the general bus communications protocol and also the specific interface protocols for the TMS computers and terminals.

Selecting Data-Base Management Software for Microcomputers in Libraries and Information Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pieska, K. A. O.

1986-01-01

Presents a model for the evaluation of database management systems software from the viewpoint of librarians and information specialists. The properties of data management systems, database management systems, and text retrieval systems are outlined and compared. (10 references) (CLB)

Development of land based radar polarimeter processor system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kronke, C. W.; Blanchard, A. J.

1983-01-01

The processing subsystem of a land based radar polarimeter was designed and constructed. This subsystem is labeled the remote data acquisition and distribution system (RDADS). The radar polarimeter, an experimental remote sensor, incorporates the RDADS to control all operations of the sensor. The RDADS uses industrial standard components including an 8-bit microprocessor based single board computer, analog input/output boards, a dynamic random access memory board, and power supplis. A high-speed digital electronics board was specially designed and constructed to control range-gating for the radar. A complete system of software programs was developed to operate the RDADS. The software uses a powerful real time, multi-tasking, executive package as an operating system. The hardware and software used in the RDADS are detailed. Future system improvements are recommended.

ELISA, a demonstrator environment for information systems architecture design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panem, Chantal

1994-01-01

This paper describes an approach of reusability of software engineering technology in the area of ground space system design. System engineers have lots of needs similar to software developers: sharing of a common data base, capitalization of knowledge, definition of a common design process, communication between different technical domains. Moreover system designers need to simulate dynamically their system as early as possible. Software development environments, methods and tools now become operational and widely used. Their architecture is based on a unique object base, a set of common management services and they host a family of tools for each life cycle activity. In late '92, CNES decided to develop a demonstrative software environment supporting some system activities. The design of ground space data processing systems was chosen as the application domain. ELISA (Integrated Software Environment for Architectures Specification) was specified as a 'demonstrator', i.e. a sufficient basis for demonstrations, evaluation and future operational enhancements. A process with three phases was implemented: system requirements definition, design of system architectures models, and selection of physical architectures. Each phase is composed of several activities that can be performed in parallel, with the provision of Commercial Off the Shelves Tools. ELISA has been delivered to CNES in January 94, currently used for demonstrations and evaluations on real projects (e.g. SPOT4 Satellite Control Center). It is on the way of new evolutions.

Knowledge-based control of an adaptive interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lachman, Roy

1989-01-01

The analysis, development strategy, and preliminary design for an intelligent, adaptive interface is reported. The design philosophy couples knowledge-based system technology with standard human factors approaches to interface development for computer workstations. An expert system has been designed to drive the interface for application software. The intelligent interface will be linked to application packages, one at a time, that are planned for multiple-application workstations aboard Space Station Freedom. Current requirements call for most Space Station activities to be conducted at the workstation consoles. One set of activities will consist of standard data management services (DMS). DMS software includes text processing, spreadsheets, data base management, etc. Text processing was selected for the first intelligent interface prototype because text-processing software can be developed initially as fully functional but limited with a small set of commands. The program's complexity then can be increased incrementally. The intelligent interface includes the operator's behavior and three types of instructions to the underlying application software are included in the rule base. A conventional expert-system inference engine searches the data base for antecedents to rules and sends the consequents of fired rules as commands to the underlying software. Plans for putting the expert system on top of a second application, a database management system, will be carried out following behavioral research on the first application. The intelligent interface design is suitable for use with ground-based workstations now common in government, industrial, and educational organizations.

Introducing the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System Desktop Application (HydroDesktop) and Open Development Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ames, D.; Kadlec, J.; Horsburgh, J. S.; Maidment, D. R.

2009-12-01

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences (CUAHSI) Hydrologic Information System (HIS) project includes extensive development of data storage and delivery tools and standards including WaterML (a language for sharing hydrologic data sets via web services); and HIS Server (a software tool set for delivering WaterML from a server); These and other CUASHI HIS tools have been under development and deployment for several years and together, present a relatively complete software “stack” to support the consistent storage and delivery of hydrologic and other environmental observation data. This presentation describes the development of a new HIS software tool called “HydroDesktop” and the development of an online open source software development community to update and maintain the software. HydroDesktop is a local (i.e. not server-based) client side software tool that ultimately will run on multiple operating systems and will provide a highly usable level of access to HIS services. The software provides many key capabilities including data query, map-based visualization, data download, local data maintenance, editing, graphing, data export to selected model-specific data formats, linkage with integrated modeling systems such as OpenMI, and ultimately upload to HIS servers from the local desktop software. As the software is presently in the early stages of development, this presentation will focus on design approach and paradigm and is viewed as an opportunity to encourage participation in the open development community. Indeed, recognizing the value of community based code development as a means of ensuring end-user adoption, this project has adopted an “iterative” or “spiral” software development approach which will be described in this presentation.

Modular Analytical Multicomponent Analysis in Gas Sensor Aarrays

PubMed Central

Chaiyboun, Ali; Traute, Rüdiger; Kiesewetter, Olaf; Ahlers, Simon; Müller, Gerhard; Doll, Theodor

2006-01-01

A multi-sensor system is a chemical sensor system which quantitatively and qualitatively records gases with a combination of cross-sensitive gas sensor arrays and pattern recognition software. This paper addresses the issue of data analysis for identification of gases in a gas sensor array. We introduce a software tool for gas sensor array configuration and simulation. It concerns thereby about a modular software package for the acquisition of data of different sensors. A signal evaluation algorithm referred to as matrix method was used specifically for the software tool. This matrix method computes the gas concentrations from the signals of a sensor array. The software tool was used for the simulation of an array of five sensors to determine gas concentration of CH4, NH3, H2, CO and C2H5OH. The results of the present simulated sensor array indicate that the software tool is capable of the following: (a) identify a gas independently of its concentration; (b) estimate the concentration of the gas, even if the system was not previously exposed to this concentration; (c) tell when a gas concentration exceeds a certain value. A gas sensor data base was build for the configuration of the software. With the data base one can create, generate and manage scenarios and source files for the simulation. With the gas sensor data base and the simulation software an on-line Web-based version was developed, with which the user can configure and simulate sensor arrays on-line.

A Software Engineering Approach based on WebML and BPMN to the Mediation Scenario of the SWS Challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brambilla, Marco; Ceri, Stefano; Valle, Emanuele Della; Facca, Federico M.; Tziviskou, Christina

Although Semantic Web Services are expected to produce a revolution in the development of Web-based systems, very few enterprise-wide design experiences are available; one of the main reasons is the lack of sound Software Engineering methods and tools for the deployment of Semantic Web applications. In this chapter, we present an approach to software development for the Semantic Web based on classical Software Engineering methods (i.e., formal business process development, computer-aided and component-based software design, and automatic code generation) and on semantic methods and tools (i.e., ontology engineering, semantic service annotation and discovery).

State analysis requirements database for engineering complex embedded systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, Matthew B.; Rasmussen, Robert D.; Ingham, Michel D.

2004-01-01

It has become clear that spacecraft system complexity is reaching a threshold where customary methods of control are no longer affordable or sufficiently reliable. At the heart of this problem are the conventional approaches to systems and software engineering based on subsystem-level functional decomposition, which fail to scale in the tangled web of interactions typically encountered in complex spacecraft designs. Furthermore, there is a fundamental gap between the requirements on software specified by systems engineers and the implementation of these requirements by software engineers. Software engineers must perform the translation of requirements into software code, hoping to accurately capture the systems engineer's understanding of the system behavior, which is not always explicitly specified. This gap opens up the possibility for misinterpretation of the systems engineer's intent, potentially leading to software errors. This problem is addressed by a systems engineering tool called the State Analysis Database, which provides a tool for capturing system and software requirements in the form of explicit models. This paper describes how requirements for complex aerospace systems can be developed using the State Analysis Database.

Remote software upload techniques in future vehicles and their performance analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Irina

Updating software in vehicle Electronic Control Units (ECUs) will become a mandatory requirement for a variety of reasons, for examples, to update/fix functionality of an existing system, add new functionality, remove software bugs and to cope up with ITS infrastructure. Software modules of advanced vehicles can be updated using Remote Software Upload (RSU) technique. The RSU employs infrastructure-based wireless communication technique where the software supplier sends the software to the targeted vehicle via a roadside Base Station (BS). However, security is critically important in RSU to avoid any disasters due to malfunctions of the vehicle or to protect the proprietary algorithms from hackers, competitors or people with malicious intent. In this thesis, a mechanism of secure software upload in advanced vehicles is presented which employs mutual authentication of the software provider and the vehicle using a pre-shared authentication key before sending the software. The software packets are sent encrypted with a secret key along with the Message Digest (MD). In order to increase the security level, it is proposed the vehicle to receive more than one copy of the software along with the MD in each copy. The vehicle will install the new software only when it receives more than one identical copies of the software. In order to validate the proposition, analytical expressions of average number of packet transmissions for successful software update is determined. Different cases are investigated depending on the vehicle's buffer size and verification methods. The analytical and simulation results show that it is sufficient to send two copies of the software to the vehicle to thwart any security attack while uploading the software. The above mentioned unicast method for RSU is suitable when software needs to be uploaded to a single vehicle. Since multicasting is the most efficient method of group communication, updating software in an ECU of a large number of vehicles could benefit from it. However, like the unicast RSU, the security requirements of multicast communication, i.e., authenticity, confidentiality and integrity of the software transmitted and access control of the group members is challenging. In this thesis, an infrastructure-based mobile multicasting for RSU in vehicle ECUs is proposed where an ECU receives the software from a remote software distribution center using the road side BSs as gateways. The Vehicular Software Distribution Network (VSDN) is divided into small regions administered by a Regional Group Manager (RGM). Two multicast Group Key Management (GKM) techniques are proposed based on the degree of trust on the BSs named Fully-trusted (FT) and Semi-trusted (ST) systems. Analytical models are developed to find the multicast session establishment latency and handover latency for these two protocols. The average latency to perform mutual authentication of the software vendor and a vehicle, and to send the multicast session key by the software provider during multicast session initialization, and the handoff latency during multicast session is calculated. Analytical and simulation results show that the link establishment latency per vehicle of our proposed schemes is in the range of few seconds and the ST system requires few ms higher time than the FT system. The handoff latency is also in the range of few seconds and in some cases ST system requires less handoff time than the FT system. Thus, it is possible to build an efficient GKM protocol without putting too much trust on the BSs.

Progressive retry for software error recovery in distributed systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yi-Min; Huang, Yennun; Fuchs, W. K.

1993-01-01

In this paper, we describe a method of execution retry for bypassing software errors based on checkpointing, rollback, message reordering and replaying. We demonstrate how rollback techniques, previously developed for transient hardware failure recovery, can also be used to recover from software faults by exploiting message reordering to bypass software errors. Our approach intentionally increases the degree of nondeterminism and the scope of rollback when a previous retry fails. Examples from our experience with telecommunications software systems illustrate the benefits of the scheme.

A measurement system for large, complex software programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rone, Kyle Y.; Olson, Kitty M.; Davis, Nathan E.

1994-01-01

This paper describes measurement systems required to forecast, measure, and control activities for large, complex software development and support programs. Initial software cost and quality analysis provides the foundation for meaningful management decisions as a project evolves. In modeling the cost and quality of software systems, the relationship between the functionality, quality, cost, and schedule of the product must be considered. This explicit relationship is dictated by the criticality of the software being developed. This balance between cost and quality is a viable software engineering trade-off throughout the life cycle. Therefore, the ability to accurately estimate the cost and quality of software systems is essential to providing reliable software on time and within budget. Software cost models relate the product error rate to the percent of the project labor that is required for independent verification and validation. The criticality of the software determines which cost model is used to estimate the labor required to develop the software. Software quality models yield an expected error discovery rate based on the software size, criticality, software development environment, and the level of competence of the project and developers with respect to the processes being employed.

State Analysis Database Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rasmussen, Robert; Bennett, Matthew

2006-01-01

The State Analysis Database Tool software establishes a productive environment for collaboration among software and system engineers engaged in the development of complex interacting systems. The tool embodies State Analysis, a model-based system engineering methodology founded on a state-based control architecture (see figure). A state represents a momentary condition of an evolving system, and a model may describe how a state evolves and is affected by other states. The State Analysis methodology is a process for capturing system and software requirements in the form of explicit models and states, and defining goal-based operational plans consistent with the models. Requirements, models, and operational concerns have traditionally been documented in a variety of system engineering artifacts that address different aspects of a mission s lifecycle. In State Analysis, requirements, models, and operations information are State Analysis artifacts that are consistent and stored in a State Analysis Database. The tool includes a back-end database, a multi-platform front-end client, and Web-based administrative functions. The tool is structured to prompt an engineer to follow the State Analysis methodology, to encourage state discovery and model description, and to make software requirements and operations plans consistent with model descriptions.

NASA software specification and evaluation system design, part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

A survey and analysis of the existing methods, tools and techniques employed in the development of software are presented along with recommendations for the construction of reliable software. Functional designs for software specification language, and the data base verifier are presented.

Cobalt: A GPU-based correlator and beamformer for LOFAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broekema, P. Chris; Mol, J. Jan David; Nijboer, R.; van Amesfoort, A. S.; Brentjens, M. A.; Loose, G. Marcel; Klijn, W. F. A.; Romein, J. W.

2018-04-01

For low-frequency radio astronomy, software correlation and beamforming on general purpose hardware is a viable alternative to custom designed hardware. LOFAR, a new-generation radio telescope centered in the Netherlands with international stations in Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and the UK, has successfully used software real-time processors based on IBM Blue Gene technology since 2004. Since then, developments in technology have allowed us to build a system based on commercial off-the-shelf components that combines the same capabilities with lower operational cost. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a GPU-based correlator and beamformer with the same capabilities as the Blue Gene based systems. We focus on the design approach taken, and show the challenges faced in selecting an appropriate system. The design, implementation and verification of the software system show the value of a modern test-driven development approach. Operational experience, based on three years of operations, demonstrates that a general purpose system is a good alternative to the previous supercomputer-based system or custom-designed hardware.

Machine learning research 1989-90

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, Bruce W.; Souther, Arthur

1990-01-01

Multifunctional knowledge bases offer a significant advance in artificial intelligence because they can support numerous expert tasks within a domain. As a result they amortize the costs of building a knowledge base over multiple expert systems and they reduce the brittleness of each system. Due to the inevitable size and complexity of multifunctional knowledge bases, their construction and maintenance require knowledge engineering and acquisition tools that can automatically identify interactions between new and existing knowledge. Furthermore, their use requires software for accessing those portions of the knowledge base that coherently answer questions. Considerable progress was made in developing software for building and accessing multifunctional knowledge bases. A language was developed for representing knowledge, along with software tools for editing and displaying knowledge, a machine learning program for integrating new information into existing knowledge, and a question answering system for accessing the knowledge base.

Real time software for a heat recovery steam generator control system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valdes, R.; Delgadillo, M.A.; Chavez, R.

1995-12-31

This paper is addressed to the development and successful implementation of a real time software for the Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) control system of a Combined Cycle Power Plant. The real time software for the HRSG control system physically resides in a Control and Acquisition System (SAC) which is a component of a distributed control system (DCS). The SAC is a programmable controller. The DCS installed at the Gomez Palacio power plant in Mexico accomplishes the functions of logic, analog and supervisory control. The DCS is based on microprocessors and the architecture consists of workstations operating as a Man-Machinemore » Interface (MMI), linked to SAC controllers by means of a communication system. The HRSG real time software is composed of an operating system, drivers, dedicated computer program and application computer programs. The operating system used for the development of this software was the MultiTasking Operating System (MTOS). The application software developed at IIE for the HRSG control system basically consisted of a set of digital algorithms for the regulation of the main process variables at the HRSG. By using the multitasking feature of MTOS, the algorithms are executed pseudo concurrently. In this way, the applications programs continuously use the resources of the operating system to perform their functions through a uniform service interface. The application software of the HRSG consist of three tasks, each of them has dedicated responsibilities. The drivers were developed for the handling of hardware resources of the SAC controller which in turn allows the signals acquisition and data communication with a MMI. The dedicated programs were developed for hardware diagnostics, task initializations, access to the data base and fault tolerance. The application software and the dedicated software for the HRSG control system was developed using C programming language due to compactness, portability and efficiency.« less

Open source hardware and software platform for robotics and artificial intelligence applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, S. Ng; Tan, K. O.; Lai Clement, T. H.; Ng, S. K.; Mohammed, A. H. Ali; Mailah, Musa; Azhar Yussof, Wan; Hamedon, Zamzuri; Yussof, Zulkifli

2016-02-01

Recent developments in open source hardware and software platforms (Android, Arduino, Linux, OpenCV etc.) have enabled rapid development of previously expensive and sophisticated system within a lower budget and flatter learning curves for developers. Using these platform, we designed and developed a Java-based 3D robotic simulation system, with graph database, which is integrated in online and offline modes with an Android-Arduino based rubbish picking remote control car. The combination of the open source hardware and software system created a flexible and expandable platform for further developments in the future, both in the software and hardware areas, in particular in combination with graph database for artificial intelligence, as well as more sophisticated hardware, such as legged or humanoid robots.

Design and development of data acquisition system based on WeChat hardware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhitao; Ding, Lei

2018-06-01

Data acquisition system based on WeChat hardware provides methods for popularization and practicality of data acquisition. The whole system is based on WeChat hardware platform, where the hardware part is developed on DA14580 development board and the software part is based on Alibaba Cloud. We designed service module, logic processing module, data processing module and database module. The communication between hardware and software uses AirSync Protocal. We tested this system by collecting temperature and humidity data, and the result shows that the system can aquisite the temperature and humidity in real time according to settings.

Automating the design of scientific computing software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kant, Elaine

1992-01-01

SINAPSE is a domain-specific software design system that generates code from specifications of equations and algorithm methods. This paper describes the system's design techniques (planning in a space of knowledge-based refinement and optimization rules), user interaction style (user has option to control decision making), and representation of knowledge (rules and objects). It also summarizes how the system knowledge has evolved over time and suggests some issues in building software design systems to facilitate reuse.

Research of real-time communication software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Maotang; Guo, Jingbo; Liu, Yuzhong; Li, Jiahong

2003-11-01

Real-time communication has been playing an increasingly important role in our work, life and ocean monitor. With the rapid progress of computer and communication technique as well as the miniaturization of communication system, it is needed to develop the adaptable and reliable real-time communication software in the ocean monitor system. This paper involves the real-time communication software research based on the point-to-point satellite intercommunication system. The object-oriented design method is adopted, which can transmit and receive video data and audio data as well as engineering data by satellite channel. In the real-time communication software, some software modules are developed, which can realize the point-to-point satellite intercommunication in the ocean monitor system. There are three advantages for the real-time communication software. One is that the real-time communication software increases the reliability of the point-to-point satellite intercommunication system working. Second is that some optional parameters are intercalated, which greatly increases the flexibility of the system working. Third is that some hardware is substituted by the real-time communication software, which not only decrease the expense of the system and promotes the miniaturization of communication system, but also aggrandizes the agility of the system.

Software Fault Tolerance: A Tutorial

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torres-Pomales, Wilfredo

2000-01-01

Because of our present inability to produce error-free software, software fault tolerance is and will continue to be an important consideration in software systems. The root cause of software design errors is the complexity of the systems. Compounding the problems in building correct software is the difficulty in assessing the correctness of software for highly complex systems. After a brief overview of the software development processes, we note how hard-to-detect design faults are likely to be introduced during development and how software faults tend to be state-dependent and activated by particular input sequences. Although component reliability is an important quality measure for system level analysis, software reliability is hard to characterize and the use of post-verification reliability estimates remains a controversial issue. For some applications software safety is more important than reliability, and fault tolerance techniques used in those applications are aimed at preventing catastrophes. Single version software fault tolerance techniques discussed include system structuring and closure, atomic actions, inline fault detection, exception handling, and others. Multiversion techniques are based on the assumption that software built differently should fail differently and thus, if one of the redundant versions fails, it is expected that at least one of the other versions will provide an acceptable output. Recovery blocks, N-version programming, and other multiversion techniques are reviewed.

Proceedings of the Annual Ada Software Engineering Education and Training Symposium (3rd) Held in Denver, Colorado on June 14-16, 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

Based Software Engineering Project Course .............. 83 SSoftware Engineering, Software Engineering Concepts: The Importance of Object-Based...quality assurance, and independent system testing . The Chief Programmer is responsible for all software development activities, including prototyping...during the Requirements Analysis phase, the Preliminary Design, the Detailed Design, Coding and Unit Testing , CSC Integration and Testing , and informal

Woods Hole Image Processing System Software implementation; using NetCDF as a software interface for image processing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Paskevich, Valerie F.

1992-01-01

The Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology has been involved in the collection, processing and digital mosaicking of high, medium and low-resolution side-scan sonar data during the past 6 years. In the past, processing and digital mosaicking has been accomplished with a dedicated, shore-based computer system. With the need to process sidescan data in the field with increased power and reduced cost of major workstations, a need to have an image processing package on a UNIX based computer system which could be utilized in the field as well as be more generally available to Branch personnel was identified. This report describes the initial development of that package referred to as the Woods Hole Image Processing System (WHIPS). The software was developed using the Unidata NetCDF software interface to allow data to be more readily portable between different computer operating systems.

Reliability Analysis and Optimal Release Problem Considering Maintenance Time of Software Components for an Embedded OSS Porting Phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamura, Yoshinobu; Yamada, Shigeru

OSS (open source software) systems which serve as key components of critical infrastructures in our social life are still ever-expanding now. Especially, embedded OSS systems have been gaining a lot of attention in the embedded system area, i.e., Android, BusyBox, TRON, etc. However, the poor handling of quality problem and customer support prohibit the progress of embedded OSS. Also, it is difficult for developers to assess the reliability and portability of embedded OSS on a single-board computer. In this paper, we propose a method of software reliability assessment based on flexible hazard rates for the embedded OSS. Also, we analyze actual data of software failure-occurrence time-intervals to show numerical examples of software reliability assessment for the embedded OSS. Moreover, we compare the proposed hazard rate model for the embedded OSS with the typical conventional hazard rate models by using the comparison criteria of goodness-of-fit. Furthermore, we discuss the optimal software release problem for the porting-phase based on the total expected software maintenance cost.

Data Reduction and Control Software for Meteor Observing Stations Based on CCD Video Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madiedo, J. M.; Trigo-Rodriguez, J. M.; Lyytinen, E.

2011-01-01

The SPanish Meteor Network (SPMN) is performing a continuous monitoring of meteor activity over Spain and neighbouring countries. The huge amount of data obtained by the 25 video observing stations that this network is currently operating made it necessary to develop new software packages to accomplish some tasks, such as data reduction and remote operation of autonomous systems based on high-sensitivity CCD video devices. The main characteristics of this software are described here.

Integration of the Remote Agent for the NASA Deep Space One Autonomy Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorais, Gregory A.; Bernard, Douglas E.; Gamble, Edward B., Jr.; Kanefsky, Bob; Kurien, James; Muscettola, Nicola; Nayak, P. Pandurang; Rajan, Kanna; Lau, Sonie (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

This paper describes the integration of the Remote Agent (RA), a spacecraft autonomy system which is scheduled to control the Deep Space 1 spacecraft during a flight experiment in 1999. The RA is a reusable, model-based autonomy system that is quite different from software typically used to control an aerospace system. We describe the integration challenges we faced, how we addressed them, and the lessons learned. We focus on those aspects of integrating the RA that were either easier or more difficult than integrating a more traditional large software application because the RA is a model-based autonomous system. A number of characteristics of the RA made integration process easier. One example is the model-based nature of RA. Since the RA is model-based, most of its behavior is not hard coded into procedural program code. Instead, engineers specify high level models of the spacecraft's components from which the Remote Agent automatically derives correct system-wide behavior on the fly. This high level, modular, and declarative software description allowed some interfaces between RA components and between RA and the flight software to be automatically generated and tested for completeness against the Remote Agent's models. In addition, the Remote Agent's model-based diagnosis system automatically diagnoses when the RA models are not consistent with the behavior of the spacecraft. In flight, this feature is used to diagnose failures in the spacecraft hardware. During integration, it proved valuable in finding problems in the spacecraft simulator or flight software. In addition, when modifications are made to the spacecraft hardware or flight software, the RA models are easily changed because they only capture a description of the spacecraft. one does not have to maintain procedural code that implements the correct behavior for every expected situation. On the other hand, several features of the RA made it more difficult to integrate than typical flight software. For example, the definition of correct behavior is more difficult to specify for a system that is expected to reason about and flexibly react to its environment than for a traditional flight software system. Consequently, whenever a change is made to the RA it is more time consuming to determine if the resulting behavior is correct. We conclude the paper with a discussion of future work on the Remote Agent as well as recommendations to ease integration of similar autonomy projects.

Modeling reliability measurement of interface on information system: Towards the forensic of rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasution, M. K. M.; Sitompul, Darwin; Harahap, Marwan

2018-02-01

Today almost all machines depend on the software. As a software and hardware system depends also on the rules that are the procedures for its use. If the procedure or program can be reliably characterized by involving the concept of graph, logic, and probability, then regulatory strength can also be measured accordingly. Therefore, this paper initiates an enumeration model to measure the reliability of interfaces based on the case of information systems supported by the rules of use by the relevant agencies. An enumeration model is obtained based on software reliability calculation.

Risk-Informed Safety Assurance and Probabilistic Assessment of Mission-Critical Software-Intensive Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guarro, Sergio B.

2010-01-01

This report validates and documents the detailed features and practical application of the framework for software intensive digital systems risk assessment and risk-informed safety assurance presented in the NASA PRA Procedures Guide for Managers and Practitioner. This framework, called herein the "Context-based Software Risk Model" (CSRM), enables the assessment of the contribution of software and software-intensive digital systems to overall system risk, in a manner which is entirely compatible and integrated with the format of a "standard" Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), as currently documented and applied for NASA missions and applications. The CSRM also provides a risk-informed path and criteria for conducting organized and systematic digital system and software testing so that, within this risk-informed paradigm, the achievement of a quantitatively defined level of safety and mission success assurance may be targeted and demonstrated. The framework is based on the concept of context-dependent software risk scenarios and on the modeling of such scenarios via the use of traditional PRA techniques - i.e., event trees and fault trees - in combination with more advanced modeling devices such as the Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM) or other dynamic logic-modeling representations. The scenarios can be synthesized and quantified in a conditional logic and probabilistic formulation. The application of the CSRM method documented in this report refers to the MiniAERCam system designed and developed by the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Analysis of a hardware and software fault tolerant processor for critical applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dugan, Joanne B.

1993-01-01

Computer systems for critical applications must be designed to tolerate software faults as well as hardware faults. A unified approach to tolerating hardware and software faults is characterized by classifying faults in terms of duration (transient or permanent) rather than source (hardware or software). Errors arising from transient faults can be handled through masking or voting, but errors arising from permanent faults require system reconfiguration to bypass the failed component. Most errors which are caused by software faults can be considered transient, in that they are input-dependent. Software faults are triggered by a particular set of inputs. Quantitative dependability analysis of systems which exhibit a unified approach to fault tolerance can be performed by a hierarchical combination of fault tree and Markov models. A methodology for analyzing hardware and software fault tolerant systems is applied to the analysis of a hypothetical system, loosely based on the Fault Tolerant Parallel Processor. The models consider both transient and permanent faults, hardware and software faults, independent and related software faults, automatic recovery, and reconfiguration.

Modeling and Analysis of Space Based Transceivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Michael S.; Price, Jeremy C.; Reinhart, Richard; Liebetreu, John; Kacpura, Tom J.

2005-01-01

This paper presents the tool chain, methodology, and results of an on-going study being performed jointly by Space Communication Experts at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), General Dynamics C4 Systems (GD), and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). The team is evaluating the applicability and tradeoffs concerning the use of Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies for Space missions. The Space Telecommunications Radio Systems (STRS) project is developing an approach toward building SDR-based transceivers for space communications applications based on an accompanying software architecture that can be used to implement transceivers for NASA space missions. The study is assessing the overall cost and benefit of employing SDR technologies in general, and of developing a software architecture standard for its space SDR transceivers. The study is considering the cost and benefit of existing architectures, such as the Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) Software Communications Architecture (SCA), as well as potential new space-specific architectures.

Product Engineering Class in the Software Safety Risk Taxonomy for Building Safety-Critical Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Janice; Victor, Daniel

2008-01-01

When software safety requirements are imposed on legacy safety-critical systems, retrospective safety cases need to be formulated as part of recertifying the systems for further use and risks must be documented and managed to give confidence for reusing the systems. The SEJ Software Development Risk Taxonomy [4] focuses on general software development issues. It does not, however, cover all the safety risks. The Software Safety Risk Taxonomy [8] was developed which provides a construct for eliciting and categorizing software safety risks in a straightforward manner. In this paper, we present extended work on the taxonomy for safety that incorporates the additional issues inherent in the development and maintenance of safety-critical systems with software. An instrument called a Software Safety Risk Taxonomy Based Questionnaire (TBQ) is generated containing questions addressing each safety attribute in the Software Safety Risk Taxonomy. Software safety risks are surfaced using the new TBQ and then analyzed. In this paper we give the definitions for the specialized Product Engineering Class within the Software Safety Risk Taxonomy. At the end of the paper, we present the tool known as the 'Legacy Systems Risk Database Tool' that is used to collect and analyze the data required to show traceability to a particular safety standard

Methodology for automating software systems. Task 1 of the foundations for automating software systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moseley, Warren

1989-01-01

The early stages of a research program designed to establish an experimental research platform for software engineering are described. Major emphasis is placed on Computer Assisted Software Engineering (CASE). The Poor Man's CASE Tool is based on the Apple Macintosh system, employing available software including Focal Point II, Hypercard, XRefText, and Macproject. These programs are functional in themselves, but through advanced linking are available for operation from within the tool being developed. The research platform is intended to merge software engineering technology with artificial intelligence (AI). In the first prototype of the PMCT, however, the sections of AI are not included. CASE tools assist the software engineer in planning goals, routes to those goals, and ways to measure progress. The method described allows software to be synthesized instead of being written or built.

The SoRReL papers: Recent publications of the Software Reuse Repository Lab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eichmann, David A. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The entire publication is presented of some of the papers recently published by the SoRReL. Some typical titles are as follows: Design of a Lattice-Based Faceted Classification System; A Hybrid Approach to Software Reuse Repository Retrieval; Selecting Reusable Components Using Algebraic Specifications; Neural Network-Based Retrieval from Reuse Repositories; and A Neural Net-Based Approach to Software Metrics.

Functional and Software Considerations for Bibliographic Data Base Utilization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cadwallader, Gouverneur

This is the fourth in a series of eight reports of a research study for the National Agricultural Library (NAL) on the effective utilization of bibliographic data bases in machine-readable form. It describes the general functional and software requirements of an NAL system using external sources of bibliographic data. Various system design…

Documenting the decision structure in software development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wild, J. Christian; Maly, Kurt; Shen, Stewart N.

1990-01-01

Current software development paradigms focus on the products of the development process. Much of the decision making process which produces these products is outside the scope of these paradigms. The Decision-Based Software Development (DBSD) paradigm views the design process as a series of interrelated decisions which involve the identification and articulation of problems, alternates, solutions and justifications. Decisions made by programmers and analysts are recorded in a project data base. Unresolved problems are also recorded and resources for their resolution are allocated by management according to the overall development strategy. This decision structure is linked to the products affected by the relevant decision and provides a process oriented view of the resulted system. Software maintenance uses this decision view of the system to understand the rationale behind the decisions affecting the part of the system to be modified. D-HyperCase, a prototype Decision-Based Hypermedia System is described and results of applying the DBSD approach during its development are presented.

The database design of LAMOST based on MYSQL/LINUX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hui-Xian, Sang, Jian; Wang, Sha; Luo, A.-Li

2006-03-01

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) will be set up in the coming years. A fully automated software system for reducing and analyzing the spectra has to be developed with the telescope. This database system is an important part of the software system. The requirements for the database of the LAMOST, the design of the LAMOST database system based on MYSQL/LINUX and performance tests of this system are described in this paper.

MFV-class: a multi-faceted visualization tool of object classes.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhi-meng; Pan, Yun-he; Zhuang, Yue-ting

2004-11-01

Classes are key software components in an object-oriented software system. In many industrial OO software systems, there are some classes that have complicated structure and relationships. So in the processes of software maintenance, testing, software reengineering, software reuse and software restructure, it is a challenge for software engineers to understand these classes thoroughly. This paper proposes a class comprehension model based on constructivist learning theory, and implements a software visualization tool (MFV-Class) to help in the comprehension of a class. The tool provides multiple views of class to uncover manifold facets of class contents. It enables visualizing three object-oriented metrics of classes to help users focus on the understanding process. A case study was conducted to evaluate our approach and the toolkit.

Simulation-based Testing of Control Software

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ozmen, Ozgur; Nutaro, James J.; Sanyal, Jibonananda

It is impossible to adequately test complex software by examining its operation in a physical prototype of the system monitored. Adequate test coverage can require millions of test cases, and the cost of equipment prototypes combined with the real-time constraints of testing with them makes it infeasible to sample more than a small number of these tests. Model based testing seeks to avoid this problem by allowing for large numbers of relatively inexpensive virtual prototypes that operate in simulation time at a speed limited only by the available computing resources. In this report, we describe how a computer system emulatormore » can be used as part of a model based testing environment; specifically, we show that a complete software stack including operating system and application software - can be deployed within a simulated environment, and that these simulations can proceed as fast as possible. To illustrate this approach to model based testing, we describe how it is being used to test several building control systems that act to coordinate air conditioning loads for the purpose of reducing peak demand. These tests involve the use of ADEVS (A Discrete Event System Simulator) and QEMU (Quick Emulator) to host the operational software within the simulation, and a building model developed with the MODELICA programming language using Buildings Library and packaged as an FMU (Functional Mock-up Unit) that serves as the virtual test environment.« less

Feasibility study of an Integrated Program for Aerospace-vehicle Design (IPAD) system. Volume 5: Design of the IPAD system. Part 2: System design. Part 3: General purpose utilities, phase 1, task 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrocq, C. A.; Hurley, M. J.

1973-01-01

Viable designs are presented of various elements of the IPAD framework software, data base management system, and required new languages in relation to the capabilities of operating systems software. A thorough evaluation was made of the basic systems functions to be provide by each software element, its requirements defined in the conceptual design, the operating systems features affecting its design, and the engineering/design functions which it was intended to enhance.

Four Pillars of Service-Oriented Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

ic A lig n m e n t Figure 1: Pillars of SOA-Based Systems Development Service -Oriented Architectures 12 CROSSTALK The Journal of Defense Software ...et al. “On the Business Value and Technical Challenges of Adopting Web Services .” Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution 16 (2004): 16, 31-50...10 CROSSTALK The Journal of Defense Software Engineering September 2007 Acornerstone of DoD policy forfuture software and systems policy is the

Web-Based Environment for Maintaining Legacy Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tigges, Michael; Thompson, Nelson; Orr, Mark; Fox, Richard

2007-01-01

Advanced Tool Integration Environment (ATIE) is the name of both a software system and a Web-based environment created by the system for maintaining an archive of legacy software and expertise involved in developing the legacy software. ATIE can also be used in modifying legacy software and developing new software. The information that can be encapsulated in ATIE includes experts documentation, input and output data of tests cases, source code, and compilation scripts. All of this information is available within a common environment and retained in a database for ease of access and recovery by use of powerful search engines. ATIE also accommodates the embedment of supporting software that users require for their work, and even enables access to supporting commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software within the flow of the experts work. The flow of work can be captured by saving the sequence of computer programs that the expert uses. A user gains access to ATIE via a Web browser. A modern Web-based graphical user interface promotes efficiency in the retrieval, execution, and modification of legacy code. Thus, ATIE saves time and money in the support of new and pre-existing programs.

Achieving Better Buying Power through Acquisition of Open Architecture Software Systems for Web and Mobile Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-22

SPONSORED REPORT SERIES Achieving Better Buying Power through Acquisition of Open Architecture Software Systems for Web and Mobile Devices 22...ACQUISITION RESEARCH PROGRAM SPONSORED REPORT SERIES Achieving Better Buying Power through Acquisition of Open Architecture Software Systems for Web ...Policy Naval Postgraduate School Executive Summary Many people within large enterprises rely on up to four Web -based or mobile devices for their

Ground Systems Development Environment (GSDE) interface requirements analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Church, Victor E.; Philips, John; Hartenstein, Ray; Bassman, Mitchell; Ruskin, Leslie; Perez-Davila, Alfredo

1991-01-01

A set of procedural and functional requirements are presented for the interface between software development environments and software integration and test systems used for space station ground systems software. The requirements focus on the need for centralized configuration management of software as it is transitioned from development to formal, target based testing. This concludes the GSDE Interface Requirements study. A summary is presented of findings concerning the interface itself, possible interface and prototyping directions for further study, and results of the investigation of the Cronus distributed applications environment.

Advanced engineering software for in-space assembly and manned planetary spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delaquil, Donald; Mah, Robert

1990-01-01

Meeting the objectives of the Lunar/Mars initiative to establish safe and cost-effective extraterrestrial bases requires an integrated software/hardware approach to operational definitions and systems implementation. This paper begins this process by taking a 'software-first' approach to systems design, for implementing specific mission scenarios in the domains of in-space assembly and operations of the manned Mars spacecraft. The technological barriers facing implementation of robust operational systems within these two domains are discussed, and preliminary software requirements and architectures that resolve these barriers are provided.

System software for the finite element machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crockett, T. W.; Knott, J. D.

1985-01-01

The Finite Element Machine is an experimental parallel computer developed at Langley Research Center to investigate the application of concurrent processing to structural engineering analysis. This report describes system-level software which has been developed to facilitate use of the machine by applications researchers. The overall software design is outlined, and several important parallel processing issues are discussed in detail, including processor management, communication, synchronization, and input/output. Based on experience using the system, the hardware architecture and software design are critiqued, and areas for further work are suggested.

Development of online NIR urine analyzing system based on AOTF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Feng; Sun, Zhendong; Li, Xiaoxia

2006-09-01

In this paper, some key techniques on development of on-line MR urine analyzing system based on AOTF (Acousto - Optics Tunable Filter) are introduced. Problems about designing the optical system including collimation of incident light and working distance (the shortest distance for separating incident light and diffracted light) are analyzed and researched. DDS (Direct Digital Synthesizer) controlled by microprocessor is used to realize the wavelength scan. The experiment results show that this MR urine analyzing system based on. AOTF has 10000 - 4000cm -1 wavelength range and O.3ms wavelength transfer rate. Compare with the conventional Fourier Transform NIP. spectrophotometer for analyzing multi-components in urine, this system features low cost, small volume and on-line measurement function. Unscrambler software (multivariate statistical software by CAMO Inc. Norway) is selected as the software for processing the data. This system can realize on line quantitative analysis of protein, urea and creatinine in urine.

ETICS: the international software engineering service for the grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meglio, A. D.; Bégin, M.-E.; Couvares, P.; Ronchieri, E.; Takacs, E.

2008-07-01

The ETICS system is a distributed software configuration, build and test system designed to fulfil the needs of improving the quality, reliability and interoperability of distributed software in general and grid software in particular. The ETICS project is a consortium of five partners (CERN, INFN, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, 4D Soft and the University of Wisconsin-Madison). The ETICS service consists of a build and test job execution system based on the Metronome software and an integrated set of web services and software engineering tools to design, maintain and control build and test scenarios. The ETICS system allows taking into account complex dependencies among applications and middleware components and provides a rich environment to perform static and dynamic analysis of the software and execute deployment, system and interoperability tests. This paper gives an overview of the system architecture and functionality set and then describes how the EC-funded EGEE, DILIGENT and OMII-Europe projects are using the software engineering services to build, validate and distribute their software. Finally a number of significant use and test cases will be described to show how ETICS can be used in particular to perform interoperability tests of grid middleware using the grid itself.

Final Technical Report on Quantifying Dependability Attributes of Software Based Safety Critical Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smidts, Carol; Huang, Funqun; Li, Boyuan

With the current transition from analog to digital instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants, the number and variety of software-based systems have significantly increased. The sophisticated nature and increasing complexity of software raises trust in these systems as a significant challenge. The trust placed in a software system is typically termed software dependability. Software dependability analysis faces uncommon challenges since software systems’ characteristics differ from those of hardware systems. The lack of systematic science-based methods for quantifying the dependability attributes in software-based instrumentation as well as control systems in safety critical applications has proved itself to be amore » significant inhibitor to the expanded use of modern digital technology in the nuclear industry. Dependability refers to the ability of a system to deliver a service that can be trusted. Dependability is commonly considered as a general concept that encompasses different attributes, e.g., reliability, safety, security, availability and maintainability. Dependability research has progressed significantly over the last few decades. For example, various assessment models and/or design approaches have been proposed for software reliability, software availability and software maintainability. Advances have also been made to integrate multiple dependability attributes, e.g., integrating security with other dependability attributes, measuring availability and maintainability, modeling reliability and availability, quantifying reliability and security, exploring the dependencies between security and safety and developing integrated analysis models. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the dependencies between various dependability attributes as a whole and of how such dependencies are formed. To address the need for quantification and give a more objective basis to the review process -- therefore reducing regulatory uncertainty -- measures and methods are needed to assess dependability attributes early on, as well as throughout the life-cycle process of software development. In this research, extensive expert opinion elicitation is used to identify the measures and methods for assessing software dependability. Semi-structured questionnaires were designed to elicit expert knowledge. A new notation system, Causal Mechanism Graphing, was developed to extract and represent such knowledge. The Causal Mechanism Graphs were merged, thus, obtaining the consensus knowledge shared by the domain experts. In this report, we focus on how software contributes to dependability. However, software dependability is not discussed separately from the context of systems or socio-technical systems. Specifically, this report focuses on software dependability, reliability, safety, security, availability, and maintainability. Our research was conducted in the sequence of stages found below. Each stage is further examined in its corresponding chapter. Stage 1 (Chapter 2): Elicitation of causal maps describing the dependencies between dependability attributes. These causal maps were constructed using expert opinion elicitation. This chapter describes the expert opinion elicitation process, the questionnaire design, the causal map construction method and the causal maps obtained. Stage 2 (Chapter 3): Elicitation of the causal map describing the occurrence of the event of interest for each dependability attribute. The causal mechanisms for the “event of interest” were extracted for each of the software dependability attributes. The “event of interest” for a dependability attribute is generally considered to be the “attribute failure”, e.g. security failure. The extraction was based on the analysis of expert elicitation results obtained in Stage 1. Stage 3 (Chapter 4): Identification of relevant measurements. Measures for the “events of interest” and their causal mechanisms were obtained from expert opinion elicitation for each of the software dependability attributes. The measures extracted are presented in this chapter. Stage 4 (Chapter 5): Assessment of the coverage of the causal maps via measures. Coverage was assessed to determine whether the measures obtained were sufficient to quantify software dependability, and what measures are further required. Stage 5 (Chapter 6): Identification of “missing” measures and measurement approaches for concepts not covered. New measures, for concepts that had not been covered sufficiently as determined in Stage 4, were identified using supplementary expert opinion elicitation as well as literature reviews. Stage 6 (Chapter 7): Building of a detailed quantification model based on the causal maps and measurements obtained. Ability to derive such a quantification model shows that the causal models and measurements derived from the previous stages (Stage 1 to Stage 5) can form the technical basis for developing dependability quantification models. Scope restrictions have led us to prioritize this demonstration effort. The demonstration was focused on a critical system, i.e. the reactor protection system. For this system, a ranking of the software dependability attributes by nuclear stakeholders was developed. As expected for this application, the stakeholder ranking identified safety as the most critical attribute to be quantified. A safety quantification model limited to the requirements phase of development was built. Two case studies were conducted for verification. A preliminary control gate for software safety for the requirements stage was proposed and applied to the first case study. The control gate allows a cost effective selection of the duration of the requirements phase.« less

Two Demonstrations with a New Data-Acquisition System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraftmakher, Yaakov

2014-01-01

Nowadays, the use of data-acquisition systems in undergraduate laboratories is routine. Many computer-assisted experiments became possible with the PASCO scientific data-acquisition system based on the 750 Interface and DataStudio software. A new data-acquisition system developed by PASCO includes the 850 Universal Interface and Capstone software.…

Web-based spatial analysis with the ILWIS open source GIS software and satellite images from GEONETCast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemmens, R.; Maathuis, B.; Mannaerts, C.; Foerster, T.; Schaeffer, B.; Wytzisk, A.

2009-12-01

This paper involves easy accessible integrated web-based analysis of satellite images with a plug-in based open source software. The paper is targeted to both users and developers of geospatial software. Guided by a use case scenario, we describe the ILWIS software and its toolbox to access satellite images through the GEONETCast broadcasting system. The last two decades have shown a major shift from stand-alone software systems to networked ones, often client/server applications using distributed geo-(web-)services. This allows organisations to combine without much effort their own data with remotely available data and processing functionality. Key to this integrated spatial data analysis is a low-cost access to data from within a user-friendly and flexible software. Web-based open source software solutions are more often a powerful option for developing countries. The Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS) is a PC-based GIS & Remote Sensing software, comprising a complete package of image processing, spatial analysis and digital mapping and was developed as commercial software from the early nineties onwards. Recent project efforts have migrated ILWIS into a modular, plug-in-based open source software, and provide web-service support for OGC-based web mapping and processing. The core objective of the ILWIS Open source project is to provide a maintainable framework for researchers and software developers to implement training components, scientific toolboxes and (web-) services. The latest plug-ins have been developed for multi-criteria decision making, water resources analysis and spatial statistics analysis. The development of this framework is done since 2007 in the context of 52°North, which is an open initiative that advances the development of cutting edge open source geospatial software, using the GPL license. GEONETCast, as part of the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), puts essential environmental data at the fingertips of users around the globe. This user-friendly and low-cost information dissemination provides global information as a basis for decision-making in a number of critical areas, including public health, energy, agriculture, weather, water, climate, natural disasters and ecosystems. GEONETCast makes available satellite images via Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) technology. An OGC WMS interface and plug-ins which convert GEONETCast data streams allow an ILWIS user to integrate various distributed data sources with data locally stored on his machine. Our paper describes a use case in which ILWIS is used with GEONETCast satellite imagery for decision making processes in Ghana. We also explain how the ILWIS software can be extended with additional functionality by means of building plug-ins and unfold our plans to implement other OGC standards, such as WCS and WPS in the same context. Especially, the latter one can be seen as a major step forward in terms of moving well-proven desktop based processing functionality to the web. This enables the embedding of ILWIS functionality in Spatial Data Infrastructures or even the execution in scalable and on-demand cloud computing environments.

Robotics On-Board Trainer (ROBoT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Genevieve; Alexander, Greg

2013-01-01

ROBoT is an on-orbit version of the ground-based Dynamics Skills Trainer (DST) that astronauts use for training on a frequent basis. This software consists of two primary software groups. The first series of components is responsible for displaying the graphical scenes. The remaining components are responsible for simulating the Mobile Servicing System (MSS), the Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS), and the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Free Flyer Robotics Operations. The MSS simulation software includes: Robotic Workstation (RWS) simulation, a simulation of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), a simulation of the ISS Command and Control System (CCS), and a portion of the Portable Computer System (PCS) software necessary for MSS operations. These components all run under the CentOS4.5 Linux operating system. The JEMRMS simulation software includes real-time, HIL, dynamics, manipulator multi-body dynamics, and a moving object contact model with Tricks discrete time scheduling. The JEMRMS DST will be used as a functional proficiency and skills trainer for flight crews. The HTV Free Flyer Robotics Operations simulation software adds a functional simulation of HTV vehicle controllers, sensors, and data to the MSS simulation software. These components are intended to support HTV ISS visiting vehicle analysis and training. The scene generation software will use DOUG (Dynamic On-orbit Ubiquitous Graphics) to render the graphical scenes. DOUG runs on a laptop running the CentOS4.5 Linux operating system. DOUG is an Open GL-based 3D computer graphics rendering package. It uses pre-built three-dimensional models of on-orbit ISS and space shuttle systems elements, and provides realtime views of various station and shuttle configurations.

A versatile nondestructive evaluation imaging workstation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chern, E. James; Butler, David W.

1994-01-01

Ultrasonic C-scan and eddy current imaging systems are of the pointwise type evaluation systems that rely on a mechanical scanner to physically maneuver a probe relative to the specimen point by point in order to acquire data and generate images. Since the ultrasonic C-scan and eddy current imaging systems are based on the same mechanical scanning mechanisms, the two systems can be combined using the same PC platform with a common mechanical manipulation subsystem and integrated data acquisition software. Based on this concept, we have developed an IBM PC-based combined ultrasonic C-scan and eddy current imaging system. The system is modularized and provides capacity for future hardware and software expansions. Advantages associated with the combined system are: (1) eliminated duplication of the computer and mechanical hardware, (2) unified data acquisition, processing and storage software, (3) reduced setup time for repetitious ultrasonic and eddy current scans, and (4) improved system efficiency. The concept can be adapted to many engineering systems by integrating related PC-based instruments into one multipurpose workstation such as dispensing, machining, packaging, sorting, and other industrial applications.

A versatile nondestructive evaluation imaging workstation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chern, E. James; Butler, David W.

1994-02-01

Ultrasonic C-scan and eddy current imaging systems are of the pointwise type evaluation systems that rely on a mechanical scanner to physically maneuver a probe relative to the specimen point by point in order to acquire data and generate images. Since the ultrasonic C-scan and eddy current imaging systems are based on the same mechanical scanning mechanisms, the two systems can be combined using the same PC platform with a common mechanical manipulation subsystem and integrated data acquisition software. Based on this concept, we have developed an IBM PC-based combined ultrasonic C-scan and eddy current imaging system. The system is modularized and provides capacity for future hardware and software expansions. Advantages associated with the combined system are: (1) eliminated duplication of the computer and mechanical hardware, (2) unified data acquisition, processing and storage software, (3) reduced setup time for repetitious ultrasonic and eddy current scans, and (4) improved system efficiency. The concept can be adapted to many engineering systems by integrating related PC-based instruments into one multipurpose workstation such as dispensing, machining, packaging, sorting, and other industrial applications.

Diagnosis and Prognosis of Weapon Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nolan, Mary; Catania, Rebecca; deMare, Gregory

2005-01-01

The Prognostics Framework is a set of software tools with an open architecture that affords a capability to integrate various prognostic software mechanisms and to provide information for operational and battlefield decision-making and logistical planning pertaining to weapon systems. The Prognostics NASA Tech Briefs, February 2005 17 Framework is also a system-level health -management software system that (1) receives data from performance- monitoring and built-in-test sensors and from other prognostic software and (2) processes the received data to derive a diagnosis and a prognosis for a weapon system. This software relates the diagnostic and prognostic information to the overall health of the system, to the ability of the system to perform specific missions, and to needed maintenance actions and maintenance resources. In the development of the Prognostics Framework, effort was focused primarily on extending previously developed model-based diagnostic-reasoning software to add prognostic reasoning capabilities, including capabilities to perform statistical analyses and to utilize information pertaining to deterioration of parts, failure modes, time sensitivity of measured values, mission criticality, historical data, and trends in measurement data. As thus extended, the software offers an overall health-monitoring capability.

Computerized Bone Age Estimation Using Deep Learning Based Program: Evaluation of the Accuracy and Efficiency.

PubMed

Kim, Jeong Rye; Shim, Woo Hyun; Yoon, Hee Mang; Hong, Sang Hyup; Lee, Jin Seong; Cho, Young Ah; Kim, Sangki

2017-12-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of a new automatic software system for bone age assessment and to validate its feasibility in clinical practice. A Greulich-Pyle method-based deep-learning technique was used to develop the automatic software system for bone age determination. Using this software, bone age was estimated from left-hand radiographs of 200 patients (3-17 years old) using first-rank bone age (software only), computer-assisted bone age (two radiologists with software assistance), and Greulich-Pyle atlas-assisted bone age (two radiologists with Greulich-Pyle atlas assistance only). The reference bone age was determined by the consensus of two experienced radiologists. First-rank bone ages determined by the automatic software system showed a 69.5% concordance rate and significant correlations with the reference bone age (r = 0.992; p < 0.001). Concordance rates increased with the use of the automatic software system for both reviewer 1 (63.0% for Greulich-Pyle atlas-assisted bone age vs 72.5% for computer-assisted bone age) and reviewer 2 (49.5% for Greulich-Pyle atlas-assisted bone age vs 57.5% for computer-assisted bone age). Reading times were reduced by 18.0% and 40.0% for reviewers 1 and 2, respectively. Automatic software system showed reliably accurate bone age estimations and appeared to enhance efficiency by reducing reading times without compromising the diagnostic accuracy.

The 1988 Directory of Educational Software Publishing Companies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Electronic Learning, 1988

1988-01-01

Based on questionnaires sent to educational software companies in January 1988, this directory lists 78 companies. Information given includes company address, curriculum subject areas for which the company publishes software, types of machines and operating systems on which the software operates, and grade level for which it is targeted. (LRW)

Using component technology to facilitate external software reuse in ground-based planning systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chase, A.

2003-01-01

APGEN (Activity Plan GENerator - 314), a multi-mission planning tool, must interface with external software to vest serve its users. AP-GEN's original method for incorporating external software, the User-Defined library mechanism, has been very successful in allowing APGEN users access to external software functionality.

High-precision measurements of cementless acetabular components using model-based RSA: an experimental study.

PubMed

Baad-Hansen, Thomas; Kold, Søren; Kaptein, Bart L; Søballe, Kjeld

2007-08-01

In RSA, tantalum markers attached to metal-backed acetabular cups are often difficult to detect on stereo radiographs due to the high density of the metal shell. This results in occlusion of the prosthesis markers and may lead to inconclusive migration results. Within the last few years, new software systems have been developed to solve this problem. We compared the precision of 3 RSA systems in migration analysis of the acetabular component. A hemispherical and a non-hemispherical acetabular component were mounted in a phantom. Both acetabular components underwent migration analyses with 3 different RSA systems: conventional RSA using tantalum markers, an RSA system using a hemispherical cup algorithm, and a novel model-based RSA system. We found narrow confidence intervals, indicating high precision of the conventional marker system and model-based RSA with regard to migration and rotation. The confidence intervals of conventional RSA and model-based RSA were narrower than those of the hemispherical cup algorithm-based system regarding cup migration and rotation. The model-based RSA software combines the precision of the conventional RSA software with the convenience of the hemispherical cup algorithm-based system. Based on our findings, we believe that these new tools offer an improvement in the measurement of acetabular component migration.

Software design for automated assembly of truss structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herstrom, Catherine L.; Grantham, Carolyn; Allen, Cheryl L.; Doggett, William R.; Will, Ralph W.

1992-01-01

Concern over the limited intravehicular activity time has increased the interest in performing in-space assembly and construction operations with automated robotic systems. A technique being considered at LaRC is a supervised-autonomy approach, which can be monitored by an Earth-based supervisor that intervenes only when the automated system encounters a problem. A test-bed to support evaluation of the hardware and software requirements for supervised-autonomy assembly methods was developed. This report describes the design of the software system necessary to support the assembly process. The software is hierarchical and supports both automated assembly operations and supervisor error-recovery procedures, including the capability to pause and reverse any operation. The software design serves as a model for the development of software for more sophisticated automated systems and as a test-bed for evaluation of new concepts and hardware components.

A Core Plug and Play Architecture for Reusable Flight Software Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilmot, Jonathan

2006-01-01

The Flight Software Branch, at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), has been working on a run-time approach to facilitate a formal software reuse process. The reuse process is designed to enable rapid development and integration of high-quality software systems and to more accurately predict development costs and schedule. Previous reuse practices have been somewhat successful when the same teams are moved from project to project. But this typically requires taking the software system in an all-or-nothing approach where useful components cannot be easily extracted from the whole. As a result, the system is less flexible and scalable with limited applicability to new projects. This paper will focus on the rationale behind, and implementation of the run-time executive. This executive is the core for the component-based flight software commonality and reuse process adopted at Goddard.

Space Station Mission Planning System (MPS) development study. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klus, W. J.

1987-01-01

The basic objective of the Space Station (SS) Mission Planning System (MPS) Development Study was to define a baseline Space Station mission plan and the associated hardware and software requirements for the system. A detailed definition of the Spacelab (SL) payload mission planning process and SL Mission Integration Planning System (MIPS) software was derived. A baseline concept was developed for performing SS manned base payload mission planning, and it was consistent with current Space Station design/operations concepts and philosophies. The SS MPS software requirements were defined. Also, requirements for new software include candidate programs for the application of artificial intelligence techniques to capture and make more effective use of mission planning expertise. A SS MPS Software Development Plan was developed which phases efforts for the development software to implement the SS mission planning concept.

Web Based Interactive Software in International Business: The Case of the Global Market Potential System Online (GMPSO[C])

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janavaras, Basil J.; Gomes, Emanuel; Young, Richard

2008-01-01

This paper seeks to confirm whether students using the Global Market Potential System Online (GMPSO) web based software, (http://globalmarketpotential.com), for their class project enhanced their knowledge and understanding of international business. The challenge most business instructors and practitioners face is to determine how to bring the…

Software For Clear-Air Doppler-Radar Display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Bruce W.

1990-01-01

System of software developed to present plan-position-indicator scans of clear-air Doppler radar station on color graphical cathode-ray-tube display. Designed to incorporate latest accepted standards for equipment, computer programs, and meteorological data bases. Includes use of Ada programming language, of "Graphical-Kernel-System-like" graphics interface, and of Common Doppler Radar Exchange Format. Features include portability and maintainability. Use of Ada software packages produced number of software modules reused on other related projects.

Advanced transport operating system software upgrade: Flight management/flight controls software description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clinedinst, Winston C.; Debure, Kelly R.; Dickson, Richard W.; Heaphy, William J.; Parks, Mark A.; Slominski, Christopher J.; Wolverton, David A.

1988-01-01

The Flight Management/Flight Controls (FM/FC) software for the Norden 2 (PDP-11/70M) computer installed on the NASA 737 aircraft is described. The software computes the navigation position estimates, guidance commands, those commands to be issued to the control surfaces to direct the aircraft in flight based on the modes selected on the Advanced Guidance Control System (AGSC) mode panel, and the flight path selected via the Navigation Control/Display Unit (NCDU).

Industry Software Trustworthiness Criterion Research Based on Business Trustworthiness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jin; Liu, Jun-fei; Jiao, Hai-xing; Shen, Yi; Liu, Shu-yuan

To industry software Trustworthiness problem, an idea aiming to business to construct industry software trustworthiness criterion is proposed. Based on the triangle model of "trustworthy grade definition-trustworthy evidence model-trustworthy evaluating", the idea of business trustworthiness is incarnated from different aspects of trustworthy triangle model for special industry software, power producing management system (PPMS). Business trustworthiness is the center in the constructed industry trustworthy software criterion. Fusing the international standard and industry rules, the constructed trustworthy criterion strengthens the maneuverability and reliability. Quantitive evaluating method makes the evaluating results be intuitionistic and comparable.

Object-Oriented Technology-Based Software Library for Operations of Water Reclamation Centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otani, Tetsuo; Shimada, Takehiro; Yoshida, Norio; Abe, Wataru

SCADA systems in water reclamation centers have been constructed based on hardware and software that each manufacturer produced according to their design. Even though this approach used to be effective to realize real-time and reliable execution, it is an obstacle to cost reduction about system construction and maintenance. A promising solution to address the problem is to set specifications that can be used commonly. In terms of software, information model approach has been adopted in SCADA systems in other field, such as telecommunications and power systems. An information model is a piece of software specification that describes a physical or logical object to be monitored. In this paper, we propose information models for operations of water reclamation centers, which have not ever existed. In addition, we show the feasibility of the information model in terms of common use and processing performance.

Information Extraction for System-Software Safety Analysis: Calendar Year 2007 Year-End Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.

2008-01-01

This annual report describes work to integrate a set of tools to support early model-based analysis of failures and hazards due to system-software interactions. The tools perform and assist analysts in the following tasks: 1) extract model parts from text for architecture and safety/hazard models; 2) combine the parts with library information to develop the models for visualization and analysis; 3) perform graph analysis on the models to identify possible paths from hazard sources to vulnerable entities and functions, in nominal and anomalous system-software configurations; 4) perform discrete-time-based simulation on the models to investigate scenarios where these paths may play a role in failures and mishaps; and 5) identify resulting candidate scenarios for software integration testing. This paper describes new challenges in a NASA abort system case, and enhancements made to develop the integrated tool set.

Trends in computer hardware and software.

PubMed

Frankenfeld, F M

1993-04-01

Previously identified and current trends in the development of computer systems and in the use of computers for health care applications are reviewed. Trends identified in a 1982 article were increasing miniaturization and archival ability, increasing software costs, increasing software independence, user empowerment through new software technologies, shorter computer-system life cycles, and more rapid development and support of pharmaceutical services. Most of these trends continue today. Current trends in hardware and software include the increasing use of reduced instruction-set computing, migration to the UNIX operating system, the development of large software libraries, microprocessor-based smart terminals that allow remote validation of data, speech synthesis and recognition, application generators, fourth-generation languages, computer-aided software engineering, object-oriented technologies, and artificial intelligence. Current trends specific to pharmacy and hospitals are the withdrawal of vendors of hospital information systems from the pharmacy market, improved linkage of information systems within hospitals, and increased regulation by government. The computer industry and its products continue to undergo dynamic change. Software development continues to lag behind hardware, and its high cost is offsetting the savings provided by hardware.

HCI∧2 framework: a software framework for multimodal human-computer interaction systems.

PubMed

Shen, Jie; Pantic, Maja

2013-12-01

This paper presents a novel software framework for the development and research in the area of multimodal human-computer interface (MHCI) systems. The proposed software framework, which is called the HCI∧2 Framework, is built upon publish/subscribe (P/S) architecture. It implements a shared-memory-based data transport protocol for message delivery and a TCP-based system management protocol. The latter ensures that the integrity of system structure is maintained at runtime. With the inclusion of bridging modules, the HCI∧2 Framework is interoperable with other software frameworks including Psyclone and ActiveMQ. In addition to the core communication middleware, we also present the integrated development environment (IDE) of the HCI∧2 Framework. It provides a complete graphical environment to support every step in a typical MHCI system development process, including module development, debugging, packaging, and management, as well as the whole system management and testing. The quantitative evaluation indicates that our framework outperforms other similar tools in terms of average message latency and maximum data throughput under a typical single PC scenario. To demonstrate HCI∧2 Framework's capabilities in integrating heterogeneous modules, we present several example modules working with a variety of hardware and software. We also present an example of a full system developed using the proposed HCI∧2 Framework, which is called the CamGame system and represents a computer game based on hand-held marker(s) and low-cost camera(s).

Evaluation of an expert system for fault detection, isolation, and recovery in the manned maneuvering unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rushby, John; Crow, Judith

1990-01-01

The authors explore issues in the specification, verification, and validation of artificial intelligence (AI) based software, using a prototype fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR) system for the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). They use this system as a vehicle for exploring issues in the semantics of C-Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS)-style rule-based languages, the verification of properties relating to safety and reliability, and the static and dynamic analysis of knowledge based systems. This analysis reveals errors and shortcomings in the MMU FDIR system and raises a number of issues concerning software engineering in CLIPs. The authors came to realize that the MMU FDIR system does not conform to conventional definitions of AI software, despite the fact that it was intended and indeed presented as an AI system. The authors discuss this apparent disparity and related questions such as the role of AI techniques in space and aircraft operations and the suitability of CLIPS for critical applications.

An Internet Protocol-Based Software System for Real-Time, Closed-Loop, Multi-Spacecraft Mission Simulation Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, George; Cary, Everett; Higinbotham, John; Burns, Richard; Hogie, Keith; Hallahan, Francis

2003-01-01

The paper will provide an overview of the web-based distributed simulation software system developed for end-to-end, multi-spacecraft mission design, analysis, and test at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This software system was developed for an internal research and development (IR&D) activity at GSFC called the Distributed Space Systems (DSS) Distributed Synthesis Environment (DSE). The long-term goal of the DSS-DSE is to integrate existing GSFC stand-alone test beds, models, and simulation systems to create a "hands on", end-to-end simulation environment for mission design, trade studies and simulations. The short-term goal of the DSE was therefore to develop the system architecture, and then to prototype the core software simulation capability based on a distributed computing approach, with demonstrations of some key capabilities by the end of Fiscal Year 2002 (FY02). To achieve the DSS-DSE IR&D objective, the team adopted a reference model and mission upon which FY02 capabilities were developed. The software was prototyped according to the reference model, and demonstrations were conducted for the reference mission to validate interfaces, concepts, etc. The reference model, illustrated in Fig. 1, included both space and ground elements, with functional capabilities such as spacecraft dynamics and control, science data collection, space-to-space and space-to-ground communications, mission operations, science operations, and data processing, archival and distribution addressed.

Model based design introduction: modeling game controllers to microprocessor architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jungwirth, Patrick; Badawy, Abdel-Hameed

2017-04-01

We present an introduction to model based design. Model based design is a visual representation, generally a block diagram, to model and incrementally develop a complex system. Model based design is a commonly used design methodology for digital signal processing, control systems, and embedded systems. Model based design's philosophy is: to solve a problem - a step at a time. The approach can be compared to a series of steps to converge to a solution. A block diagram simulation tool allows a design to be simulated with real world measurement data. For example, if an analog control system is being upgraded to a digital control system, the analog sensor input signals can be recorded. The digital control algorithm can be simulated with the real world sensor data. The output from the simulated digital control system can then be compared to the old analog based control system. Model based design can compared to Agile software develop. The Agile software development goal is to develop working software in incremental steps. Progress is measured in completed and tested code units. Progress is measured in model based design by completed and tested blocks. We present a concept for a video game controller and then use model based design to iterate the design towards a working system. We will also describe a model based design effort to develop an OS Friendly Microprocessor Architecture based on the RISC-V.

GENFAS- Decentralised PUS-Based Data Handling Software Using SOIS and SpaceWire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowell, Stuart D.; Wheeler, Simon; Mendham, Peter; Gasti, Wahida

2011-08-01

This paper describes GenFAS, a decentralised PUS- based Data Handling onboard software architecture, based on the SOIS and SpaceWire communication specifications. GenFAS was initially developed for and deployed on the MARC system under an ESA GSTP contract.

Simulation-Based Verification of Autonomous Controllers via Livingstone PathFinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, A. E.; Pecheur, Charles

2004-01-01

AI software is often used as a means for providing greater autonomy to automated systems, capable of coping with harsh and unpredictable environments. Due in part to the enormous space of possible situations that they aim to addrs, autonomous systems pose a serious challenge to traditional test-based verification approaches. Efficient verification approaches need to be perfected before these systems can reliably control critical applications. This publication describes Livingstone PathFinder (LPF), a verification tool for autonomous control software. LPF applies state space exploration algorithms to an instrumented testbed, consisting of the controller embedded in a simulated operating environment. Although LPF has focused on NASA s Livingstone model-based diagnosis system applications, the architecture is modular and adaptable to other systems. This article presents different facets of LPF and experimental results from applying the software to a Livingstone model of the main propulsion feed subsystem for a prototype space vehicle.

Progress in the Development of a Prototype Reuse Enablement System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, J. J.; Downs, R. R.; Gilliam, L. J.; Wolfe, R. E.

2008-12-01

An important part of promoting software reuse is to ensure that reusable software assets are readily available to the software developers who want to use them. Through dialogs with the community, the NASA Earth Science Data Systems Software Reuse Working Group has learned that the lack of a centralized, domain- specific software repository or catalog system addressing the needs of the Earth science community is a major barrier to software reuse within the community. The Working Group has proposed the creation of such a reuse enablement system, which would provide capabilities for contributing and obtaining reusable software, to remove this barrier. The Working Group has recommended the development of a Reuse Enablement System to NASA and has performed a trade study to review systems with similar capabilities and to identify potential platforms for the proposed system. This was followed by an architecture study to determine an expeditious and cost-effective solution for this system. A number of software packages and systems were examined through both creating prototypes and examining existing systems that use the same software packages and systems. Based on the results of the architecture study, the Working Group developed a prototype of the proposed system using the recommended software package, through an iterative process of identifying needed capabilities and improving the system to provide those capabilities. Policies for the operation and maintenance of the system are being established for the system, and the identification of system policies also has contributed to the development process. Additionally, a test plan is being developed for formal testing of the prototype, to ensure that it meets all of the requirements previously developed by the Working Group. This poster summarizes the results of our work to date, focusing on the most recent activities.

Computer-aided software development process design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Chi Y.; Levary, Reuven R.

1989-01-01

The authors describe an intelligent tool designed to aid managers of software development projects in planning, managing, and controlling the development process of medium- to large-scale software projects. Its purpose is to reduce uncertainties in the budget, personnel, and schedule planning of software development projects. It is based on dynamic model for the software development and maintenance life-cycle process. This dynamic process is composed of a number of time-varying, interacting developmental phases, each characterized by its intended functions and requirements. System dynamics is used as a modeling methodology. The resulting Software LIfe-Cycle Simulator (SLICS) and the hybrid expert simulation system of which it is a subsystem are described.

Modernized build and test infrastructure for control software at ESO: highly flexible building, testing, and automatic quality practices for telescope control software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellegrin, F.; Jeram, B.; Haucke, J.; Feyrin, S.

2016-07-01

The paper describes the introduction of a new automatized build and test infrastructure, based on the open-source software Jenkins1, into the ESO Very Large Telescope control software to replace the preexisting in-house solution. A brief introduction to software quality practices is given, a description of the previous solution, the limitations of it and new upcoming requirements. Modifications required to adapt the new system are described, how these were implemented to current software and the results obtained. An overview on how the new system may be used in future projects is also presented.

Software Certification for Temporal Properties With Affordable Tool Qualification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xia, Songtao; DiVito, Benedetto L.

2005-01-01

It has been recognized that a framework based on proof-carrying code (also called semantic-based software certification in its community) could be used as a candidate software certification process for the avionics industry. To meet this goal, tools in the "trust base" of a proof-carrying code system must be qualified by regulatory authorities. A family of semantic-based software certification approaches is described, each different in expressive power, level of automation and trust base. Of particular interest is the so-called abstraction-carrying code, which can certify temporal properties. When a pure abstraction-carrying code method is used in the context of industrial software certification, the fact that the trust base includes a model checker would incur a high qualification cost. This position paper proposes a hybrid of abstraction-based and proof-based certification methods so that the model checker used by a client can be significantly simplified, thereby leading to lower cost in tool qualification.

Software Risk Identification for Interplanetary Probes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dougherty, Robert J.; Papadopoulos, Periklis E.

2005-01-01

The need for a systematic and effective software risk identification methodology is critical for interplanetary probes that are using increasingly complex and critical software. Several probe failures are examined that suggest more attention and resources need to be dedicated to identifying software risks. The direct causes of these failures can often be traced to systemic problems in all phases of the software engineering process. These failures have lead to the development of a practical methodology to identify risks for interplanetary probes. The proposed methodology is based upon the tailoring of the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) method of taxonomy-based risk identification. The use of this methodology will ensure a more consistent and complete identification of software risks in these probes.

Network-Based Analysis of Software Change Propagation

PubMed Central

Wang, Rongcun; Qu, Binbin

2014-01-01

The object-oriented software systems frequently evolve to meet new change requirements. Understanding the characteristics of changes aids testers and system designers to improve the quality of softwares. Identifying important modules becomes a key issue in the process of evolution. In this context, a novel network-based approach is proposed to comprehensively investigate change distributions and the correlation between centrality measures and the scope of change propagation. First, software dependency networks are constructed at class level. And then, the number of times of cochanges among classes is minded from software repositories. According to the dependency relationships and the number of times of cochanges among classes, the scope of change propagation is calculated. Using Spearman rank correlation analyzes the correlation between centrality measures and the scope of change propagation. Three case studies on java open source software projects Findbugs, Hibernate, and Spring are conducted to research the characteristics of change propagation. Experimental results show that (i) change distribution is very uneven; (ii) PageRank, Degree, and CIRank are significantly correlated to the scope of change propagation. Particularly, CIRank shows higher correlation coefficient, which suggests it can be a more useful indicator for measuring the scope of change propagation of classes in object-oriented software system. PMID:24790557

Network-based analysis of software change propagation.

PubMed

Wang, Rongcun; Huang, Rubing; Qu, Binbin

2014-01-01

The object-oriented software systems frequently evolve to meet new change requirements. Understanding the characteristics of changes aids testers and system designers to improve the quality of softwares. Identifying important modules becomes a key issue in the process of evolution. In this context, a novel network-based approach is proposed to comprehensively investigate change distributions and the correlation between centrality measures and the scope of change propagation. First, software dependency networks are constructed at class level. And then, the number of times of cochanges among classes is minded from software repositories. According to the dependency relationships and the number of times of cochanges among classes, the scope of change propagation is calculated. Using Spearman rank correlation analyzes the correlation between centrality measures and the scope of change propagation. Three case studies on java open source software projects Findbugs, Hibernate, and Spring are conducted to research the characteristics of change propagation. Experimental results show that (i) change distribution is very uneven; (ii) PageRank, Degree, and CIRank are significantly correlated to the scope of change propagation. Particularly, CIRank shows higher correlation coefficient, which suggests it can be a more useful indicator for measuring the scope of change propagation of classes in object-oriented software system.

Open Architecture SDR for Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Carl; Long, Chris; Liebetreu, John; Reinhart, Richard C.

2005-01-01

This paper describes an open-architecture SDR (software defined radio) infrastructure that is suitable for space-based operations (Space-SDR). SDR technologies will endow space and planetary exploration systems with dramatically increased capability, reduced power consumption, and significantly less mass than conventional systems, at costs reduced by vigorous competition, hardware commonality, dense integration, reduced obsolescence, interoperability, and software re-use. Significant progress has been recorded on developments like the Joint Tactical Radio System (JSTRS) Software Communication Architecture (SCA), which is oriented toward reconfigurable radios for defense forces operating in multiple theaters of engagement. The JTRS-SCA presents a consistent software interface for waveform development, and facilitates interoperability, waveform portability, software re-use, and technology evolution.

Software-engineering challenges of building and deploying reusable problem solvers.

PubMed

O'Connor, Martin J; Nyulas, Csongor; Tu, Samson; Buckeridge, David L; Okhmatovskaia, Anna; Musen, Mark A

2009-11-01

Problem solving methods (PSMs) are software components that represent and encode reusable algorithms. They can be combined with representations of domain knowledge to produce intelligent application systems. A goal of research on PSMs is to provide principled methods and tools for composing and reusing algorithms in knowledge-based systems. The ultimate objective is to produce libraries of methods that can be easily adapted for use in these systems. Despite the intuitive appeal of PSMs as conceptual building blocks, in practice, these goals are largely unmet. There are no widely available tools for building applications using PSMs and no public libraries of PSMs available for reuse. This paper analyzes some of the reasons for the lack of widespread adoptions of PSM techniques and illustrate our analysis by describing our experiences developing a complex, high-throughput software system based on PSM principles. We conclude that many fundamental principles in PSM research are useful for building knowledge-based systems. In particular, the task-method decomposition process, which provides a means for structuring knowledge-based tasks, is a powerful abstraction for building systems of analytic methods. However, despite the power of PSMs in the conceptual modeling of knowledge-based systems, software engineering challenges have been seriously underestimated. The complexity of integrating control knowledge modeled by developers using PSMs with the domain knowledge that they model using ontologies creates a barrier to widespread use of PSM-based systems. Nevertheless, the surge of recent interest in ontologies has led to the production of comprehensive domain ontologies and of robust ontology-authoring tools. These developments present new opportunities to leverage the PSM approach.

Software-engineering challenges of building and deploying reusable problem solvers

PubMed Central

O’CONNOR, MARTIN J.; NYULAS, CSONGOR; TU, SAMSON; BUCKERIDGE, DAVID L.; OKHMATOVSKAIA, ANNA; MUSEN, MARK A.

2012-01-01

Problem solving methods (PSMs) are software components that represent and encode reusable algorithms. They can be combined with representations of domain knowledge to produce intelligent application systems. A goal of research on PSMs is to provide principled methods and tools for composing and reusing algorithms in knowledge-based systems. The ultimate objective is to produce libraries of methods that can be easily adapted for use in these systems. Despite the intuitive appeal of PSMs as conceptual building blocks, in practice, these goals are largely unmet. There are no widely available tools for building applications using PSMs and no public libraries of PSMs available for reuse. This paper analyzes some of the reasons for the lack of widespread adoptions of PSM techniques and illustrate our analysis by describing our experiences developing a complex, high-throughput software system based on PSM principles. We conclude that many fundamental principles in PSM research are useful for building knowledge-based systems. In particular, the task–method decomposition process, which provides a means for structuring knowledge-based tasks, is a powerful abstraction for building systems of analytic methods. However, despite the power of PSMs in the conceptual modeling of knowledge-based systems, software engineering challenges have been seriously underestimated. The complexity of integrating control knowledge modeled by developers using PSMs with the domain knowledge that they model using ontologies creates a barrier to widespread use of PSM-based systems. Nevertheless, the surge of recent interest in ontologies has led to the production of comprehensive domain ontologies and of robust ontology-authoring tools. These developments present new opportunities to leverage the PSM approach. PMID:23565031

Advancements in Curriculum and Assessment by the Use of IMMEX Technology in the Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Charles T., Jr.; Cooper, Melanie M.; Pease, Rebecca; Buchanan, Krystal; Hernandez-Cruz, Laura; Stevens, Ron; Picione, John; Holme, Thomas

2008-01-01

The use of web-based software and course management systems for the delivery of online assessments in the chemistry classroom is becoming more common. IMMEX software, like other web-based software, can be used for delivering assessments and providing feedback, but differs in that it offers additional features designed to give insights and promote…

Army technology development. IBIS query. Software to support the Image Based Information System (IBIS) expansion for mapping, charting and geodesy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, S. Z.; Walker, R. E.; Aitken, R. B.

1986-01-01

The Image Based Information System (IBIS) has been under development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) since 1975. It is a collection of more than 90 programs that enable processing of image, graphical, tabular data for spatial analysis. IBIS can be utilized to create comprehensive geographic data bases. From these data, an analyst can study various attributes describing characteristics of a given study area. Even complex combinations of disparate data types can be synthesized to obtain a new perspective on spatial phenomena. In 1984, new query software was developed enabling direct Boolean queries of IBIS data bases through the submission of easily understood expressions. An improved syntax methodology, a data dictionary, and display software simplified the analysts' tasks associated with building, executing, and subsequently displaying the results of a query. The primary purpose of this report is to describe the features and capabilities of the new query software. A secondary purpose of this report is to compare this new query software to the query software developed previously (Friedman, 1982). With respect to this topic, the relative merits and drawbacks of both approaches are covered.

Process description language: an experiment in robust programming for manufacturing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spooner, Natalie R.; Creak, G. Alan

1998-10-01

Maintaining stable, robust, and consistent software is difficult in face of the increasing rate of change of customers' preferences, materials, manufacturing techniques, computer equipment, and other characteristic features of manufacturing systems. It is argued that software is commonly difficult to keep up to date because many of the implications of these changing features on software details are obscure. A possible solution is to use a software generation system in which the transformation of system properties into system software is made explicit. The proposed generation system stores the system properties, such as machine properties, product properties and information on manufacturing techniques, in databases. As a result this information, on which system control is based, can also be made available to other programs. In particular, artificial intelligence programs such as fault diagnosis programs, can benefit from using the same information as the control system, rather than a separate database which must be developed and maintained separately to ensure consistency. Experience in developing a simplified model of such a system is presented.

Assessment of the integration capability of system architectures from a complex and distributed software systems perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leuchter, S.; Reinert, F.; Müller, W.

2014-06-01

Procurement and design of system architectures capable of network centric operations demand for an assessment scheme in order to compare different alternative realizations. In this contribution an assessment method for system architectures targeted at the C4ISR domain is presented. The method addresses the integration capability of software systems from a complex and distributed software system perspective focusing communication, interfaces and software. The aim is to evaluate the capability to integrate a system or its functions within a system-of-systems network. This method uses approaches from software architecture quality assessment and applies them on the system architecture level. It features a specific goal tree of several dimensions that are relevant for enterprise integration. These dimensions have to be weighed against each other and totalized using methods from the normative decision theory in order to reflect the intention of the particular enterprise integration effort. The indicators and measurements for many of the considered quality features rely on a model based view on systems, networks, and the enterprise. That means it is applicable to System-of-System specifications based on enterprise architectural frameworks relying on defined meta-models or domain ontologies for defining views and viewpoints. In the defense context we use the NATO Architecture Framework (NAF) to ground respective system models. The proposed assessment method allows evaluating and comparing competing system designs regarding their future integration potential. It is a contribution to the system-of-systems engineering methodology.

Research into software executives for space operations support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collier, Mark D.

1990-01-01

Research concepts pertaining to a software (workstation) executive which will support a distributed processing command and control system characterized by high-performance graphics workstations used as computing nodes are presented. Although a workstation-based distributed processing environment offers many advantages, it also introduces a number of new concerns. In order to solve these problems, allow the environment to function as an integrated system, and present a functional development environment to application programmers, it is necessary to develop an additional layer of software. This 'executive' software integrates the system, provides real-time capabilities, and provides the tools necessary to support the application requirements.

Top Down Implementation Plan for system performance test software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, G. N.; Spinak, A.

1982-01-01

The top down implementation plan used for the development of system performance test software during the Mark IV-A era is described. The plan is based upon the identification of the hierarchical relationship of the individual elements of the software design, the development of a sequence of functionally oriented demonstrable steps, the allocation of subroutines to the specific step where they are first required, and objective status reporting. The results are: determination of milestones, improved managerial visibility, better project control, and a successful software development.

Software Framework for Peer Data-Management Services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, John; Hardman, Sean; Crichton, Daniel; Hyon, Jason; Kelly, Sean; Tran, Thuy

2007-01-01

Object Oriented Data Technology (OODT) is a software framework for creating a Web-based system for exchange of scientific data that are stored in diverse formats on computers at different sites under the management of scientific peers. OODT software consists of a set of cooperating, distributed peer components that provide distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) services that enable one peer to search and retrieve data managed by another peer. In effect, computers running OODT software at different locations become parts of an integrated data-management system.

Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on a Research Agenda for Maintenance and Evolution of Service-Oriented Systems (MESOA 2009)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

through software -as-a- service ( SaaS ) (Nitu 2009, Sedayao 2008). In practice, an organization’s initial SOA implementation almost never attempts to cover...004 Nitu. "Configurability in SaaS ( Software as a Service ) Applications." Proceedings of the 2nd An- nual Conference on India Software Engineering...and evolution of service -oriented systems. In 2007, the Software Engineering Institute started assembling a SOA Research Agenda based on a

ATLAS tile calorimeter cesium calibration control and analysis software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovyanov, O.; Solodkov, A.; Starchenko, E.; Karyukhin, A.; Isaev, A.; Shalanda, N.

2008-07-01

An online control system to calibrate and monitor ATLAS Barrel hadronic calorimeter (TileCal) with a movable radioactive source, driven by liquid flow, is described. To read out and control the system an online software has been developed, using ATLAS TDAQ components like DVS (Diagnostic and Verification System) to verify the hardware before running, IS (Information Server) for data and status exchange between networked computers, and other components like DDC (DCS to DAQ Connection), to connect to PVSS-based slow control systems of Tile Calorimeter, high voltage and low voltage. A system of scripting facilities, based on Python language, is used to handle all the calibration and monitoring processes from hardware perspective to final data storage, including various abnormal situations. A QT based graphical user interface to display the status of the calibration system during the cesium source scan is described. The software for analysis of the detector response, using online data, is discussed. Performance of the system and first experience from the ATLAS pit are presented.

A Reconfigurable Simulation-Based Test System for Automatically Assessing Software Operating Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su, Jun-Ming; Lin, Huan-Yu

2015-01-01

In recent years, software operating skills, the ability in computer literacy to solve problems using specific software, has become much more important. A great deal of research has also proven that students' software operating skills can be efficiently improved by practicing customized virtual and simulated examinations. However, constructing…

MINDS: A microcomputer interactive data system for 8086-based controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soeder, J. F.

1985-01-01

A microcomputer interactive data system (MINDS) software package for the 8086 family of microcomputers is described. To enhance program understandability and ease of code maintenance, the software is written in PL/M-86, Intel Corporation's high-level system implementation language. The MINDS software is intended to run in residence with real-time digital control software to provide displays of steady-state and transient data. In addition, the MINDS package provides classic monitor capabilities along with extended provisions for debugging an executing control system. The software uses the CP/M-86 operating system developed by Digital Research, Inc., to provide program load capabilities along with a uniform file structure for data and table storage. Finally, a library of input and output subroutines to be used with consoles equipped with PL/M-86 and assembly language is described.

Instructional Support Software System. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. - East, St. Louis, MO.

This report describes the development of the Instructional Support System (ISS), a large-scale, computer-based training system that supports both computer-assisted instruction and computer-managed instruction. Written in the Ada programming language, the ISS software package is designed to be machine independent. It is also grouped into functional…

Development of the Software for 30 inch Telescope Control System at KHAO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mun, B.-S.; Kim, S.-J.; Jang, M.; Min, S.-W.; Seol, K.-H.; Moon, K.-S.

2006-12-01

Even though 30inch optical telescope at Kyung Hee Astronomy Observatory has been used to produce a series of scientific achievements since its first light in 1992, numerous difficulties in the operation of the telescope have hindered the precise observations needed for further researches. Since the currently used PC-TCS (Personal Computer based Telescope Control system) software based on ISA-bus type is outdated, it doesn't have a user friendly interface and make it impossible to scale. Also accumulated errors which are generated by discordance from input and output signals into a motion controller required new control system. Thus we have improved the telescope control system by updating software and modifying mechanical parts. We applied a new BLDC (brushless DC) servo motor system to the mechanical parts of the telescope and developed a control software using Visual Basic 6.0. As a result, we could achieve a high accuracy in controlling of the telescope and use the userfriendly GUI (Graphic User Interface).

The Diamond Beamline Controls and Data Acquisition Software Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rees, N.

2010-06-01

The software for the Diamond Light Source beamlines[1] is based on two complementary software frameworks: low level control is provided by the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) framework[2][3] and the high level user interface is provided by the Java based Generic Data Acquisition or GDA[4][5]. EPICS provides a widely used, robust, generic interface across a wide range of hardware where the user interfaces are focused on serving the needs of engineers and beamline scientists to obtain detailed low level views of all aspects of the beamline control systems. The GDA system provides a high-level system that combines an understanding of scientific concepts, such as reciprocal lattice coordinates, a flexible python syntax scripting interface for the scientific user to control their data acquisition, and graphical user interfaces where necessary. This paper describes the beamline software architecture in more detail, highlighting how these complementary frameworks provide a flexible system that can accommodate a wide range of requirements.

Develop Direct Geo-referencing System Based on Open Source Software and Hardware Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, H. S.; Liao, H. M.

2015-08-01

Direct geo-referencing system uses the technology of remote sensing to quickly grasp images, GPS tracks, and camera position. These data allows the construction of large volumes of images with geographic coordinates. So that users can be measured directly on the images. In order to properly calculate positioning, all the sensor signals must be synchronized. Traditional aerial photography use Position and Orientation System (POS) to integrate image, coordinates and camera position. However, it is very expensive. And users could not use the result immediately because the position information does not embed into image. To considerations of economy and efficiency, this study aims to develop a direct geo-referencing system based on open source software and hardware platform. After using Arduino microcontroller board to integrate the signals, we then can calculate positioning with open source software OpenCV. In the end, we use open source panorama browser, panini, and integrate all these to open source GIS software, Quantum GIS. A wholesome collection of data - a data processing system could be constructed.

Food Intake Recording Software System, version 4 (FIRSSt4): A self-completed 24-h dietary recall for children

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Food Intake Recording Software System, version 4 (FIRSSt4), is a web-based 24-h dietary recall (24 hdr) self-administered by children based on the Automated Self-Administered 24-h recall (ASA24) (a self-administered 24 hdr for adults). The food choices in FIRSSt4 are abbreviated to include only ...

Review of the Water Resources Information System of Argentina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hutchison, N.E.

1987-01-01

A representative of the U.S. Geological Survey traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in November 1986, to discuss water information systems and data bank implementation in the Argentine Government Center for Water Resources Information. Software has been written by Center personnel for a minicomputer to be used to manage inventory (index) data and water quality data. Additional hardware and software have been ordered to upgrade the existing computer. Four microcomputers, statistical and data base management software, and network hardware and software for linking the computers have also been ordered. The Center plans to develop a nationwide distributed data base for Argentina that will include the major regional offices as nodes. Needs for continued development of the water resources information system for Argentina were reviewed. Identified needs include: (1) conducting a requirements analysis to define the content of the data base and insure that all user requirements are met, (2) preparing a plan for the development, implementation, and operation of the data base, and (3) developing a conceptual design to inform all development personnel and users of the basic functionality planned for the system. A quality assurance and configuration management program to provide oversight to the development process was also discussed. (USGS)

S-Cube: Enabling the Next Generation of Software Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, Andreas; Pohl, Klaus

The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm is increasingly adopted by industry for building distributed software systems. However, when designing, developing and operating innovative software services and servicebased systems, several challenges exist. Those challenges include how to manage the complexity of those systems, how to establish, monitor and enforce Quality of Service (QoS) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs), as well as how to build those systems such that they can proactively adapt to dynamically changing requirements and context conditions. Developing foundational solutions for those challenges requires joint efforts of different research communities such as Business Process Management, Grid Computing, Service Oriented Computing and Software Engineering. This paper provides an overview of S-Cube, the European Network of Excellence on Software Services and Systems. S-Cube brings together researchers from leading research institutions across Europe, who join their competences to develop foundations, theories as well as methods and tools for future service-based systems.

Next Generation Cloud-based Science Data Systems and Their Implications on Data and Software Stewardship, Preservation, and Provenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, H.; Manipon, G.; Starch, M.

2017-12-01

NASA's upcoming missions are expected to be generating data volumes at least an order of magnitude larger than current missions. A significant increase in data processing, data rates, data volumes, and long-term data archive capabilities are needed. Consequently, new challenges are emerging that impact traditional data and software management approaches. At large-scales, next generation science data systems are exploring the move onto cloud computing paradigms to support these increased needs. New implications such as costs, data movement, collocation of data systems & archives, and moving processing closer to the data, may result in changes to the stewardship, preservation, and provenance of science data and software. With more science data systems being on-boarding onto cloud computing facilities, we can expect more Earth science data records to be both generated and kept in the cloud. But at large scales, the cost of processing and storing global data may impact architectural and system designs. Data systems will trade the cost of keeping data in the cloud with the data life-cycle approaches of moving "colder" data back to traditional on-premise facilities. How will this impact data citation and processing software stewardship? What are the impacts of cloud-based on-demand processing and its affect on reproducibility and provenance. Similarly, with more science processing software being moved onto cloud, virtual machines, and container based approaches, more opportunities arise for improved stewardship and preservation. But will the science community trust data reprocessed years or decades later? We will also explore emerging questions of the stewardship of the science data system software that is generating the science data records both during and after the life of mission.

Enhancing performance of LCoS-SLM as adaptive optics by using computer-generated holograms modulation software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Chun-Wei; Lyu, Bo-Han; Wang, Chen; Hung, Cheng-Chieh

2017-05-01

We have already developed multi-function and easy-to-use modulation software that was based on LabVIEW system. There are mainly four functions in this modulation software, such as computer generated holograms (CGH) generation, CGH reconstruction, image trimming, and special phase distribution. Based on the above development of CGH modulation software, we could enhance the performance of liquid crystal on silicon - spatial light modulator (LCoSSLM) as similar as the diffractive optical element (DOE) and use it on various adaptive optics (AO) applications. Through the development of special phase distribution, we are going to use the LCoS-SLM with CGH modulation software into AO technology, such as optical microscope system. When the LCOS-SLM panel is integrated in an optical microscope system, it could be placed on the illumination path or on the image forming path. However, LCOS-SLM provides a program-controllable liquid crystal array for optical microscope. It dynamically changes the amplitude or phase of light and gives the obvious advantage, "Flexibility", to the system

Laboratory process control using natural language commands from a personal computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Will, Herbert A.; Mackin, Michael A.

1989-01-01

PC software is described which provides flexible natural language process control capability with an IBM PC or compatible machine. Hardware requirements include the PC, and suitable hardware interfaces to all controlled devices. Software required includes the Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) operating system, a PC-based FORTRAN-77 compiler, and user-written device drivers. Instructions for use of the software are given as well as a description of an application of the system.

Flight design system-1 system design. Volume 5: Data management and data base documentation support system. [for shuttle flight planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Application software intended to reduce the man-hours required per flight design cycle by producing major flight design documents with little or no manual typing is described. The documentation support software is divided into two separately executable processors. However, since both processors support the same overall functions, and most of the software contained in one is also contained in the other, both are collectively presented.

ACES: Space shuttle flight software analysis expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Satterwhite, R. Scott

1990-01-01

The Analysis Criteria Evaluation System (ACES) is a knowledge based expert system that automates the final certification of the Space Shuttle onboard flight software. Guidance, navigation and control of the Space Shuttle through all its flight phases are accomplished by a complex onboard flight software system. This software is reconfigured for each flight to allow thousands of mission-specific parameters to be introduced and must therefore be thoroughly certified prior to each flight. This certification is performed in ground simulations by executing the software in the flight computers. Flight trajectories from liftoff to landing, including abort scenarios, are simulated and the results are stored for analysis. The current methodology of performing this analysis is repetitive and requires many man-hours. The ultimate goals of ACES are to capture the knowledge of the current experts and improve the quality and reduce the manpower required to certify the Space Shuttle onboard flight software.

Research and Design of the Three-tier Distributed Network Management System Based on COM / COM + and DNA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Likai; Bi, Yushen

Considered on the distributed network management system's demand of high distributives, extensibility and reusability, a framework model of Three-tier distributed network management system based on COM/COM+ and DNA is proposed, which adopts software component technology and N-tier application software framework design idea. We also give the concrete design plan of each layer of this model. Finally, we discuss the internal running process of each layer in the distributed network management system's framework model.

Software for occupational health and safety risk analysis based on a fuzzy model.

PubMed

Stefanovic, Miladin; Tadic, Danijela; Djapan, Marko; Macuzic, Ivan

2012-01-01

Risk and safety management are very important issues in healthcare systems. Those are complex systems with many entities, hazards and uncertainties. In such an environment, it is very hard to introduce a system for evaluating and simulating significant hazards. In this paper, we analyzed different types of hazards in healthcare systems and we introduced a new fuzzy model for evaluating and ranking hazards. Finally, we presented a developed software solution, based on the suggested fuzzy model for evaluating and monitoring risk.

GUIdock-VNC: using a graphical desktop sharing system to provide a browser-based interface for containerized software

PubMed Central

Mittal, Varun; Hung, Ling-Hong; Keswani, Jayant; Kristiyanto, Daniel; Lee, Sung Bong

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Software container technology such as Docker can be used to package and distribute bioinformatics workflows consisting of multiple software implementations and dependencies. However, Docker is a command line–based tool, and many bioinformatics pipelines consist of components that require a graphical user interface. Results: We present a container tool called GUIdock-VNC that uses a graphical desktop sharing system to provide a browser-based interface for containerized software. GUIdock-VNC uses the Virtual Network Computing protocol to render the graphics within most commonly used browsers. We also present a minimal image builder that can add our proposed graphical desktop sharing system to any Docker packages, with the end result that any Docker packages can be run using a graphical desktop within a browser. In addition, GUIdock-VNC uses the Oauth2 authentication protocols when deployed on the cloud. Conclusions: As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated the utility of GUIdock-noVNC in gene network inference. We benchmarked our container implementation on various operating systems and showed that our solution creates minimal overhead. PMID:28327936

GUIdock-VNC: using a graphical desktop sharing system to provide a browser-based interface for containerized software.

PubMed

Mittal, Varun; Hung, Ling-Hong; Keswani, Jayant; Kristiyanto, Daniel; Lee, Sung Bong; Yeung, Ka Yee

2017-04-01

Software container technology such as Docker can be used to package and distribute bioinformatics workflows consisting of multiple software implementations and dependencies. However, Docker is a command line-based tool, and many bioinformatics pipelines consist of components that require a graphical user interface. We present a container tool called GUIdock-VNC that uses a graphical desktop sharing system to provide a browser-based interface for containerized software. GUIdock-VNC uses the Virtual Network Computing protocol to render the graphics within most commonly used browsers. We also present a minimal image builder that can add our proposed graphical desktop sharing system to any Docker packages, with the end result that any Docker packages can be run using a graphical desktop within a browser. In addition, GUIdock-VNC uses the Oauth2 authentication protocols when deployed on the cloud. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated the utility of GUIdock-noVNC in gene network inference. We benchmarked our container implementation on various operating systems and showed that our solution creates minimal overhead. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Software for marine ecological environment comprehensive monitoring system based on MCGS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X. H.; Ma, R.; Cao, X.; Cao, L.; Chu, D. Z.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, T. P.

2017-08-01

The automatic integrated monitoring software for marine ecological environment based on MCGS configuration software is designed and developed to realize real-time automatic monitoring of many marine ecological parameters. The DTU data transmission terminal performs network communication and transmits the data to the user data center in a timely manner. The software adopts the modular design and has the advantages of stable and flexible data structure, strong portability and scalability, clear interface, simple user operation and convenient maintenance. Continuous site comparison test of 6 months showed that, the relative error of the parameters monitored by the system such as temperature, salinity, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen was controlled within 5% with the standard method and the relative error of the nutrient parameters was within 15%. Meanwhile, the system had few maintenance times, low failure rate, stable and efficient continuous monitoring capabilities. The field application shows that the software is stable and the data communication is reliable, and it has a good application prospect in the field of marine ecological environment comprehensive monitoring.

An efficient approach to the deployment of complex open source information systems

PubMed Central

Cong, Truong Van Chi; Groeneveld, Eildert

2011-01-01

Complex open source information systems are usually implemented as component-based software to inherit the available functionality of existing software packages developed by third parties. Consequently, the deployment of these systems not only requires the installation of operating system, application framework and the configuration of services but also needs to resolve the dependencies among components. The problem becomes more challenging when the application must be installed and used on different platforms such as Linux and Windows. To address this, an efficient approach using the virtualization technology is suggested and discussed in this paper. The approach has been applied in our project to deploy a web-based integrated information system in molecular genetics labs. It is a low-cost solution to benefit both software developers and end-users. PMID:22102770

Hybrid Energy System Design of Micro Hydro-PV-biogas Based Micro-grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishrina; Abdullah, A. G.; Risdiyanto, A.; Nandiyanto, ABD

2017-03-01

Hybrid renewable energy system is an arrangement of one or more sources of renewable energy and also conventional energy. This paper describes a simulation results of hybrid renewable power system based on the available potential in an educational institution in Indonesia. HOMER software was used to simulate and analyse both in terms of optimization and economic terms. This software was developed through 3 main principles; simulation, optimization, and sensitivity analysis. Generally, the presented results show that the software can demonstrate a feasible hybrid power system as well to be realized. The entire demand in case study area can be supplied by the system configuration and can be met by ¾ of electricity production. So, there are ¼ of generated energy became an excess electricity.

SHINE Virtual Machine Model for In-flight Updates of Critical Mission Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plesea, Lucian

2008-01-01

This software is a new target for the Spacecraft Health Inference Engine (SHINE) knowledge base that compiles a knowledge base to a language called Tiny C - an interpreted version of C that can be embedded on flight processors. This new target allows portions of a running SHINE knowledge base to be updated on a "live" system without needing to halt and restart the containing SHINE application. This enhancement will directly provide this capability without the risk of software validation problems and can also enable complete integration of BEAM and SHINE into a single application. This innovation enables SHINE deployment in domains where autonomy is used during flight-critical applications that require updates. This capability eliminates the need for halting the application and performing potentially serious total system uploads before resuming the application with the loss of system integrity. This software enables additional applications at JPL (microsensors, embedded mission hardware) and increases the marketability of these applications outside of JPL.

An Integrated Software Package to Enable Predictive Simulation Capabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yousu; Fitzhenry, Erin B.; Jin, Shuangshuang

The power grid is increasing in complexity due to the deployment of smart grid technologies. Such technologies vastly increase the size and complexity of power grid systems for simulation and modeling. This increasing complexity necessitates not only the use of high-performance-computing (HPC) techniques, but a smooth, well-integrated interplay between HPC applications. This paper presents a new integrated software package that integrates HPC applications and a web-based visualization tool based on a middleware framework. This framework can support the data communication between different applications. Case studies with a large power system demonstrate the predictive capability brought by the integrated software package,more » as well as the better situational awareness provided by the web-based visualization tool in a live mode. Test results validate the effectiveness and usability of the integrated software package.« less

The Earth System Documentation (ES-DOC) Software Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenslade, M. A.; Murphy, S.; Treshansky, A.; DeLuca, C.; Guilyardi, E.; Denvil, S.

2013-12-01

Earth System Documentation (ES-DOC) is an international project supplying high-quality tools & services in support of earth system documentation creation, analysis and dissemination. It is nurturing a sustainable standards based documentation eco-system that aims to become an integral part of the next generation of exa-scale dataset archives. ES-DOC leverages open source software, and applies a software development methodology that places end-user narratives at the heart of all it does. ES-DOC has initially focused upon nurturing the Earth System Model (ESM) documentation eco-system and currently supporting the following projects: * Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5); * Dynamical Core Model Inter-comparison Project (DCMIP); * National Climate Predictions and Projections Platforms Quantitative Evaluation of Downscaling Workshop. This talk will demonstrate that ES-DOC implements a relatively mature software development process. Taking a pragmatic Agile process as inspiration, ES-DOC: * Iteratively develops and releases working software; * Captures user requirements via a narrative based approach; * Uses online collaboration tools (e.g. Earth System CoG) to manage progress; * Prototypes applications to validate their feasibility; * Leverages meta-programming techniques where appropriate; * Automates testing whenever sensibly feasible; * Streamlines complex deployments to a single command; * Extensively leverages GitHub and Pivotal Tracker; * Enforces strict separation of the UI from underlying API's; * Conducts code reviews.

Simple solution to the medical instrumentation software problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leif, Robert C.; Leif, Suzanne B.; Leif, Stephanie H.; Bingue, E.

1995-04-01

Medical devices now include a substantial software component, which is both difficult and expensive to produce and maintain. Medical software must be developed according to `Good Manufacturing Practices', GMP. Good Manufacturing Practices as specified by the FDA and ISO requires the definition and compliance to a software processes which ensures quality products by specifying a detailed method of software construction. The software process should be based on accepted standards. US Department of Defense software standards and technology can both facilitate the development and improve the quality of medical systems. We describe the advantages of employing Mil-Std-498, Software Development and Documentation, and the Ada programming language. Ada provides the very broad range of functionalities, from embedded real-time to management information systems required by many medical devices. It also includes advanced facilities for object oriented programming and software engineering.

Open Architecture Standard for NASA's Software-Defined Space Telecommunications Radio Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard C.; Johnson, Sandra K.; Kacpura, Thomas J.; Hall, Charles S.; Smith, Carl R.; Liebetreu, John

2008-01-01

NASA is developing an architecture standard for software-defined radios used in space- and ground-based platforms to enable commonality among radio developments to enhance capability and services while reducing mission and programmatic risk. Transceivers (or transponders) with functionality primarily defined in software (e.g., firmware) have the ability to change their functional behavior through software alone. This radio architecture standard offers value by employing common waveform software interfaces, method of instantiation, operation, and testing among different compliant hardware and software products. These common interfaces within the architecture abstract application software from the underlying hardware to enable technology insertion independently at either the software or hardware layer. This paper presents the initial Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture for NASA missions to provide the desired software abstraction and flexibility while minimizing the resources necessary to support the architecture.

[The primary research and development of software oversampling mapping system for electrocardiogram].

PubMed

Zhou, Yu; Ren, Jie

2011-04-01

We put forward a new concept of software oversampling mapping system for electrocardiogram (ECG) to assist the research of the ECG inverse problem to improve the generality of mapping system and the quality of mapping signals. We then developed a conceptual system based on the traditional ECG detecting circuit, Labview and DAQ card produced by National Instruments, and at the same time combined the newly-developed oversampling method into the system. The results indicated that the system could map ECG signals accurately and the quality of the signals was good. The improvement of hardware and enhancement of software made the system suitable for mapping in different situations. So the primary development of the software for oversampling mapping system was successful and further research and development can make the system a powerful tool for researching ECG inverse problem.

Using Combined SFTA and SFMECA Techniques for Space Critical Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicodemos, F. G.; Lahoz, C. H. N.; Abdala, M. A. D.; Saotome, O.

2012-01-01

This work addresses the combined Software Fault Tree Analysis (SFTA) and Software Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (SFMECA) techniques applied to space critical software of satellite launch vehicles. The combined approach is under research as part of the Verification and Validation (V&V) efforts to increase software dependability and as future application in other projects under development at Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço (IAE). The applicability of such approach was conducted on system software specification and applied to a case study based on the Brazilian Satellite Launcher (VLS). The main goal is to identify possible failure causes and obtain compensating provisions that lead to inclusion of new functional and non-functional system software requirements.

Software Coherence in Multiprocessor Memory Systems. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolosky, William Joseph

1993-01-01

Processors are becoming faster and multiprocessor memory interconnection systems are not keeping up. Therefore, it is necessary to have threads and the memory they access as near one another as possible. Typically, this involves putting memory or caches with the processors, which gives rise to the problem of coherence: if one processor writes an address, any other processor reading that address must see the new value. This coherence can be maintained by the hardware or with software intervention. Systems of both types have been built in the past; the hardware-based systems tended to outperform the software ones. However, the ratio of processor to interconnect speed is now so high that the extra overhead of the software systems may no longer be significant. This issue is explored both by implementing a software maintained system and by introducing and using the technique of offline optimal analysis of memory reference traces. It finds that in properly built systems, software maintained coherence can perform comparably to or even better than hardware maintained coherence. The architectural features necessary for efficient software coherence to be profitable include a small page size, a fast trap mechanism, and the ability to execute instructions while remote memory references are outstanding.

A soft computing based approach using modified selection strategy for feature reduction of medical systems.

PubMed

Zuhtuogullari, Kursat; Allahverdi, Novruz; Arikan, Nihat

2013-01-01

The systems consisting high input spaces require high processing times and memory usage. Most of the attribute selection algorithms have the problems of input dimensions limits and information storage problems. These problems are eliminated by means of developed feature reduction software using new modified selection mechanism with middle region solution candidates adding. The hybrid system software is constructed for reducing the input attributes of the systems with large number of input variables. The designed software also supports the roulette wheel selection mechanism. Linear order crossover is used as the recombination operator. In the genetic algorithm based soft computing methods, locking to the local solutions is also a problem which is eliminated by using developed software. Faster and effective results are obtained in the test procedures. Twelve input variables of the urological system have been reduced to the reducts (reduced input attributes) with seven, six, and five elements. It can be seen from the obtained results that the developed software with modified selection has the advantages in the fields of memory allocation, execution time, classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity values when compared with the other reduction algorithms by using the urological test data.

A Soft Computing Based Approach Using Modified Selection Strategy for Feature Reduction of Medical Systems

PubMed Central

Zuhtuogullari, Kursat; Allahverdi, Novruz; Arikan, Nihat

2013-01-01

The systems consisting high input spaces require high processing times and memory usage. Most of the attribute selection algorithms have the problems of input dimensions limits and information storage problems. These problems are eliminated by means of developed feature reduction software using new modified selection mechanism with middle region solution candidates adding. The hybrid system software is constructed for reducing the input attributes of the systems with large number of input variables. The designed software also supports the roulette wheel selection mechanism. Linear order crossover is used as the recombination operator. In the genetic algorithm based soft computing methods, locking to the local solutions is also a problem which is eliminated by using developed software. Faster and effective results are obtained in the test procedures. Twelve input variables of the urological system have been reduced to the reducts (reduced input attributes) with seven, six, and five elements. It can be seen from the obtained results that the developed software with modified selection has the advantages in the fields of memory allocation, execution time, classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity values when compared with the other reduction algorithms by using the urological test data. PMID:23573172

A text input system developed by using lips image recognition based LabVIEW for the seriously disabled.

PubMed

Chen, S C; Shao, C L; Liang, C K; Lin, S W; Huang, T H; Hsieh, M C; Yang, C H; Luo, C H; Wuo, C M

2004-01-01

In this paper, we present a text input system for the seriously disabled by using lips image recognition based on LabVIEW. This system can be divided into the software subsystem and the hardware subsystem. In the software subsystem, we adopted the technique of image processing to recognize the status of mouth-opened or mouth-closed depending the relative distance between the upper lip and the lower lip. In the hardware subsystem, parallel port built in PC is used to transmit the recognized result of mouth status to the Morse-code text input system. Integrating the software subsystem with the hardware subsystem, we implement a text input system by using lips image recognition programmed in LabVIEW language. We hope the system can help the seriously disabled to communicate with normal people more easily.

Aircraft interrogation and display system: A ground support equipment for digital flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, R. D.

1982-01-01

A microprocessor-based general purpose ground support equipment for electronic systems was developed. The hardware and software are designed to permit diverse applications in support of aircraft flight systems and simulation facilities. The implementation of the hardware, the structure of the software, describes the application of the system to an ongoing research aircraft project are described.

Overview of the TriBITS Lifecycle Model: Lean/Agile Software Lifecycle Model for Research-based Computational Science and Engineering Software

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bartlett, Roscoe A; Heroux, Dr. Michael A; Willenbring, James

2012-01-01

Software lifecycles are becoming an increasingly important issue for computational science & engineering (CSE) software. The process by which a piece of CSE software begins life as a set of research requirements and then matures into a trusted high-quality capability is both commonplace and extremely challenging. Although an implicit lifecycle is obviously being used in any effort, the challenges of this process--respecting the competing needs of research vs. production--cannot be overstated. Here we describe a proposal for a well-defined software lifecycle process based on modern Lean/Agile software engineering principles. What we propose is appropriate for many CSE software projects thatmore » are initially heavily focused on research but also are expected to eventually produce usable high-quality capabilities. The model is related to TriBITS, a build, integration and testing system, which serves as a strong foundation for this lifecycle model, and aspects of this lifecycle model are ingrained in the TriBITS system. Indeed this lifecycle process, if followed, will enable large-scale sustainable integration of many complex CSE software efforts across several institutions.« less

Distributed software framework and continuous integration in hydroinformatics systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jianzhong; Zhang, Wei; Xie, Mengfei; Lu, Chengwei; Chen, Xiao

2017-08-01

When encountering multiple and complicated models, multisource structured and unstructured data, complex requirements analysis, the platform design and integration of hydroinformatics systems become a challenge. To properly solve these problems, we describe a distributed software framework and it’s continuous integration process in hydroinformatics systems. This distributed framework mainly consists of server cluster for models, distributed database, GIS (Geographic Information System) servers, master node and clients. Based on it, a GIS - based decision support system for joint regulating of water quantity and water quality of group lakes in Wuhan China is established.

Simulation Of Combat With An Expert System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Provenzano, J. P.

1989-01-01

Proposed expert system predicts outcomes of combat situations. Called "COBRA", combat outcome based on rules for attrition, system selects rules for mathematical modeling of losses and discrete events in combat according to previous experiences. Used with another software module known as the "Game". Game/COBRA software system, consisting of Game and COBRA modules, provides for both quantitative aspects and qualitative aspects in simulations of battles. COBRA intended for simulation of large-scale military exercises, concepts embodied in it have much broader applicability. In industrial research, knowledge-based system enables qualitative as well as quantitative simulations.

Translating expert system rules into Ada code with validation and verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, Lee; Duckworth, R. James; Green, Peter; Michalson, Bill; Gosselin, Dave; Nainani, Krishan; Pease, Adam

1991-01-01

The purpose of this ongoing research and development program is to develop software tools which enable the rapid development, upgrading, and maintenance of embedded real-time artificial intelligence systems. The goals of this phase of the research were to investigate the feasibility of developing software tools which automatically translate expert system rules into Ada code and develop methods for performing validation and verification testing of the resultant expert system. A prototype system was demonstrated which automatically translated rules from an Air Force expert system was demonstrated which detected errors in the execution of the resultant system. The method and prototype tools for converting AI representations into Ada code by converting the rules into Ada code modules and then linking them with an Activation Framework based run-time environment to form an executable load module are discussed. This method is based upon the use of Evidence Flow Graphs which are a data flow representation for intelligent systems. The development of prototype test generation and evaluation software which was used to test the resultant code is discussed. This testing was performed automatically using Monte-Carlo techniques based upon a constraint based description of the required performance for the system.

Central Data Processing System (CDPS) user's manual: Solar heating and cooling program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The software and data base management system required to assess the performance of solar heating and cooling systems installed at multiple sites is presented. The instrumentation data associated with these systems is collected, processed, and presented in a form which supported continuity of performance evaluation across all applications. The CDPS consisted of three major elements: communication interface computer, central data processing computer, and performance evaluation data base. Users of the performance data base were identified, and procedures for operation, and guidelines for software maintenance were outlined. The manual also defined the output capabilities of the CDPS in support of external users of the system.

Transforming Aggregate Object-Oriented Formal Specifications to Code

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-03-01

integration issues associated with a formal-based software transformation system, such as the source specification, the problem space architecture , design architecture ... design transforms, and target software transforms. Software is critical in today’s Air Force, yet its specification, design, and development

Expert systems applied to fault isolation and energy storage management, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

A user's guide for the Fault Isolation and Energy Storage (FIES) II system is provided. Included are a brief discussion of the background and scope of this project, a discussion of basic and advanced operating installation and problem determination procedures for the FIES II system and information on hardware and software design and implementation. A number of appendices are provided including a detailed specification for the microprocessor software, a detailed description of the expert system rule base and a description and listings of the LISP interface software.

Research a Novel Integrated and Dynamic Multi-object Trade-Off Mechanism in Software Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Weijin; Xu, Yuhui

Aiming at practical requirements of present software project management and control, the paper presented to construct integrated multi-object trade-off model based on software project process management, so as to actualize integrated and dynamic trade-oil of the multi-object system of project. Based on analyzing basic principle of dynamic controlling and integrated multi-object trade-off system process, the paper integrated method of cybernetics and network technology, through monitoring on some critical reference points according to the control objects, emphatically discussed the integrated and dynamic multi- object trade-off model and corresponding rules and mechanism in order to realize integration of process management and trade-off of multi-object system.

The development and technology transfer of software engineering technology at NASA. Johnson Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitman, C. L.; Erb, D. M.; Izygon, M. E.; Fridge, E. M., III; Roush, G. B.; Braley, D. M.; Savely, R. T.

1992-01-01

The United State's big space projects of the next decades, such as Space Station and the Human Exploration Initiative, will need the development of many millions of lines of mission critical software. NASA-Johnson (JSC) is identifying and developing some of the Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) technology that NASA will need to build these future software systems. The goal is to improve the quality and the productivity of large software development projects. New trends are outlined in CASE technology and how the Software Technology Branch (STB) at JSC is endeavoring to provide some of these CASE solutions for NASA is described. Key software technology components include knowledge-based systems, software reusability, user interface technology, reengineering environments, management systems for the software development process, software cost models, repository technology, and open, integrated CASE environment frameworks. The paper presents the status and long-term expectations for CASE products. The STB's Reengineering Application Project (REAP), Advanced Software Development Workstation (ASDW) project, and software development cost model (COSTMODL) project are then discussed. Some of the general difficulties of technology transfer are introduced, and a process developed by STB for CASE technology insertion is described.

Vision Based Localization in Urban Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McHenry, Michael; Cheng, Yang; Matthies, Larry

2005-01-01

As part of DARPA's MARS2020 program, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed a vision-based system for localization in urban environments that requires neither GPS nor active sensors. System hardware consists of a pair of small FireWire cameras and a standard Pentium-based computer. The inputs to the software system consist of: 1) a crude grid-based map describing the positions of buildings, 2) an initial estimate of robot location and 3) the video streams produced by each camera. At each step during the traverse the system: captures new image data, finds image features hypothesized to lie on the outside of a building, computes the range to those features, determines an estimate of the robot's motion since the previous step and combines that data with the map to update a probabilistic representation of the robot's location. This probabilistic representation allows the system to simultaneously represent multiple possible locations, For our testing, we have derived the a priori map manually using non-orthorectified overhead imagery, although this process could be automated. The software system consists of two primary components. The first is the vision system which uses binocular stereo ranging together with a set of heuristics to identify features likely to be part of building exteriors and to compute an estimate of the robot's motion since the previous step. The resulting visual features and the associated range measurements are software component, a particle-filter based localization system. This system uses the map and the then fed to the second primary most recent results from the vision system to update the estimate of the robot's location. This report summarizes the design of both the hardware and software and will include the results of applying the system to the global localization of a robot over an approximately half-kilometer traverse across JPL'S Pasadena campus.

Feature-based component model for design of embedded systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zha, Xuan Fang; Sriram, Ram D.

2004-11-01

An embedded system is a hybrid of hardware and software, which combines software's flexibility and hardware real-time performance. Embedded systems can be considered as assemblies of hardware and software components. An Open Embedded System Model (OESM) is currently being developed at NIST to provide a standard representation and exchange protocol for embedded systems and system-level design, simulation, and testing information. This paper proposes an approach to representing an embedded system feature-based model in OESM, i.e., Open Embedded System Feature Model (OESFM), addressing models of embedded system artifacts, embedded system components, embedded system features, and embedded system configuration/assembly. The approach provides an object-oriented UML (Unified Modeling Language) representation for the embedded system feature model and defines an extension to the NIST Core Product Model. The model provides a feature-based component framework allowing the designer to develop a virtual embedded system prototype through assembling virtual components. The framework not only provides a formal precise model of the embedded system prototype but also offers the possibility of designing variation of prototypes whose members are derived by changing certain virtual components with different features. A case study example is discussed to illustrate the embedded system model.

CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. Volume 21, Number 8

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

effort. No one ever replaced the dirty string and no one washed the cup ... The BASE -1 system came up on time, under budget, and exceeded all operating...the base where he worked was written, maintained, and com- pletely understood by one individual. Unfortunately, that individual was in a bad car ...sponsor: Software Engineering and System Assurance. USN co- sponsor: Naval Air Systems Command. USAF co- sponsors: Oklahoma City-Air Logistics Center

Software design by reusing architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhansali, Sanjay; Nii, H. Penny

1992-01-01

Abstraction fosters reuse by providing a class of artifacts that can be instantiated or customized to produce a set of artifacts meeting different specific requirements. It is proposed that significant leverage can be obtained by abstracting software system designs and the design process. The result of such an abstraction is a generic architecture and a set of knowledge-based, customization tools that can be used to instantiate the generic architecture. An approach for designing software systems based on the above idea are described. The approach is illustrated through an implemented example, and the advantages and limitations of the approach are discussed.

Leak detection by mass balance effective for Norman Wells line

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liou, J.C.P.

Mass-balance calculations for leak detection have been shown as effective as a leading software system, in a comparison based on a major Canadian crude-oil pipeline. The calculations and NovaCorp`s Leakstop software each detected 4% (approximately) or greater leaks on Interprovincial Pipe Line (IPL) Inc.`s Norman Wells pipeline. Insufficient data exist to assess performances of the two methods for leaks smaller than 4%. Pipeline leak detection using such software-based systems are common. Their effectiveness is measured by how small and how quickly a leak can be detected. Algorithms used and measurement uncertainties determine leak detectability.

Dependability modeling and assessment in UML-based software development.

PubMed

Bernardi, Simona; Merseguer, José; Petriu, Dorina C

2012-01-01

Assessment of software nonfunctional properties (NFP) is an important problem in software development. In the context of model-driven development, an emerging approach for the analysis of different NFPs consists of the following steps: (a) to extend the software models with annotations describing the NFP of interest; (b) to transform automatically the annotated software model to the formalism chosen for NFP analysis; (c) to analyze the formal model using existing solvers; (d) to assess the software based on the results and give feedback to designers. Such a modeling→analysis→assessment approach can be applied to any software modeling language, be it general purpose or domain specific. In this paper, we focus on UML-based development and on the dependability NFP, which encompasses reliability, availability, safety, integrity, and maintainability. The paper presents the profile used to extend UML with dependability information, the model transformation to generate a DSPN formal model, and the assessment of the system properties based on the DSPN results.

The HEP Software and Computing Knowledge Base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenaus, T.

2017-10-01

HEP software today is a rich and diverse domain in itself and exists within the mushrooming world of open source software. As HEP software developers and users we can be more productive and effective if our work and our choices are informed by a good knowledge of what others in our community have created or found useful. The HEP Software and Computing Knowledge Base, hepsoftware.org, was created to facilitate this by serving as a collection point and information exchange on software projects and products, services, training, computing facilities, and relating them to the projects, experiments, organizations and science domains that offer them or use them. It was created as a contribution to the HEP Software Foundation, for which a HEP S&C knowledge base was a much requested early deliverable. This contribution will motivate and describe the system, what it offers, its content and contributions both existing and needed, and its implementation (node.js based web service and javascript client app) which has emphasized ease of use for both users and contributors.

Dependability Modeling and Assessment in UML-Based Software Development

PubMed Central

Bernardi, Simona; Merseguer, José; Petriu, Dorina C.

2012-01-01

Assessment of software nonfunctional properties (NFP) is an important problem in software development. In the context of model-driven development, an emerging approach for the analysis of different NFPs consists of the following steps: (a) to extend the software models with annotations describing the NFP of interest; (b) to transform automatically the annotated software model to the formalism chosen for NFP analysis; (c) to analyze the formal model using existing solvers; (d) to assess the software based on the results and give feedback to designers. Such a modeling→analysis→assessment approach can be applied to any software modeling language, be it general purpose or domain specific. In this paper, we focus on UML-based development and on the dependability NFP, which encompasses reliability, availability, safety, integrity, and maintainability. The paper presents the profile used to extend UML with dependability information, the model transformation to generate a DSPN formal model, and the assessment of the system properties based on the DSPN results. PMID:22988428

Space Telecommunications Radio System Software Architecture Concepts and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Handler, Louis M.; Hall, Charles S.; Briones, Janette C.; Blaser, Tammy M.

2008-01-01

The Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) project investigated various Software Defined Radio (SDR) architectures for Space. An STRS architecture has been selected that separates the STRS operating environment from its various waveforms and also abstracts any specialized hardware to limit its effect on the operating environment. The design supports software evolution where new functionality is incorporated into the radio. Radio hardware functionality has been moving from hardware based ASICs into firmware and software based processors such as FPGAs, DSPs and General Purpose Processors (GPPs). Use cases capture the requirements of a system by describing how the system should interact with the users or other systems (the actors) to achieve a specific goal. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is used to illustrate the Use Cases in a variety of ways. The Top Level Use Case diagram shows groupings of the use cases and how the actors are involved. The state diagrams depict the various states that a system or object may be in and the transitions between those states. The sequence diagrams show the main flow of activity as described in the use cases.

Shuttle avionics software trials, tribulations and success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henderson, O. L.

1985-01-01

The early problems and the solutions developed to provide the required quality software needed to support the space shuttle engine development program are described. The decision to use a programmable digital control system on the space shuttle engine was primarily based upon the need for a flexible control system capable of supporting the total engine mission on a large complex pump fed engine. The mission definition included all control phases from ground checkout through post shutdown propellant dumping. The flexibility of the controller through reprogrammable software allowed the system to respond to the technical challenges and innovation required to develop both the engine and controller hardware. This same flexibility, however, placed a severe strain on the capability of the software development and verification organization. The overall development program required that the software facility accommodate significant growth in both the software requirements and the number of software packages delivered. This challenge was met by reorganization and evolution in the process of developing and verifying software.

Open-Source web-based geographical information system for health exposure assessment

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This paper presents the design and development of an open source web-based Geographical Information System allowing users to visualise, customise and interact with spatial data within their web browser. The developed application shows that by using solely Open Source software it was possible to develop a customisable web based GIS application that provides functions necessary to convey health and environmental data to experts and non-experts alike without the requirement of proprietary software. PMID:22233606

Security System Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

C Language Integration Production System (CLIPS), a NASA-developed expert systems program, has enabled a security systems manufacturer to design a new generation of hardware. C.CURESystem 1 Plus, manufactured by Software House, is a software based system that is used with a variety of access control hardware at installations around the world. Users can manage large amounts of information, solve unique security problems and control entry and time scheduling. CLIPS acts as an information management tool when accessed by C.CURESystem 1 Plus. It asks questions about the hardware and when given the answer, recommends possible quick solutions by non-expert persons.

NanoDesign: Concepts and Software for a Nanotechnology Based on Functionalized Fullerenes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Globus, Al; Jaffe, Richard; Chancellor, Marisa K. (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

Eric Drexler has proposed a hypothetical nanotechnology based on diamond and investigated the properties of such molecular systems. While attractive, diamonoid nanotechnology is not physically accessible with straightforward extensions of current laboratory techniques. We propose a nanotechnology based on functionalized fullerenes and investigate carbon nanotube based gears with teeth added via a benzyne reaction known to occur with C60. The gears are single-walled carbon nanotubes with appended coenzyme groups for teeth. Fullerenes are in widespread laboratory use and can be functionalized in many ways. Companion papers computationally demonstrate the properties of these gears (they appear to work) and the accessibility of the benzyne/nanotube reaction. This paper describes the molecular design techniques and rationale as well as the software that implements these design techniques. The software is a set of persistent C++ objects controlled by TCL command scripts. The c++/tcl interface is automatically generated by a software system called tcl_c++ developed by the author and described here. The objects keep track of different portions of the molecular machinery to allow different simulation techniques and boundary conditions to be applied as appropriate. This capability has been required to demonstrate (computationally) our gear's feasibility. A new distributed software architecture featuring a WWW universal client, CORBA distributed objects, and agent software is under consideration. The software architecture is intended to eventually enable a widely disbursed group to develop complex simulated molecular machines.

Advanced Software Techniques for Data Management Systems. Volume 2: Space Shuttle Flight Executive System: Functional Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pepe, J. T.

1972-01-01

A functional design of software executive system for the space shuttle avionics computer is presented. Three primary functions of the executive are emphasized in the design: task management, I/O management, and configuration management. The executive system organization is based on the applications software and configuration requirements established during the Phase B definition of the Space Shuttle program. Although the primary features of the executive system architecture were derived from Phase B requirements, it was specified for implementation with the IBM 4 Pi EP aerospace computer and is expected to be incorporated into a breadboard data management computer system at NASA Manned Spacecraft Center's Information system division. The executive system was structured for internal operation on the IBM 4 Pi EP system with its external configuration and applications software assumed to the characteristic of the centralized quad-redundant avionics systems defined in Phase B.

A Method for Populating the Knowledge Base of AFIT’s Domain-Oriented Application Composition System

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

Analysis ( FODA ). The approach identifies prominent features (similarities) and distinctive features (differences) of software systems within an... analysis approaches we have summarized, the re- searchers described FODA in sufficient detail to use on large domain analysis projects (ones with...Software Technology Center, July 1991. 18. Kang, Kyo C. and others. Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) Feasibility Study. Technical Report, Software

SHI(EL)DS: A Novel Hardware-Based Security Backplane to Enhance Security with Minimal Impact to System Operation

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

executables. The current roadblock to detecting Type I Malware consistantly is the practice of legitimate software , such as antivirus programs, using this... Software Security Systems . . 31 3.2.2 Advantages of Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 3.2.3 Trustworthiness of Information . . . . . . . . . 33...Towards a Hardware Security Backplane . . . . . . . . . 42 IV. Review of State of the Art Computer Security Solutions . . . . . 46 4.1 Software

OpenROCS: a software tool to control robotic observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colomé, Josep; Sanz, Josep; Vilardell, Francesc; Ribas, Ignasi; Gil, Pere

2012-09-01

We present the Open Robotic Observatory Control System (OpenROCS), an open source software platform developed for the robotic control of telescopes. It acts as a software infrastructure that executes all the necessary processes to implement responses to the system events that appear in the routine and non-routine operations associated to data-flow and housekeeping control. The OpenROCS software design and implementation provides a high flexibility to be adapted to different observatory configurations and event-action specifications. It is based on an abstract model that is independent of the specific hardware or software and is highly configurable. Interfaces to the system components are defined in a simple manner to achieve this goal. We give a detailed description of the version 2.0 of this software, based on a modular architecture developed in PHP and XML configuration files, and using standard communication protocols to interface with applications for hardware monitoring and control, environment monitoring, scheduling of tasks, image processing and data quality control. We provide two examples of how it is used as the core element of the control system in two robotic observatories: the Joan Oró Telescope at the Montsec Astronomical Observatory (Catalonia, Spain) and the SuperWASP Qatar Telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Canary Islands, Spain).

A first-generation software product line for data acquisition systems in astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Ruiz, J. C.; Heradio, Rubén; Cerrada Somolinos, José Antonio; Coz Fernandez, José Ramón; López Ramos, Pablo

2008-07-01

This article presents a case study on developing a software product line for data acquisition systems in astronomy based on the Exemplar Driven Development methodology and the Exemplar Flexibilization Language tool. The main strategies to build the software product line are based on the domain commonality and variability, the incremental scope and the use of existing artifacts. It consists on a lean methodology with little impact on the organization, suitable for small projects, which reduces product line start-up time. Software Product Lines focuses on creating a family of products instead of individual products. This approach has spectacular benefits on reducing the time to market, maintaining the know-how, reducing the development costs and increasing the quality of new products. The maintenance of the products is also enhanced since all the data acquisition systems share the same product line architecture.

Hardware/software codesign for embedded RISC core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Peng

2001-12-01

This paper describes hardware/software codesign method of the extendible embedded RISC core VIRGO, which based on MIPS-I instruction set architecture. VIRGO is described by Verilog hardware description language that has five-stage pipeline with shared 32-bit cache/memory interface, and it is controlled by distributed control scheme. Every pipeline stage has one small controller, which controls the pipeline stage status and cooperation among the pipeline phase. Since description use high level language and structure is distributed, VIRGO core has highly extension that can meet the requirements of application. We take look at the high-definition television MPEG2 MPHL decoder chip, constructed the hardware/software codesign virtual prototyping machine that can research on VIRGO core instruction set architecture, and system on chip memory size requirements, and system on chip software, etc. We also can evaluate the system on chip design and RISC instruction set based on the virtual prototyping machine platform.

Guideline for Software Documentation Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Bureau of Standards (DOC), Washington, DC.

Designed as a basic reference for federal personnel concerned with the development, maintenance, enhancement, control, and management of computer-based systems, this manual provides a general overview of the software development process and software documentation issues so that managers can assess their own documentation requirements. Reference is…

A VxD-based automatic blending system using multithreaded programming.

PubMed

Wang, L; Jiang, X; Chen, Y; Tan, K C

2004-01-01

This paper discusses the object-oriented software design for an automatic blending system. By combining the advantages of a programmable logic controller (PLC) and an industrial control PC (ICPC), an automatic blending control system is developed for a chemical plant. The system structure and multithread-based communication approach are first presented in this paper. The overall software design issues, such as system requirements and functionalities, are then discussed in detail. Furthermore, by replacing the conventional dynamic link library (DLL) with virtual X device drivers (VxD's), a practical and cost-effective solution is provided to improve the robustness of the Windows platform-based automatic blending system in small- and medium-sized plants.

Instrument control software development process for the multi-star AO system ARGOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulas, M.; Barl, L.; Borelli, J. L.; Gässler, W.; Rabien, S.

2012-09-01

The ARGOS project (Advanced Rayleigh guided Ground layer adaptive Optics System) will upgrade the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) with an AO System consisting of six Rayleigh laser guide stars. This adaptive optics system integrates several control loops and many different components like lasers, calibration swing arms and slope computers that are dispersed throughout the telescope. The purpose of the instrument control software (ICS) is running this AO system and providing convenient client interfaces to the instruments and the control loops. The challenges for the ARGOS ICS are the development of a distributed and safety-critical software system with no defects in a short time, the creation of huge and complex software programs with a maintainable code base, the delivery of software components with the desired functionality and the support of geographically distributed project partners. To tackle these difficult tasks, the ARGOS software engineers reuse existing software like the novel middleware from LINC-NIRVANA, an instrument for the LBT, provide many tests at different functional levels like unit tests and regression tests, agree about code and architecture style and deliver software incrementally while closely collaborating with the project partners. Many ARGOS ICS components are already successfully in use in the laboratories for testing ARGOS control loops.

Challenges of the Open Source Component Marketplace in the Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayala, Claudia; Hauge, Øyvind; Conradi, Reidar; Franch, Xavier; Li, Jingyue; Velle, Ketil Sandanger

The reuse of Open Source Software components available on the Internet is playing a major role in the development of Component Based Software Systems. Nevertheless, the special nature of the OSS marketplace has taken the “classical” concept of software reuse based on centralized repositories to a completely different arena based on massive reuse over Internet. In this paper we provide an overview of the actual state of the OSS marketplace, and report preliminary findings about how companies interact with this marketplace to reuse OSS components. Such data was gathered from interviews in software companies in Spain and Norway. Based on these results we identify some challenges aimed to improve the industrial reuse of OSS components.

Student Development of Educational Software: Spin-Offs from Classroom Use of DIAS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, John A., Jr.; And Others

1988-01-01

Describes several college courses which encourage students to develop computer software programs in the areas of remote sensing and geographic information systems. A microcomputer-based tutorial package, the Digital Image Analysis System (DAIS), teaches the principles of digital processing. (LS)

Testing expert systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, C. L.; Stachowitz, R. A.

1988-01-01

Software quality is of primary concern in all large-scale expert system development efforts. Building appropriate validation and test tools for ensuring software reliability of expert systems is therefore required. The Expert Systems Validation Associate (EVA) is a validation system under development at the Lockheed Artificial Intelligence Center. EVA provides a wide range of validation and test tools to check correctness, consistency, and completeness of an expert system. Testing a major function of EVA. It means executing an expert system with test cases with the intent of finding errors. In this paper, we describe many different types of testing such as function-based testing, structure-based testing, and data-based testing. We describe how appropriate test cases may be selected in order to perform good and thorough testing of an expert system.

PScan 1.0: flexible software framework for polygon based multiphoton microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongxiao; Lee, Woei Ming

2016-12-01

Multiphoton laser scanning microscopes exhibit highly localized nonlinear optical excitation and are powerful instruments for in-vivo deep tissue imaging. Customized multiphoton microscopy has a significantly superior performance for in-vivo imaging because of precise control over the scanning and detection system. To date, there have been several flexible software platforms catered to custom built microscopy systems i.e. ScanImage, HelioScan, MicroManager, that perform at imaging speeds of 30-100fps. In this paper, we describe a flexible software framework for high speed imaging systems capable of operating from 5 fps to 1600 fps. The software is based on the MATLAB image processing toolbox. It has the capability to communicate directly with a high performing imaging card (Matrox Solios eA/XA), thus retaining high speed acquisition. The program is also designed to communicate with LabVIEW and Fiji for instrument control and image processing. Pscan 1.0 can handle high imaging rates and contains sufficient flexibility for users to adapt to their high speed imaging systems.

Knowledge-based assistance in costing the space station DMS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henson, Troy; Rone, Kyle

1988-01-01

The Software Cost Engineering (SCE) methodology developed over the last two decades at IBM Systems Integration Division (SID) in Houston is utilized to cost the NASA Space Station Data Management System (DMS). An ongoing project to capture this methodology, which is built on a foundation of experiences and lessons learned, has resulted in the development of an internal-use-only, PC-based prototype that integrates algorithmic tools with knowledge-based decision support assistants. This prototype Software Cost Engineering Automation Tool (SCEAT) is being employed to assist in the DMS costing exercises. At the same time, DMS costing serves as a forcing function and provides a platform for the continuing, iterative development, calibration, and validation and verification of SCEAT. The data that forms the cost engineering database is derived from more than 15 years of development of NASA Space Shuttle software, ranging from low criticality, low complexity support tools to highly complex and highly critical onboard software.

The Need for V&V in Reuse-Based Software Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Addy, Edward A.

1997-01-01

V&V is currently performed during application development for many systems, especially safety-critical and mission-critical systems. The V&V process is intended to discover errors, especially errors related to entire' domain or product line rather than a critical processing, as early as possible during the development process. The system application provides the context under which the software artifacts are validated. engineering. This paper describes a framework that extends V&V from an individual application system to a product line of systems that are developed within an architecture-based software engineering environment. This framework includes the activities of traditional application-level V&V, and extends these activities into the transition between domain engineering and application engineering. The framework includes descriptions of the types of activities to be performed during each of the life-cycle phases, and provides motivation for activities.

Software Considerations for Subscale Flight Testing of Experimental Control Laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murch, Austin M.; Cox, David E.; Cunningham, Kevin

2009-01-01

The NASA AirSTAR system has been designed to address the challenges associated with safe and efficient subscale flight testing of research control laws in adverse flight conditions. In this paper, software elements of this system are described, with an emphasis on components which allow for rapid prototyping and deployment of aircraft control laws. Through model-based design and automatic coding a common code-base is used for desktop analysis, piloted simulation and real-time flight control. The flight control system provides the ability to rapidly integrate and test multiple research control laws and to emulate component or sensor failures. Integrated integrity monitoring systems provide aircraft structural load protection, isolate the system from control algorithm failures, and monitor the health of telemetry streams. Finally, issues associated with software configuration management and code modularity are briefly discussed.

Development of an irrigation scheduling software based on model predicted crop water stress

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Modern irrigation scheduling methods are generally based on sensor-monitored soil moisture regimes rather than crop water stress which is difficult to measure in real-time, but can be computed using agricultural system models. In this study, an irrigation scheduling software based on RZWQM2 model pr...

A Review of DIMPACK Version 1.0: Conditional Covariance-Based Test Dimensionality Analysis Package

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deng, Nina; Han, Kyung T.; Hambleton, Ronald K.

2013-01-01

DIMPACK Version 1.0 for assessing test dimensionality based on a nonparametric conditional covariance approach is reviewed. This software was originally distributed by Assessment Systems Corporation and now can be freely accessed online. The software consists of Windows-based interfaces of three components: DIMTEST, DETECT, and CCPROX/HAC, which…

Integration of LCoS-SLM and LabVIEW based software to simulate fundamental optics, wave optics, and Fourier optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Bo-Han; Wang, Chen; Tsai, Chun-Wei

2017-08-01

Jasper Display Corp. (JDC) offer high reflectivity, high resolution Liquid Crystal on Silicon - Spatial Light Modulator (LCoS-SLM) which include an associated controller ASIC and LabVIEW based modulation software. Based on this LCoS-SLM, also called Education Kit (EDK), we provide a training platform which includes a series of optical theory and experiments to university students. This EDK not only provides a LabVIEW based operation software to produce Computer Generated Holograms (CGH) to generate some basic diffraction image or holographic image, but also provides simulation software to verity the experiment results simultaneously. However, we believe that a robust LCoSSLM, operation software, simulation software, training system, and training course can help students to study the fundamental optics, wave optics, and Fourier optics more easily. Based on these fundamental knowledges, they could develop their unique skills and create their new innovations on the optoelectronic application in the future.

Model-Based GN and C Simulation and Flight Software Development for Orion Missions beyond LEO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Odegard, Ryan; Milenkovic, Zoran; Henry, Joel; Buttacoli, Michael

2014-01-01

For Orion missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) system is being developed using a model-based approach for simulation and flight software. Lessons learned from the development of GN&C algorithms and flight software for the Orion Exploration Flight Test One (EFT-1) vehicle have been applied to the development of further capabilities for Orion GN&C beyond EFT-1. Continuing the use of a Model-Based Development (MBD) approach with the Matlab®/Simulink® tool suite, the process for GN&C development and analysis has been largely improved. Furthermore, a model-based simulation environment in Simulink, rather than an external C-based simulation, greatly eases the process for development of flight algorithms. The benefits seen by employing lessons learned from EFT-1 are described, as well as the approach for implementing additional MBD techniques. Also detailed are the key enablers for improvements to the MBD process, including enhanced configuration management techniques for model-based software systems, automated code and artifact generation, and automated testing and integration.

Designing Computerized Provider Order Entry Software in Iran: The Nurses' and Physicians' Viewpoints.

PubMed

Khammarnia, Mohammad; Sharifian, Roxana; Zand, Farid; Keshtkaran, Ali; Barati, Omid

2016-09-01

This study aimed to identify the functional requirements of computerized provider order entry software and design this software in Iran. This study was conducted using review documentation, interview, and focus group discussions in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, as the medical pole in Iran, in 2013-2015. The study sample consisted of physicians (n = 12) and nurses (n = 2) in the largest hospital in the southern part of Iran and information technology experts (n = 5) in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Functional requirements of the computerized provider order entry system were examined in three phases. Finally, the functional requirements were distributed in four levels, and accordingly, the computerized provider order entry software was designed. The software had seven main dimensions: (1) data entry, (2) drug interaction management system, (3) warning system, (4) treatment services, (5) ability to write in software, (6) reporting from all sections of the software, and (7) technical capabilities of the software. The nurses and physicians emphasized quick access to the computerized provider order entry software, order prescription section, and applicability of the software. The software had some items that had not been mentioned in other studies. Ultimately, the software was designed by a company specializing in hospital information systems in Iran. This study was the first specific investigation of computerized provider order entry software design in Iran. Based on the results, it is suggested that this software be implemented in hospitals.

Development and integration of a LabVIEW-based modular architecture for automated execution of electrochemical catalyst testing.

PubMed

Topalov, Angel A; Katsounaros, Ioannis; Meier, Josef C; Klemm, Sebastian O; Mayrhofer, Karl J J

2011-11-01

This paper describes a system for performing electrochemical catalyst testing where all hardware components are controlled simultaneously using a single LabVIEW-based software application. The software that we developed can be operated in both manual mode for exploratory investigations and automatic mode for routine measurements, by using predefined execution procedures. The latter enables the execution of high-throughput or combinatorial investigations, which decrease substantially the time and cost for catalyst testing. The software was constructed using a modular architecture which simplifies the modification or extension of the system, depending on future needs. The system was tested by performing stability tests of commercial fuel cell electrocatalysts, and the advantages of the developed system are discussed. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Web-based software tool for constraint-based design specification of synthetic biological systems.

PubMed

Oberortner, Ernst; Densmore, Douglas

2015-06-19

miniEugene provides computational support for solving combinatorial design problems, enabling users to specify and enumerate designs for novel biological systems based on sets of biological constraints. This technical note presents a brief tutorial for biologists and software engineers in the field of synthetic biology on how to use miniEugene. After reading this technical note, users should know which biological constraints are available in miniEugene, understand the syntax and semantics of these constraints, and be able to follow a step-by-step guide to specify the design of a classical synthetic biological system-the genetic toggle switch.1 We also provide links and references to more information on the miniEugene web application and the integration of the miniEugene software library into sophisticated Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools for synthetic biology ( www.eugenecad.org ).

NASA Software Cost Estimation Model: An Analogy Based Estimation Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hihn, Jairus; Juster, Leora; Menzies, Tim; Mathew, George; Johnson, James

2015-01-01

The cost estimation of software development activities is increasingly critical for large scale integrated projects such as those at DOD and NASA especially as the software systems become larger and more complex. As an example MSL (Mars Scientific Laboratory) developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory launched with over 2 million lines of code making it the largest robotic spacecraft ever flown (Based on the size of the software). Software development activities are also notorious for their cost growth, with NASA flight software averaging over 50% cost growth. All across the agency, estimators and analysts are increasingly being tasked to develop reliable cost estimates in support of program planning and execution. While there has been extensive work on improving parametric methods there is very little focus on the use of models based on analogy and clustering algorithms. In this paper we summarize our findings on effort/cost model estimation and model development based on ten years of software effort estimation research using data mining and machine learning methods to develop estimation models based on analogy and clustering. The NASA Software Cost Model performance is evaluated by comparing it to COCOMO II, linear regression, and K-­ nearest neighbor prediction model performance on the same data set.

Development of yarn breakage detection software system based on machine vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenyuan; Zhou, Ping; Lin, Xiangyu

2017-10-01

For questions spinning mills and yarn breakage cannot be detected in a timely manner, and save the cost of textile enterprises. This paper presents a software system based on computer vision for real-time detection of yarn breakage. The system and Windows8.1 system Tablet PC, cloud server to complete the yarn breakage detection and management. Running on the Tablet PC software system is designed to collect yarn and location information for analysis and processing. And will be processed after the information through the Wi-Fi and http protocol sent to the cloud server to store in the Microsoft SQL2008 database. In order to follow up on the yarn break information query and management. Finally sent to the local display on time display, and remind the operator to deal with broken yarn. The experimental results show that the system of missed test rate not more than 5%o, and no error detection.

Using software security analysis to verify the secure socket layer (SSL) protocol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, John D.

2004-01-01

nal Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have tens of thousands of networked computer systems and applications. Software Security vulnerabilities present risks such as lost or corrupted data, information the3, and unavailability of critical systems. These risks represent potentially enormous costs to NASA. The NASA Code Q research initiative 'Reducing Software Security Risk (RSSR) Trough an Integrated Approach '' offers, among its capabilities, formal verification of software security properties, through the use of model based verification (MBV) to address software security risks. [1,2,3,4,5,6] MBV is a formal approach to software assurance that combines analysis of software, via abstract models, with technology, such as model checkers, that provide automation of the mechanical portions of the analysis process. This paper will discuss: The need for formal analysis to assure software systems with respect to software and why testing alone cannot provide it. The means by which MBV with a Flexible Modeling Framework (FMF) accomplishes the necessary analysis task. An example of FMF style MBV in the verification of properties over the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) communication protocol as a demonstration.

HTTM - Design and Implementation of a Type-2 Hypervisor for MIPS64 Based Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ain, Qurrat ul; Anwar, Usama; Mehmood, Muhammad Amir; Waheed, Abdul

2017-01-01

Virtualization has emerged as an attractive software solution for many problems in server domain. Recently, it has started to enrich embedded systems domain by offering features such as hardware consolidation, security, and isolation. Our objective is to bring virtualization to high-end MIPS64 based systems, such as network routers, switches, wireless base station, etc. For this purpose a Type-2 hypervisor is a viable software solution which is easy to deploy and requires no changes in host system. In this paper we present the internal design HTTM -A Type-2 hypervisor for MIPS64 based systems and demonstrate its functional correctness by using Linux Testing Project (LTP) tests. Finally, we performed LMbench tests for performance evaluation.

Research of hydroelectric generating set low-frequency vibration monitoring system based on optical fiber sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Li; Zhang, Xiaolei; Zhang, Faxiang; Sun, Zhihui; Li, ShuJuan; Wang, Meng; Wang, Chang

2017-10-01

In order to satisfy hydroelectric generating set low-frequency vibration monitoring, the design of Passive low-frequency vibration monitoring system based on Optical fiber sensing in this paper. The hardware of the system adopts the passive optical fiber grating sensor and unbalanced-Michelson interferometer. The software system is used to programming by Labview software and finishing the control of system. The experiment show that this system has good performance on the standard vibration testing-platform and it meets system requirements. The frequency of the monitoring system can be as low as 0.2Hz and the resolution is 0.01Hz.

Building an Integrated Environment for Multimedia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Multimedia courseware on the solar system and earth science suitable for use in elementary, middle, and high schools was developed under this grant. The courseware runs on Silicon Graphics, Incorporated (SGI) workstations and personal computers (PCs). There is also a version of the courseware accessible via the World Wide Web. Accompanying multimedia database systems were also developed to enhance the multimedia courseware. The database systems accompanying the PC software are based on the relational model, while the database systems accompanying the SGI software are based on the object-oriented model.

FPGA-Based Efficient Hardware/Software Co-Design for Industrial Systems with Consideration of Output Selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deliparaschos, Kyriakos M.; Michail, Konstantinos; Zolotas, Argyrios C.; Tzafestas, Spyros G.

2016-05-01

This work presents a field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based embedded software platform coupled with a software-based plant, forming a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) that is used to validate a systematic sensor selection framework. The systematic sensor selection framework combines multi-objective optimization, linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG)-type control, and the nonlinear model of a maglev suspension. A robustness analysis of the closed-loop is followed (prior to implementation) supporting the appropriateness of the solution under parametric variation. The analysis also shows that quantization is robust under different controller gains. While the LQG controller is implemented on an FPGA, the physical process is realized in a high-level system modeling environment. FPGA technology enables rapid evaluation of the algorithms and test designs under realistic scenarios avoiding heavy time penalty associated with hardware description language (HDL) simulators. The HIL technique facilitates significant speed-up in the required execution time when compared to its software-based counterpart model.

AIRSAR Web-Based Data Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chu, Anhua; Van Zyl, Jakob; Kim, Yunjin; Hensley, Scott; Lou, Yunling; Madsen, Soren; Chapman, Bruce; Imel, David; Durden, Stephen; Tung, Wayne

2007-01-01

The AIRSAR automated, Web-based data processing and distribution system is an integrated, end-to-end synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing system. Designed to function under limited resources and rigorous demands, AIRSAR eliminates operational errors and provides for paperless archiving. Also, it provides a yearly tune-up of the processor on flight missions, as well as quality assurance with new radar modes and anomalous data compensation. The software fully integrates a Web-based SAR data-user request subsystem, a data processing system to automatically generate co-registered multi-frequency images from both polarimetric and interferometric data collection modes in 80/40/20 MHz bandwidth, an automated verification quality assurance subsystem, and an automatic data distribution system for use in the remote-sensor community. Features include Survey Automation Processing in which the software can automatically generate a quick-look image from an entire 90-GB SAR raw data 32-MB/s tape overnight without operator intervention. Also, the software allows product ordering and distribution via a Web-based user request system. To make AIRSAR more user friendly, it has been designed to let users search by entering the desired mission flight line (Missions Searching), or to search for any mission flight line by entering the desired latitude and longitude (Map Searching). For precision image automation processing, the software generates the products according to each data processing request stored in the database via a Queue management system. Users are able to have automatic generation of coregistered multi-frequency images as the software generates polarimetric and/or interferometric SAR data processing in ground and/or slant projection according to user processing requests for one of the 12 radar modes.

Low-noise correlation measurements based on software-defined-radio receivers and cooled microwave amplifiers.

PubMed

Nieminen, Teemu; Lähteenmäki, Pasi; Tan, Zhenbing; Cox, Daniel; Hakonen, Pertti J

2016-11-01

We present a microwave correlation measurement system based on two low-cost USB-connected software defined radio dongles modified to operate as coherent receivers by using a common local oscillator. Existing software is used to obtain I/Q samples from both dongles simultaneously at a software tunable frequency. To achieve low noise, we introduce an easy low-noise solution for cryogenic amplification at 600-900 MHz based on single discrete HEMT with 21 dB gain and 7 K noise temperature. In addition, we discuss the quantization effects in a digital correlation measurement and determination of optimal integration time by applying Allan deviation analysis.

Data base management system and display software for the National Geophysical Data Center geomagnetic CD-ROM's

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papitashvili, N. E.; Papitashvili, V. O.; Allen, J. H.; Morris, L. D.

1995-01-01

The National Geophysical Data Center has the largest collection of geomagnetic data from the worldwide network of magnetic observatories. The data base management system and retrieval/display software have been developed for the archived geomagnetic data (annual means, monthly, daily, hourly, and 1-minute values) and placed on the center's CD-ROM's to provide users with 'user-oriented' and 'user-friendly' support. This system is described in this paper with a brief outline of provided options.

A Cloud-based, Open-Source, Command-and-Control Software Paradigm for Space Situational Awareness (SSA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melton, R.; Thomas, J.

With the rapid growth in the number of space actors, there has been a marked increase in the complexity and diversity of software systems utilized to support SSA target tracking, indication, warning, and collision avoidance. Historically, most SSA software has been constructed with "closed" proprietary code, which limits interoperability, inhibits the code transparency that some SSA customers need to develop domain expertise, and prevents the rapid injection of innovative concepts into these systems. Open-source aerospace software, a rapidly emerging, alternative trend in code development, is based on open collaboration, which has the potential to bring greater transparency, interoperability, flexibility, and reduced development costs. Open-source software is easily adaptable, geared to rapidly changing mission needs, and can generally be delivered at lower costs to meet mission requirements. This paper outlines Ball's COSMOS C2 system, a fully open-source, web-enabled, command-and-control software architecture which provides several unique capabilities to move the current legacy SSA software paradigm to an open source model that effectively enables pre- and post-launch asset command and control. Among the unique characteristics of COSMOS is the ease with which it can integrate with diverse hardware. This characteristic enables COSMOS to serve as the command-and-control platform for the full life-cycle development of SSA assets, from board test, to box test, to system integration and test, to on-orbit operations. The use of a modern scripting language, Ruby, also permits automated procedures to provide highly complex decision making for the tasking of SSA assets based on both telemetry data and data received from outside sources. Detailed logging enables quick anomaly detection and resolution. Integrated real-time and offline data graphing renders the visualization of the both ground and on-orbit assets simple and straightforward.

The use of emulator-based simulators for on-board software maintenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irvine, M. M.; Dartnell, A.

2002-07-01

Traditionally, onboard software maintenance activities within the space sector are performed using hardware-based facilities. These facilities are developed around the use of hardware emulation or breadboards containing target processors. Some sort of environment is provided around the hardware to support the maintenance actives. However, these environments are not easy to use to set-up the required test scenarios, particularly when the onboard software executes in a dynamic I/O environment, e.g. attitude control software, or data handling software. In addition, the hardware and/or environment may not support the test set-up required during investigations into software anomalies, e.g. raise spurious interrupt, fail memory, etc, and the overall "visibility" of the software executing may be limited. The Software Maintenance Simulator (SOMSIM) is a tool that can support the traditional maintenance facilities. The following list contains some of the main benefits that SOMSIM can provide: Low cost flexible extension to existing product - operational simulator containing software processor emulator; System-level high-fidelity test-bed in which software "executes"; Provides a high degree of control/configuration over the entire "system", including contingency conditions perhaps not possible with real hardware; High visibility and control over execution of emulated software. This paper describes the SOMSIM concept in more detail, and also describes the SOMSIM study being carried out for ESA/ESOC by VEGA IT GmbH.

Instrumentation development for space debris optical observation system in Indonesia: Preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dani, Tiar; Rachman, Abdul; Priyatikanto, Rhorom; Religia, Bahar

2015-09-01

An increasing number of space junk in orbit has raised their chances to fall in Indonesian region. So far, three debris of rocket bodies have been found in Bengkulu, Gorontalo and Lampung. LAPAN has successfully developed software for monitoring space debris that passes over Indonesia with an altitude below 200 km. To support the software-based system, the hardware-based system has been developed based on optical instruments. The system has been under development in early 2014 which consist of two systems: the telescopic system and wide field system. The telescopic system uses CCD cameras and a reflecting telescope with relatively high sensitivity. Wide field system uses DSLR cameras, binoculars and a combination of CCD with DSLR Lens. Methods and preliminary results of the systems will be presented.

Diverter AI based decision aid, phases 1 and 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sexton, George A.; Bayles, Scott J.; Patterson, Robert W.; Schulke, Duane A.; Williams, Deborah C.

1989-01-01

It was determined that a system to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into airborne flight management computers is feasible. The AI functions that would be most useful to the pilot are to perform situational assessment, evaluate outside influences on the contemplated rerouting, perform flight planning/replanning, and perform maneuver planning. A study of the software architecture and software tools capable of demonstrating Diverter was also made. A skeletal planner known as the Knowledge Acquisition Development Tool (KADET), which is a combination script-based and rule-based system, was used to implement the system. A prototype system was developed which demonstrates advanced in-flight planning/replanning capabilities.

DCL System Using Deep Learning Approaches for Land-based or Ship-based Real-Time Recognition and Localization of Marine Mammals

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

platform (HPC) was developed, called the HPC-Acoustic Data Accelerator, or HPC-ADA for short. The HPC-ADA was designed based on fielded systems [1-4...software (Detection cLassificaiton for MAchine learning - High Peformance Computing). The software package was designed to utilize parallel and...Sedna [7] and is designed using a parallel architecture2, allowing existing algorithms to distribute to the various processing nodes with minimal changes

CAD/CAM complete dentures: a review of two commercial fabrication systems.

PubMed

Kattadiyil, Mathew T; Goodacre, Charles J; Baba, Nadim Z

2013-06-01

The use of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) has become available for complete dentures through the AvaDent and Dentca systems. AvaDent uses laser scanning and computer technology. Teeth are arranged and bases formed using proprietary software.The bases are milled from prepolymerized pucks of resin. Dentca uses computer software to produce virtual maxillary and mandibular edentulous ridges, arrange the teeth and form bases. The dentures are fabricated using a conventional processing technique.

From Workstation to Teacher Support System: A Tool to Increase Productivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, J. Wey

1989-01-01

Describes a teacher support system which is a computer-based workstation that provides support for teachers and administrators by integrating teacher utility programs, instructional management software, administrative packages, and office automation tools. Hardware is described and software components are explained, including database managers,…

TES: A modular systems approach to expert system development for real-time space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cacace, Ralph; England, Brenda

1988-01-01

A major goal of the Space Station era is to reduce reliance on support from ground based experts. The development of software programs using expert systems technology is one means of reaching this goal without requiring crew members to become intimately familiar with the many complex spacecraft subsystems. Development of an expert systems program requires a validation of the software with actual flight hardware. By combining accurate hardware and software modelling techniques with a modular systems approach to expert systems development, the validation of these software programs can be successfully completed with minimum risk and effort. The TIMES Expert System (TES) is an application that monitors and evaluates real time data to perform fault detection and fault isolation tasks as they would otherwise be carried out by a knowledgeable designer. The development process and primary features of TES, a modular systems approach, and the lessons learned are discussed.

Effect of system workload on operating system reliability - A study on IBM 3081

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iyer, R. K.; Rossetti, D. J.

1985-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of operating system failures on an IBM 3081 running VM/SP. Three broad categories of software failures are found: error handling, program control or logic, and hardware related; it is found that more than 25 percent of software failures occur in the hardware/software interface. Measurements show that results on software reliability cannot be considered representative unless the system workload is taken into account. The overall CPU execution rate, although measured to be close to 100 percent most of the time, is not found to correlate strongly with the occurrence of failures. Possible reasons for the observed workload failure dependency, based on detailed investigations of the failure data, are discussed.

The Wettzell System Monitoring Concept and First Realizations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ettl, Martin; Neidhardt, Alexander; Muehlbauer, Matthias; Ploetz, Christian; Beaudoin, Christopher

2010-01-01

Automated monitoring of operational system parameters for the geodetic space techniques is becoming more important in order to improve the geodetic data and to ensure the safety and stability of automatic and remote-controlled observations. Therefore, the Wettzell group has developed the system monitoring software, SysMon, which is based on a reliable, remotely-controllable hardware/software realization. A multi-layered data logging system based on a fanless, robust industrial PC with an internal database system is used to collect data from several external, serial, bus, or PCI-based sensors. The internal communication is realized with Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) and uses generative programming with the interface software generator idl2rpc.pl developed at Wettzell. Each data monitoring stream can be configured individually via configuration files to define the logging rates or analog-digital-conversion parameters. First realizations are currently installed at the new laser ranging system at Wettzell to address safety issues and at the VLBI station O Higgins as a meteorological data logger. The system monitoring concept should be realized for the Wettzell radio telescope in the near future.

A medical software system for volumetric analysis of cerebral pathologies in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.

PubMed

Egger, Jan; Kappus, Christoph; Freisleben, Bernd; Nimsky, Christopher

2012-08-01

In this contribution, a medical software system for volumetric analysis of different cerebral pathologies in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data is presented. The software system is based on a semi-automatic segmentation algorithm and helps to overcome the time-consuming process of volume determination during monitoring of a patient. After imaging, the parameter settings-including a seed point-are set up in the system and an automatic segmentation is performed by a novel graph-based approach. Manually reviewing the result leads to reseeding, adding seed points or an automatic surface mesh generation. The mesh is saved for monitoring the patient and for comparisons with follow-up scans. Based on the mesh, the system performs a voxelization and volume calculation, which leads to diagnosis and therefore further treatment decisions. The overall system has been tested with different cerebral pathologies-glioblastoma multiforme, pituitary adenomas and cerebral aneurysms- and evaluated against manual expert segmentations using the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). Additionally, intra-physician segmentations have been performed to provide a quality measure for the presented system.

Remote hardware-reconfigurable robotic camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arias-Estrada, Miguel; Torres-Huitzil, Cesar; Maya-Rueda, Selene E.

2001-10-01

In this work, a camera with integrated image processing capabilities is discussed. The camera is based on an imager coupled to an FPGA device (Field Programmable Gate Array) which contains an architecture for real-time computer vision low-level processing. The architecture can be reprogrammed remotely for application specific purposes. The system is intended for rapid modification and adaptation for inspection and recognition applications, with the flexibility of hardware and software reprogrammability. FPGA reconfiguration allows the same ease of upgrade in hardware as a software upgrade process. The camera is composed of a digital imager coupled to an FPGA device, two memory banks, and a microcontroller. The microcontroller is used for communication tasks and FPGA programming. The system implements a software architecture to handle multiple FPGA architectures in the device, and the possibility to download a software/hardware object from the host computer into its internal context memory. System advantages are: small size, low power consumption, and a library of hardware/software functionalities that can be exchanged during run time. The system has been validated with an edge detection and a motion processing architecture, which will be presented in the paper. Applications targeted are in robotics, mobile robotics, and vision based quality control.

The software application and classification algorithms for welds radiograms analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sikora, R.; Chady, T.; Baniukiewicz, P.; Grzywacz, B.; Lopato, P.; Misztal, L.; Napierała, L.; Piekarczyk, B.; Pietrusewicz, T.; Psuj, G.

2013-01-01

The paper presents a software implementation of an Intelligent System for Radiogram Analysis (ISAR). The system has to support radiologists in welds quality inspection. The image processing part of software with a graphical user interface and a welds classification part are described with selected classification results. Classification was based on a few algorithms: an artificial neural network, a k-means clustering, a simplified k-means and a rough sets theory.

Integration of a knowledge-based system and a clinical documentation system via a data dictionary.

PubMed

Eich, H P; Ohmann, C; Keim, E; Lang, K

1997-01-01

This paper describes the design and realisation of a knowledge-based system and a clinical documentation system linked via a data dictionary. The software was developed as a shell with object oriented methods and C++ for IBM-compatible PC's and WINDOWS 3.1/95. The data dictionary covers terminology and document objects with relations to external classifications. It controls the terminology in the documentation program with form-based entry of clinical documents and in the knowledge-based system with scores and rules. The software was applied to the clinical field of acute abdominal pain by implementing a data dictionary with 580 terminology objects, 501 document objects, and 2136 links; a documentation module with 8 clinical documents and a knowledge-based system with 10 scores and 7 sets of rules.

Expert system verification and validation study: ES V/V Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

French, Scott; Hamilton, David

1992-01-01

The primary purpose of this document is to build a foundation for applying principles of verification and validation (V&V) of expert systems. To achieve this, some V&V as applied to conventionally implemented software is required. Part one will discuss the background of V&V from the perspective of (1) what is V&V of software and (2) V&V's role in developing software. Part one will also overview some common analysis techniques that are applied when performing V&V of software. All of these materials will be presented based on the assumption that the reader has little or no background in V&V or in developing procedural software. The primary purpose of part two is to explain the major techniques that have been developed for V&V of expert systems.

Space Communication and Navigation SDR Testbed, Overview and Opportunity for Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard C.

2013-01-01

NASA has developed an experimental flight payload (referred to as the Space Communication and Navigation (SCAN) Test Bed) to investigate software defined radio (SDR) communications, networking, and navigation technologies, operationally in the space environment. The payload consists of three software defined radios each compliant to NASAs Space Telecommunications Radio System Architecture, a common software interface description standard for software defined radios. The software defined radios are new technology developments underway by NASA and industry partners launched in 2012. The payload is externally mounted to the International Space Station truss to conduct experiments representative of future mission capability. Experiment operations include in-flight reconfiguration of the SDR waveform functions and payload networking software. The flight system will communicate with NASAs orbiting satellite relay network, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System at both S-band and Ka-band and to any Earth-based compatible S-band ground station. The system is available for experiments by industry, academia, and other government agencies to participate in the SDR technology assessments and standards advancements.

Space Communication and Navigation Testbed Communications Technology for Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard

2013-01-01

NASA developed and launched an experimental flight payload (referred to as the Space Communication and Navigation Test Bed) to investigate software defined radio, networking, and navigation technologies, operationally in the space environment. The payload consists of three software defined radios each compliant to NASAs Space Telecommunications Radio System Architecture, a common software interface description standard for software defined radios. The software defined radios are new technology developed by NASA and industry partners. The payload is externally mounted to the International Space Station truss and available to NASA, industry, and university partners to conduct experiments representative of future mission capability. Experiment operations include in-flight reconfiguration of the SDR waveform functions and payload networking software. The flight system communicates with NASAs orbiting satellite relay network, the Tracking, Data Relay Satellite System at both S-band and Ka-band and to any Earth-based compatible S-band ground station.

Software Analyzes Complex Systems in Real Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

Expert system software programs, also known as knowledge-based systems, are computer programs that emulate the knowledge and analytical skills of one or more human experts, related to a specific subject. SHINE (Spacecraft Health Inference Engine) is one such program, a software inference engine (expert system) designed by NASA for the purpose of monitoring, analyzing, and diagnosing both real-time and non-real-time systems. It was developed to meet many of the Agency s demanding and rigorous artificial intelligence goals for current and future needs. NASA developed the sophisticated and reusable software based on the experience and requirements of its Jet Propulsion Laboratory s (JPL) Artificial Intelligence Research Group in developing expert systems for space flight operations specifically, the diagnosis of spacecraft health. It was designed to be efficient enough to operate in demanding real time and in limited hardware environments, and to be utilized by non-expert systems applications written in conventional programming languages. The technology is currently used in several ongoing NASA applications, including the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Spacecraft Health Automatic Reasoning Pilot (SHARP) program for the diagnosis of telecommunication anomalies during the Neptune Voyager Encounter. It is also finding applications outside of the Space Agency.

Software/hardware distributed processing network supporting the Ada environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Richard J.; Pryk, Zen

1993-09-01

A high-performance, fault-tolerant, distributed network has been developed, tested, and demonstrated. The network is based on the MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. R3000 Risc for processing, VHSIC ASICs for high speed, reliable, inter-node communications and compatible commercial memory and I/O boards. The network is an evolution of the Advanced Onboard Signal Processor (AOSP) architecture. It supports Ada application software with an Ada- implemented operating system. A six-node implementation (capable of expansion up to 256 nodes) of the RISC multiprocessor architecture provides 120 MIPS of scalar throughput, 96 Mbytes of RAM and 24 Mbytes of non-volatile memory. The network provides for all ground processing applications, has merit for space-qualified RISC-based network, and interfaces to advanced Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools for application software development.

Software reuse in spacecraft planning and scheduling systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mclean, David; Tuchman, Alan; Broseghini, Todd; Yen, Wen; Page, Brenda; Johnson, Jay; Bogovich, Lynn; Burkhardt, Chris; Mcintyre, James; Klein, Scott

1993-01-01

The use of a software toolkit and development methodology that supports software reuse is described. The toolkit includes source-code-level library modules and stand-alone tools which support such tasks as data reformatting and report generation, simple relational database applications, user interfaces, tactical planning, strategic planning and documentation. The current toolkit is written in C and supports applications that run on IBM-PC's under DOS and UNlX-based workstations under OpenLook and Motif. The toolkit is fully integrated for building scheduling systems that reuse AI knowledge base technology. A typical scheduling scenario and three examples of applications that utilize the reuse toolkit will be briefly described. In addition to the tools themselves, a description of the software evolution and reuse methodology that was used is presented.

Ground and Space Radar Volume Matching and Comparison Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Kenneth; Schwaller, Mathew

2010-01-01

This software enables easy comparison of ground- and space-based radar observations. The software was initially designed to compare ground radar reflectivity from operational, ground based Sand C-band meteorological radars with comparable measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite s Precipitation Radar (PR) instrument. The software is also applicable to other ground-based and space-based radars. The ground and space radar volume matching and comparison software was developed in response to requirements defined by the Ground Validation System (GVS) of Goddard s Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) project. This software innovation is specifically concerned with simplifying the comparison of ground- and spacebased radar measurements for the purpose of GPM algorithm and data product validation. This software is unique in that it provides an operational environment to routinely create comparison products, and uses a direct geometric approach to derive common volumes of space- and ground-based radar data. In this approach, spatially coincident volumes are defined by the intersection of individual space-based Precipitation Radar rays with the each of the conical elevation sweeps of the ground radar. Thus, the resampled volume elements of the space and ground radar reflectivity can be directly compared to one another.

Deductive Glue Code Synthesis for Embedded Software Systems Based on Code Patterns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Jian; Fu, Jicheng; Zhang, Yansheng; Bastani, Farokh; Yen, I-Ling; Tai, Ann; Chau, Savio N.

2006-01-01

Automated code synthesis is a constructive process that can be used to generate programs from specifications. It can, thus, greatly reduce the software development cost and time. The use of formal code synthesis approach for software generation further increases the dependability of the system. Though code synthesis has many potential benefits, the synthesis techniques are still limited. Meanwhile, components are widely used in embedded system development. Applying code synthesis to component based software development (CBSD) process can greatly enhance the capability of code synthesis while reducing the component composition efforts. In this paper, we discuss the issues and techniques for applying deductive code synthesis techniques to CBSD. For deductive synthesis in CBSD, a rule base is the key for inferring appropriate component composition. We use the code patterns to guide the development of rules. Code patterns have been proposed to capture the typical usages of the components. Several general composition operations have been identified to facilitate systematic composition. We present the technique for rule development and automated generation of new patterns from existing code patterns. A case study of using this method in building a real-time control system is also presented.

Software Engineering and Swarm-Based Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G.; Sterritt, Roy; Pena, Joaquin; Rouff, Christopher A.

2006-01-01

We discuss two software engineering aspects in the development of complex swarm-based systems. NASA researchers have been investigating various possible concept missions that would greatly advance future space exploration capabilities. The concept mission that we have focused on exploits the principles of autonomic computing as well as being based on the use of intelligent swarms, whereby a (potentially large) number of similar spacecraft collaborate to achieve mission goals. The intent is that such systems not only can be sent to explore remote and harsh environments but also are endowed with greater degrees of protection and longevity to achieve mission goals.

C-Language Integrated Production System, Version 5.1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riley, Gary; Donnell, Brian; Ly, Huyen-Anh VU; Culbert, Chris; Savely, Robert T.; Mccoy, Daniel J.; Giarratano, Joseph

1992-01-01

CLIPS 5.1 provides cohesive software tool for handling wide variety of knowledge with support for three different programming paradigms: rule-based, object-oriented, and procedural. Rule-based programming provides representation of knowledge by use of heuristics. Object-oriented programming enables modeling of complex systems as modular components. Procedural programming enables CLIPS to represent knowledge in ways similar to those allowed in such languages as C, Pascal, Ada, and LISP. Working with CLIPS 5.1, one can develop expert-system software by use of rule-based programming only, object-oriented programming only, procedural programming only, or combinations of the three.

Software Framework for Development of Web-GIS Systems for Analysis of Georeferenced Geophysical Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okladnikov, I.; Gordov, E. P.; Titov, A. G.

2011-12-01

Georeferenced datasets (meteorological databases, modeling and reanalysis results, remote sensing products, etc.) are currently actively used in numerous applications including modeling, interpretation and forecast of climatic and ecosystem changes for various spatial and temporal scales. Due to inherent heterogeneity of environmental datasets as well as their size which might constitute up to tens terabytes for a single dataset at present studies in the area of climate and environmental change require a special software support. A dedicated software framework for rapid development of providing such support information-computational systems based on Web-GIS technologies has been created. The software framework consists of 3 basic parts: computational kernel developed using ITTVIS Interactive Data Language (IDL), a set of PHP-controllers run within specialized web portal, and JavaScript class library for development of typical components of web mapping application graphical user interface (GUI) based on AJAX technology. Computational kernel comprise of number of modules for datasets access, mathematical and statistical data analysis and visualization of results. Specialized web-portal consists of web-server Apache, complying OGC standards Geoserver software which is used as a base for presenting cartographical information over the Web, and a set of PHP-controllers implementing web-mapping application logic and governing computational kernel. JavaScript library aiming at graphical user interface development is based on GeoExt library combining ExtJS Framework and OpenLayers software. Based on the software framework an information-computational system for complex analysis of large georeferenced data archives was developed. Structured environmental datasets available for processing now include two editions of NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, JMA/CRIEPI JRA-25 Reanalysis, ECMWF ERA-40 Reanalysis, ECMWF ERA Interim Reanalysis, MRI/JMA APHRODITE's Water Resources Project Reanalysis, meteorological observational data for the territory of the former USSR for the 20th century, and others. Current version of the system is already involved into a scientific research process. Particularly, recently the system was successfully used for analysis of Siberia climate changes and its impact in the region. The software framework presented allows rapid development of Web-GIS systems for geophysical data analysis thus providing specialists involved into multidisciplinary research projects with reliable and practical instruments for complex analysis of climate and ecosystems changes on global and regional scales. This work is partially supported by RFBR grants #10-07-00547, #11-05-01190, and SB RAS projects 4.31.1.5, 4.31.2.7, 4, 8, 9, 50 and 66.

Software Health Management: A Short Review of Challenges and Existing Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pipatsrisawat, Knot; Darwiche, Adnan; Mengshoel, Ole J.; Schumann, Johann

2009-01-01

Modern spacecraft (as well as most other complex mechanisms like aircraft, automobiles, and chemical plants) rely more and more on software, to a point where software failures have caused severe accidents and loss of missions. Software failures during a manned mission can cause loss of life, so there are severe requirements to make the software as safe and reliable as possible. Typically, verification and validation (V&V) has the task of making sure that all software errors are found before the software is deployed and that it always conforms to the requirements. Experience, however, shows that this gold standard of error-free software cannot be reached in practice. Even if the software alone is free of glitches, its interoperation with the hardware (e.g., with sensors or actuators) can cause problems. Unexpected operational conditions or changes in the environment may ultimately cause a software system to fail. Is there a way to surmount this problem? In most modern aircraft and many automobiles, hardware such as central electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic components are monitored by IVHM (Integrated Vehicle Health Management) systems. These systems can recognize, isolate, and identify faults and failures, both those that already occurred as well as imminent ones. With the help of diagnostics and prognostics, appropriate mitigation strategies can be selected (replacement or repair, switch to redundant systems, etc.). In this short paper, we discuss some challenges and promising techniques for software health management (SWHM). In particular, we identify unique challenges for preventing software failure in systems which involve both software and hardware components. We then present our classifications of techniques related to SWHM. These classifications are performed based on dimensions of interest to both developers and users of the techniques, and hopefully provide a map for dealing with software faults and failures.

Tank Monitor and Control System (TMACS) Rev 11.0 Acceptance Test Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HOLM, M.J.

The purpose of this document is to describe tests performed to validate Revision 11 of the TMACS Monitor and Control System (TMACS) and verify that the software functions as intended by design. This document is intended to test the software portion of TMACS. The tests will be performed on the development system. The software to be tested is the TMACS knowledge bases (KB) and the I/O driver/services. The development system will not be talking to field equipment; instead, the field equipment is simulated using emulators or multiplexers in the lab.

Guidance on Software Maintenance. Final Report. Reports on Computer Science and Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Roger J.; Osborne, Wilma M.

Based on informal discussions with personnel at selected federal agencies and private sector organizations and on additional research, this publication addresses issues and problems of software maintenance and suggests actions and procedures which can help software maintenance organizations meet the growing demands of maintaining existing systems.…

Evaluating Games-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hainey, Thomas; Connolly, Thomas

2010-01-01

A highly important part of software engineering education is requirements collection and analysis, one of the initial stages of the Software Development Lifecycle. No other conceptual work is as difficult to rectify at a later stage or as damaging to the overall system if performed incorrectly. As software engineering is a field with a reputation…

Autonomous system for Web-based microarray image analysis.

PubMed

Bozinov, Daniel

2003-12-01

Software-based feature extraction from DNA microarray images still requires human intervention on various levels. Manual adjustment of grid and metagrid parameters, precise alignment of superimposed grid templates and gene spots, or simply identification of large-scale artifacts have to be performed beforehand to reliably analyze DNA signals and correctly quantify their expression values. Ideally, a Web-based system with input solely confined to a single microarray image and a data table as output containing measurements for all gene spots would directly transform raw image data into abstracted gene expression tables. Sophisticated algorithms with advanced procedures for iterative correction function can overcome imminent challenges in image processing. Herein is introduced an integrated software system with a Java-based interface on the client side that allows for decentralized access and furthermore enables the scientist to instantly employ the most updated software version at any given time. This software tool is extended from PixClust as used in Extractiff incorporated with Java Web Start deployment technology. Ultimately, this setup is destined for high-throughput pipelines in genome-wide medical diagnostics labs or microarray core facilities aimed at providing fully automated service to its users.

Developing Learning Tool of Control System Engineering Using Matrix Laboratory Software Oriented on Industrial Needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isnur Haryudo, Subuh; Imam Agung, Achmad; Firmansyah, Rifqi

2018-04-01

The purpose of this research is to develop learning media of control technique using Matrix Laboratory software with industry requirement approach. Learning media serves as a tool for creating a better and effective teaching and learning situation because it can accelerate the learning process in order to enhance the quality of learning. Control Techniques using Matrix Laboratory software can enlarge the interest and attention of students, with real experience and can grow independent attitude. This research design refers to the use of research and development (R & D) methods that have been modified by multi-disciplinary team-based researchers. This research used Computer based learning method consisting of computer and Matrix Laboratory software which was integrated with props. Matrix Laboratory has the ability to visualize the theory and analysis of the Control System which is an integration of computing, visualization and programming which is easy to use. The result of this instructional media development is to use mathematical equations using Matrix Laboratory software on control system application with DC motor plant and PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative). Considering that manufacturing in the field of Distributed Control systems (DCSs), Programmable Controllers (PLCs), and Microcontrollers (MCUs) use PID systems in production processes are widely used in industry.

Assessment Environment for Complex Systems Software Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2013-01-01

This Software Guide (SG) describes the software developed to test the Assessment Environment for Complex Systems (AECS) by the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation's Mission Systems Group (MSG) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). This software is referred to as the AECS Test Project throughout the remainder of this document. AECS provides a framework for developing, simulating, testing, and analyzing modern avionics systems within an Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architecture. The purpose of the AECS Test Project is twofold. First, it provides a means to test the AECS hardware and system developed by MSG. Second, it provides an example project upon which future AECS research may be based. This Software Guide fully describes building, installing, and executing the AECS Test Project as well as its architecture and design. The design of the AECS hardware is described in the AECS Hardware Guide. Instructions on how to configure, build and use the AECS are described in the User's Guide. Sample AECS software, developed by the WVHTC Foundation, is presented in the AECS Software Guide. The AECS Hardware Guide, AECS User's Guide, and AECS Software Guide are authored by MSG. The requirements set forth for AECS are presented in the Statement of Work for the Assessment Environment for Complex Systems authored by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). The intended audience for this document includes software engineers, hardware engineers, project managers, and quality assurance personnel from WVHTC Foundation (the suppliers of the software), NASA (the customer), and future researchers (users of the software). Readers are assumed to have general knowledge in the field of real-time, embedded computer software development.

Horizontal Directional Drilling-Length Detection Technology While Drilling Based on Bi-Electro-Magnetic Sensing.

PubMed

Wang, Yudan; Wen, Guojun; Chen, Han

2017-04-27

The drilling length is an important parameter in the process of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) exploration and recovery, but there has been a lack of accurate, automatically obtained statistics regarding this parameter. Herein, a technique for real-time HDD length detection and a management system based on the electromagnetic detection method with a microprocessor and two magnetoresistive sensors employing the software LabVIEW are proposed. The basic principle is to detect the change in the magnetic-field strength near a current coil while the drill stem and drill-stem joint successively pass through the current coil forward or backward. The detection system consists of a hardware subsystem and a software subsystem. The hardware subsystem employs a single-chip microprocessor as the main controller. A current coil is installed in front of the clamping unit, and two magneto resistive sensors are installed on the sides of the coil symmetrically and perpendicular to the direction of movement of the drill pipe. Their responses are used to judge whether the drill-stem joint is passing through the clamping unit; then, the order of their responses is used to judge the movement direction. The software subsystem is composed of a visual software running on the host computer and a software running in the slave microprocessor. The host-computer software processes, displays, and saves the drilling-length data, whereas the slave microprocessor software operates the hardware system. A combined test demonstrated the feasibility of the entire drilling-length detection system.

Horizontal Directional Drilling-Length Detection Technology While Drilling Based on Bi-Electro-Magnetic Sensing

PubMed Central

Wang, Yudan; Wen, Guojun; Chen, Han

2017-01-01

The drilling length is an important parameter in the process of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) exploration and recovery, but there has been a lack of accurate, automatically obtained statistics regarding this parameter. Herein, a technique for real-time HDD length detection and a management system based on the electromagnetic detection method with a microprocessor and two magnetoresistive sensors employing the software LabVIEW are proposed. The basic principle is to detect the change in the magnetic-field strength near a current coil while the drill stem and drill-stem joint successively pass through the current coil forward or backward. The detection system consists of a hardware subsystem and a software subsystem. The hardware subsystem employs a single-chip microprocessor as the main controller. A current coil is installed in front of the clamping unit, and two magneto resistive sensors are installed on the sides of the coil symmetrically and perpendicular to the direction of movement of the drill pipe. Their responses are used to judge whether the drill-stem joint is passing through the clamping unit; then, the order of their responses is used to judge the movement direction. The software subsystem is composed of a visual software running on the host computer and a software running in the slave microprocessor. The host-computer software processes, displays, and saves the drilling-length data, whereas the slave microprocessor software operates the hardware system. A combined test demonstrated the feasibility of the entire drilling-length detection system. PMID:28448445

Computer Center: Software Review: The DynaPulse 200M.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pankiewicz, Philip R., Ed.

1995-01-01

Reviews the DynaPulse 200M Education Edition microcomputer-based laboratory, which combines interactive software with curriculum and medical instrumentation to teach students about the cardiovascular system. (MKR)

Advanced laser stratospheric monitoring systems analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, J. C.

1984-01-01

This report describes the software support supplied by Systems and Applied Sciences Corporation for the study of Advanced Laser Stratospheric Monitoring Systems Analyses under contract No. NAS1-15806. This report discusses improvements to the Langley spectroscopic data base, development of LHS instrument control software and data analyses and validation software. The effect of diurnal variations on the retrieved concentrations of NO, NO2 and C L O from a space and balloon borne measurement platform are discussed along with the selection of optimum IF channels for sensing stratospheric species from space.

Data Telemetry and Acquisition System for Acoustic Signal Processing Investigations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-02-20

were VME- based computer systems operating under the VxWorks real - time operating system . Each system shared a common hardware and software... real - time operating system . It interfaces to the Berg PCM Decommutator board, which searches for the embedded synchronization word in the data and re...software were built on top of this architecture. The multi-tasking, message queue and memory management facilities of the VxWorks real - time operating system are

TriBITS lifecycle model. Version 1.0, a lean/agile software lifecycle model for research-based computational science and engineering and applied mathematical software.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willenbring, James M.; Bartlett, Roscoe Ainsworth; Heroux, Michael Allen

2012-01-01

Software lifecycles are becoming an increasingly important issue for computational science and engineering (CSE) software. The process by which a piece of CSE software begins life as a set of research requirements and then matures into a trusted high-quality capability is both commonplace and extremely challenging. Although an implicit lifecycle is obviously being used in any effort, the challenges of this process - respecting the competing needs of research vs. production - cannot be overstated. Here we describe a proposal for a well-defined software lifecycle process based on modern Lean/Agile software engineering principles. What we propose is appropriate for manymore » CSE software projects that are initially heavily focused on research but also are expected to eventually produce usable high-quality capabilities. The model is related to TriBITS, a build, integration and testing system, which serves as a strong foundation for this lifecycle model, and aspects of this lifecycle model are ingrained in the TriBITS system. Here, we advocate three to four phases or maturity levels that address the appropriate handling of many issues associated with the transition from research to production software. The goals of this lifecycle model are to better communicate maturity levels with customers and to help to identify and promote Software Engineering (SE) practices that will help to improve productivity and produce better software. An important collection of software in this domain is Trilinos, which is used as the motivation and the initial target for this lifecycle model. However, many other related and similar CSE (and non-CSE) software projects can also make good use of this lifecycle model, especially those that use the TriBITS system. Indeed this lifecycle process, if followed, will enable large-scale sustainable integration of many complex CSE software efforts across several institutions.« less

Leveraging Existing Mission Tools in a Re-Usable, Component-Based Software Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, Kevin; Grenander, Sven; Kurien, James; z,s (fshir. z[orttr); z,scer; O'Reilly, Taifun

2006-01-01

Emerging methods in component-based software development offer significant advantages but may seem incompatible with existing mission operations applications. In this paper we relate our positive experiences integrating existing mission applications into component-based tools we are delivering to three missions. In most operations environments, a number of software applications have been integrated together to form the mission operations software. In contrast, with component-based software development chunks of related functionality and data structures, referred to as components, can be individually delivered, integrated and re-used. With the advent of powerful tools for managing component-based development, complex software systems can potentially see significant benefits in ease of integration, testability and reusability from these techniques. These benefits motivate us to ask how component-based development techniques can be relevant in a mission operations environment, where there is significant investment in software tools that are not component-based and may not be written in languages for which component-based tools even exist. Trusted and complex software tools for sequencing, validation, navigation, and other vital functions cannot simply be re-written or abandoned in order to gain the advantages offered by emerging component-based software techniques. Thus some middle ground must be found. We have faced exactly this issue, and have found several solutions. Ensemble is an open platform for development, integration, and deployment of mission operations software that we are developing. Ensemble itself is an extension of an open source, component-based software development platform called Eclipse. Due to the advantages of component-based development, we have been able to vary rapidly develop mission operations tools for three surface missions by mixing and matching from a common set of mission operation components. We have also had to determine how to integrate existing mission applications for sequence development, sequence validation, and high level activity planning, and other functions into a component-based environment. For each of these, we used a somewhat different technique based upon the structure and usage of the existing application.

Advanced technologies for Mission Control Centers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dalton, John T.; Hughes, Peter M.

1991-01-01

Advance technologies for Mission Control Centers are presented in the form of the viewgraphs. The following subject areas are covered: technology needs; current technology efforts at GSFC (human-machine interface development, object oriented software development, expert systems, knowledge-based software engineering environments, and high performance VLSI telemetry systems); and test beds.

A Multi-User Microcomputer System for Small Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leggate, Peter

1988-01-01

Describes the development of Bookshelf, a multi-user microcomputer system for small libraries that uses an integrated software package. The discussion covers the design parameters of the package, which were based on a survey of seven small libraries, and some characteristics of the software. (three notes with references) (CLB)

Open systems storage platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Kirby

1992-01-01

The building blocks for an open storage system includes a system platform, a selection of storage devices and interfaces, system software, and storage applications CONVEX storage systems are based on the DS Series Data Server systems. These systems are a variant of the C3200 supercomputer with expanded I/O capabilities. These systems support a variety of medium and high speed interfaces to networks and peripherals. System software is provided in the form of ConvexOS, a POSIX compliant derivative of 4.3BSD UNIX. Storage applications include products such as UNITREE and EMASS. With the DS Series of storage systems, Convex has developed a set of products which provide open system solutions for storage management applications. The systems are highly modular, assembled from off the shelf components with industry standard interfaces. The C Series system architecture provides a stable base, with the performance and reliability of a general purpose platform. This combination of a proven system architecture with a variety of choices in peripherals and application software allows wide flexibility in configurations, and delivers the benefits of open systems to the mass storage world.

Solving Equations of Multibody Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jain, Abhinandan; Lim, Christopher

2007-01-01

Darts++ is a computer program for solving the equations of motion of a multibody system or of a multibody model of a dynamic system. It is intended especially for use in dynamical simulations performed in designing and analyzing, and developing software for the control of, complex mechanical systems. Darts++ is based on the Spatial-Operator- Algebra formulation for multibody dynamics. This software reads a description of a multibody system from a model data file, then constructs and implements an efficient algorithm that solves the dynamical equations of the system. The efficiency and, hence, the computational speed is sufficient to make Darts++ suitable for use in realtime closed-loop simulations. Darts++ features an object-oriented software architecture that enables reconfiguration of system topology at run time; in contrast, in related prior software, system topology is fixed during initialization. Darts++ provides an interface to scripting languages, including Tcl and Python, that enable the user to configure and interact with simulation objects at run time.

Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations: Knowledge-Based Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrading, J. Nicolas

2013-01-01

The Knowledge-Based Autonomous Test Engineer (KATE) program has a long history at KSC. Now a part of the Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations (ACLO) mission, this software system has been sporadically developed over the past 20 years. Originally designed to provide health and status monitoring for a simple water-based fluid system, it was proven to be a capable autonomous test engineer for determining sources of failure in the system. As part of a new goal to provide this same anomaly-detection capability for a complicated cryogenic fluid system, software engineers, physicists, interns and KATE experts are working to upgrade the software capabilities and graphical user interface. Much progress was made during this effort to improve KATE. A display of the entire cryogenic system's graph, with nodes for components and edges for their connections, was added to the KATE software. A searching functionality was added to the new graph display, so that users could easily center their screen on specific components. The GUI was also modified so that it displayed information relevant to the new project goals. In addition, work began on adding new pneumatic and electronic subsystems into the KATE knowledge base, so that it could provide health and status monitoring for those systems. Finally, many fixes for bugs, memory leaks, and memory errors were implemented and the system was moved into a state in which it could be presented to stakeholders. Overall, the KATE system was improved and necessary additional features were added so that a presentation of the program and its functionality in the next few months would be a success.

Model-based reasoning for power system management using KATE and the SSM/PMAD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Robert A.; Gonzalez, Avelino J.; Carreira, Daniel J.; Mckenzie, F. D.; Gann, Brian

1993-01-01

The overall goal of this research effort has been the development of a software system which automates tasks related to monitoring and controlling electrical power distribution in spacecraft electrical power systems. The resulting software system is called the Intelligent Power Controller (IPC). The specific tasks performed by the IPC include continuous monitoring of the flow of power from a source to a set of loads, fast detection of anomalous behavior indicating a fault to one of the components of the distribution systems, generation of diagnosis (explanation) of anomalous behavior, isolation of faulty object from remainder of system, and maintenance of flow of power to critical loads and systems (e.g. life-support) despite fault conditions being present (recovery). The IPC system has evolved out of KATE (Knowledge-based Autonomous Test Engineer), developed at NASA-KSC. KATE consists of a set of software tools for developing and applying structure and behavior models to monitoring, diagnostic, and control applications.

Mold heating and cooling microprocessor conversion. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffman, D.P.

Conversion of the microprocessors and software for the Mold Heating and Cooling (MHAC) pump package control systems was initiated to allow required system enhancements and provide data communications capabilities with the Plastics Information and Control System (PICS). The existing microprocessor-based control systems for the pump packages use an Intel 8088-based microprocessor board with a maximum of 64 Kbytes of program memory. The requirements for the system conversion were developed, and hardware has been selected to allow maximum reuse of existing hardware and software while providing the required additional capabilities and capacity. The new hardware will incorporate an Intel 80286-based microprocessormore » board with an 80287 math coprocessor, the system includes additional memory, I/O, and RS232 communication ports.« less

Design and realization of confidential data management system RFID-based

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wei; Wang, Zhong; Wang, Xin

2017-03-01

This paper introduces the composition of RFID system, and then analyzes the hardware design and software design systems, and finally summarizes the realization and application of the confidential data management system RFID-based.

A Framework for Performing Verification and Validation in Reuse Based Software Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Addy, Edward A.

1997-01-01

Verification and Validation (V&V) is currently performed during application development for many systems, especially safety-critical and mission- critical systems. The V&V process is intended to discover errors, especially errors related to critical processing, as early as possible during the development process. The system application provides the context under which the software artifacts are validated. This paper describes a framework that extends V&V from an individual application system to a product line of systems that are developed within an architecture-based software engineering environment. This framework includes the activities of traditional application-level V&V, and extends these activities into domain engineering and into the transition between domain engineering and application engineering. The framework includes descriptions of the types of activities to be performed during each of the life-cycle phases, and provides motivation for the activities.

Software Construction and Analysis Tools for Future Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowry, Michael R.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

NASA and its international partners will increasingly depend on software-based systems to implement advanced functions for future space missions, such as Martian rovers that autonomously navigate long distances exploring geographic features formed by surface water early in the planet's history. The software-based functions for these missions will need to be robust and highly reliable, raising significant challenges in the context of recent Mars mission failures attributed to software faults. After reviewing these challenges, this paper describes tools that have been developed at NASA Ames that could contribute to meeting these challenges; 1) Program synthesis tools based on automated inference that generate documentation for manual review and annotations for automated certification. 2) Model-checking tools for concurrent object-oriented software that achieve memorability through synergy with program abstraction and static analysis tools.

Large Scale Software Building with CMake in ATLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmsheuser, J.; Krasznahorkay, A.; Obreshkov, E.; Undrus, A.; ATLAS Collaboration

2017-10-01

The offline software of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) serves as the platform for detector data reconstruction, simulation and analysis. It is also used in the detector’s trigger system to select LHC collision events during data taking. The ATLAS offline software consists of several million lines of C++ and Python code organized in a modular design of more than 2000 specialized packages. Because of different workflows, many stable numbered releases are in parallel production use. To accommodate specific workflow requests, software patches with modified libraries are distributed on top of existing software releases on a daily basis. The different ATLAS software applications also require a flexible build system that strongly supports unit and integration tests. Within the last year this build system was migrated to CMake. A CMake configuration has been developed that allows one to easily set up and build the above mentioned software packages. This also makes it possible to develop and test new and modified packages on top of existing releases. The system also allows one to detect and execute partial rebuilds of the release based on single package changes. The build system makes use of CPack for building RPM packages out of the software releases, and CTest for running unit and integration tests. We report on the migration and integration of the ATLAS software to CMake and show working examples of this large scale project in production.

A component-based software environment for visualizing large macromolecular assemblies.

PubMed

Sanner, Michel F

2005-03-01

The interactive visualization of large biological assemblies poses a number of challenging problems, including the development of multiresolution representations and new interaction methods for navigating and analyzing these complex systems. An additional challenge is the development of flexible software environments that will facilitate the integration and interoperation of computational models and techniques from a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In this paper, we present a component-based software development strategy centered on the high-level, object-oriented, interpretive programming language: Python. We present several software components, discuss their integration, and describe some of their features that are relevant to the visualization of large molecular assemblies. Several examples are given to illustrate the interoperation of these software components and the integration of structural data from a variety of experimental sources. These examples illustrate how combining visual programming with component-based software development facilitates the rapid prototyping of novel visualization tools.

A Visual Basic simulation software tool for performance analysis of a membrane-based advanced water treatment plant.

PubMed

Pal, P; Kumar, R; Srivastava, N; Chaudhuri, J

2014-02-01

A Visual Basic simulation software (WATTPPA) has been developed to analyse the performance of an advanced wastewater treatment plant. This user-friendly and menu-driven software is based on the dynamic mathematical model for an industrial wastewater treatment scheme that integrates chemical, biological and membrane-based unit operations. The software-predicted results corroborate very well with the experimental findings as indicated in the overall correlation coefficient of the order of 0.99. The software permits pre-analysis and manipulation of input data, helps in optimization and exhibits performance of an integrated plant visually on a graphical platform. It allows quick performance analysis of the whole system as well as the individual units. The software first of its kind in its domain and in the well-known Microsoft Excel environment is likely to be very useful in successful design, optimization and operation of an advanced hybrid treatment plant for hazardous wastewater.

Pynamic: the Python Dynamic Benchmark

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, G L; Ahn, D H; de Supinksi, B R

2007-07-10

Python is widely used in scientific computing to facilitate application development and to support features such as computational steering. Making full use of some of Python's popular features, which improve programmer productivity, leads to applications that access extremely high numbers of dynamically linked libraries (DLLs). As a result, some important Python-based applications severely stress a system's dynamic linking and loading capabilities and also cause significant difficulties for most development environment tools, such as debuggers. Furthermore, using the Python paradigm for large scale MPI-based applications can create significant file IO and further stress tools and operating systems. In this paper, wemore » present Pynamic, the first benchmark program to support configurable emulation of a wide-range of the DLL usage of Python-based applications for large scale systems. Pynamic has already accurately reproduced system software and tool issues encountered by important large Python-based scientific applications on our supercomputers. Pynamic provided insight for our system software and tool vendors, and our application developers, into the impact of several design decisions. As we describe the Pynamic benchmark, we will highlight some of the issues discovered in our large scale system software and tools using Pynamic.« less

The optimization problems of CP operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kler, A. M.; Stepanova, E. L.; Maximov, A. S.

2017-11-01

The problem of enhancing energy and economic efficiency of CP is urgent indeed. One of the main methods for solving it is optimization of CP operation. To solve the optimization problems of CP operation, Energy Systems Institute, SB of RAS, has developed a software. The software makes it possible to make optimization calculations of CP operation. The software is based on the techniques and software tools of mathematical modeling and optimization of heat and power installations. Detailed mathematical models of new equipment have been developed in the work. They describe sufficiently accurately the processes that occur in the installations. The developed models include steam turbine models (based on the checking calculation) which take account of all steam turbine compartments and regeneration system. They also enable one to make calculations with regenerative heaters disconnected. The software for mathematical modeling of equipment and optimization of CP operation has been developed. It is based on the technique for optimization of CP operating conditions in the form of software tools and integrates them in the common user interface. The optimization of CP operation often generates the need to determine the minimum and maximum possible total useful electricity capacity of the plant at set heat loads of consumers, i.e. it is necessary to determine the interval on which the CP capacity may vary. The software has been applied to optimize the operating conditions of the Novo-Irkutskaya CP of JSC “Irkutskenergo”. The efficiency of operating condition optimization and the possibility for determination of CP energy characteristics that are necessary for optimization of power system operation are shown.

PLATO[R] Achieve Now. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2010

2010-01-01

"PLATO[R] Achieve Now" is a software-based curriculum for the elementary and middle school grades. Instructional content is delivered via the PlayStation Portable (PSP[R]) system, allowing students to access learning materials in various settings. Software-based assessments are used to customize individual instruction, allowing students…

Towards easing the configuration and new team member accommodation for open source software based portals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, L.; West, P.; Zednik, S.; Fox, P. A.

2013-12-01

For simple portals such as vocabulary based services, which contain small amounts of data and require only hyper-textual representation, it is often an overkill to adopt the whole software stack of database, middleware and front end, or to use a general Web development framework as the starting point of development. Directly combining open source software is a much more favorable approach. However, our experience with the Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Vocabulary (CMSPV) service portal shows that there are still issues such as system configuration and accommodating a new team member that need to be handled carefully. In this contribution, we share our experience in the context of the CMSPV portal, and focus on the tools and mechanisms we've developed to ease the configuration job and the incorporation process of new project members. We discuss the configuration issues that arise when we don't have complete control over how the software in use is configured and need to follow existing configuration styles that may not be well documented, especially when multiple pieces of such software need to work together as a combined system. As for the CMSPV portal, it is built on two pieces of open source software that are still under rapid development: a Fuseki data server and Epimorphics Linked Data API (ELDA) front end. Both lack mature documentation and tutorials. We developed comparison and labeling tools to ease the problem of system configuration. Another problem that slowed down the project is that project members came and went during the development process, so new members needed to start with a partially configured system and incomplete documentation left by old members. We developed documentation/tutorial maintenance mechanisms based on our comparison and labeling tools to make it easier for the new members to be incorporated into the project. These tools and mechanisms also provided benefit to other projects that reused the software components from the CMSPV system.

Achieving Better Buying Power Through Acquisition of Open Architecture Software Systems for Web-Based and Mobile Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-30

mobile devices used within academic, business , or government enterprises. Acquisition personnel in such enterprises will increasingly be called on to...Graduate School of Business & Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. To request defense acquisition research, to become a research sponsor, or to...address challenges in the acquisition of software systems for Web-based or mobile devices used within academic, business , or government enterprises

The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution (EASIE) version 1.0. Volume 1: Executive overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowell, Lawrence F.; Davis, John S.

1989-01-01

The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution (EASIE) provides a methodology and a set of software utility programs to ease the task of coordinating engineering design and analysis codes. EASIE was designed to meet the needs of conceptual design engineers that face the task of integrating many stand-alone engineering analysis programs. Using EASIE, programs are integrated through a relational database management system. Volume 1, Executive Overview, gives an overview of the functions provided by EASIE and describes their use. Three operational design systems based upon the EASIE software are briefly described.

Development of a Unix/VME data acquisition system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, M. C.; Ahern, S.; Clark, S. M.

1992-01-01

The current status of a Unix-based VME data acquisition development project is described. It is planned to use existing Fortran data collection software to drive the existing CAMAC electronics via a VME CAMAC branch driver card and associated Daresbury Unix driving software. The first usable Unix driver has been written and produces single-action CAMAC cycles from test software. The data acquisition code has been implemented in test mode under Unix with few problems and effort is now being directed toward finalizing calls to the CAMAC-driving software and ultimate evaluation of the complete system.

The Chandra X-ray Center data system: supporting the mission of the Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Janet D.; Cresitello-Dittmar, Mark; Doe, Stephen; Evans, Ian; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Germain, Gregg; Glotfelty, Kenny; Hall, Diane; Plummer, David; Zografou, Panagoula

2006-06-01

The Chandra X-ray Center Data System provides end-to-end scientific software support for Chandra X-ray Observatory mission operations. The data system includes the following components: (1) observers' science proposal planning tools; (2) science mission planning tools; (3) science data processing, monitoring, and trending pipelines and tools; and (4) data archive and database management. A subset of the science data processing component is ported to multiple platforms and distributed to end-users as a portable data analysis package. Web-based user tools are also available for data archive search and retrieval. We describe the overall architecture of the data system and its component pieces, and consider the design choices and their impacts on maintainability. We discuss the many challenges involved in maintaining a large, mission-critical software system with limited resources. These challenges include managing continually changing software requirements and ensuring the integrity of the data system and resulting data products while being highly responsive to the needs of the project. We describe our use of COTS and OTS software at the subsystem and component levels, our methods for managing multiple release builds, and adapting a large code base to new hardware and software platforms. We review our experiences during the life of the mission so-far, and our approaches for keeping a small, but highly talented, development team engaged during the maintenance phase of a mission.

A Distributed Simulation Software System for Multi-Spacecraft Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, Richard; Davis, George; Cary, Everett

2003-01-01

The paper will provide an overview of the web-based distributed simulation software system developed for end-to-end, multi-spacecraft mission design, analysis, and test at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This software system was developed for an internal research and development (IR&D) activity at GSFC called the Distributed Space Systems (DSS) Distributed Synthesis Environment (DSE). The long-term goal of the DSS-DSE is to integrate existing GSFC stand-alone test beds, models, and simulation systems to create a "hands on", end-to-end simulation environment for mission design, trade studies and simulations. The short-term goal of the DSE was therefore to develop the system architecture, and then to prototype the core software simulation capability based on a distributed computing approach, with demonstrations of some key capabilities by the end of Fiscal Year 2002 (FY02). To achieve the DSS-DSE IR&D objective, the team adopted a reference model and mission upon which FY02 capabilities were developed. The software was prototyped according to the reference model, and demonstrations were conducted for the reference mission to validate interfaces, concepts, etc. The reference model, illustrated in Fig. 1, included both space and ground elements, with functional capabilities such as spacecraft dynamics and control, science data collection, space-to-space and space-to-ground communications, mission operations, science operations, and data processing, archival and distribution addressed.

Area navigation implementation for a microcomputer-based LORAN-C receiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oguri, F.

1983-01-01

Engineering performed to make LORAN-C a more useful and practical navigation system for general aviation is described. Development of new software, and implementation of this software on a (MOS6502) microcomputer to provide high quality practical area navigation information directly to the pilot and considered. Flight tests were performed specifically to examine the efficacy of this new software. Final results were exceptionally good and clearly demonstrate the merits of this new LORAN-C area navigation system.

Project based, Collaborative, Algorithmic Robotics for High School Students: Programming Self Driving Race Cars at MIT

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-02-19

software systems: the students design and build robotics software towards real-world applications, without being distracted by hardware issues; (ii) it...high school students require the students to focus on building and integrating the hardware that make up the robot, at the expense of designing and...robotics programs focus on the mechanics; as a result, they do not have room for students to design and implement relatively complex software systems, as

Architectures and Evaluation for Adjustable Control Autonomy for Space-Based Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.; Schreckenghost, Debra K.

2001-01-01

In the past five years, a number of automation applications for control of crew life support systems have been developed and evaluated in the Adjustable Autonomy Testbed at NASA's Johnson Space Center. This paper surveys progress on an adjustable autonomous control architecture for situations where software and human operators work together to manage anomalies and other system problems. When problems occur, the level of control autonomy can be adjusted, so that operators and software agents can work together on diagnosis and recovery. In 1997 adjustable autonomy software was developed to manage gas transfer and storage in a closed life support test. Four crewmembers lived and worked in a chamber for 91 days, with both air and water recycling. CO2 was converted to O2 by gas processing systems and wheat crops. With the automation software, significantly fewer hours were spent monitoring operations. System-level validation testing of the software by interactive hybrid simulation revealed problems both in software requirements and implementation. Since that time, we have been developing multi-agent approaches for automation software and human operators, to cooperatively control systems and manage problems. Each new capability has been tested and demonstrated in realistic dynamic anomaly scenarios, using the hybrid simulation tool.

A New Approach to Integrate Internet-of-Things and Software-as-a-Service Model for Logistic Systems: A Case Study

PubMed Central

Chen, Shang-Liang; Chen, Yun-Yao; Hsu, Chiang

2014-01-01

Cloud computing is changing the ways software is developed and managed in enterprises, which is changing the way of doing business in that dynamically scalable and virtualized resources are regarded as services over the Internet. Traditional manufacturing systems such as supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) are often developed case by case. However, effective collaboration between different systems, platforms, programming languages, and interfaces has been suggested by researchers. In cloud-computing-based systems, distributed resources are encapsulated into cloud services and centrally managed, which allows high automation, flexibility, fast provision, and ease of integration at low cost. The integration between physical resources and cloud services can be improved by combining Internet of things (IoT) technology and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology. This study proposes a new approach for developing cloud-based manufacturing systems based on a four-layer SaaS model. There are three main contributions of this paper: (1) enterprises can develop their own cloud-based logistic management information systems based on the approach proposed in this paper; (2) a case study based on literature reviews with experimental results is proposed to verify that the system performance is remarkable; (3) challenges encountered and feedback collected from T Company in the case study are discussed in this paper for the purpose of enterprise deployment. PMID:24686728

A new approach to integrate Internet-of-things and software-as-a-service model for logistic systems: a case study.

PubMed

Chen, Shang-Liang; Chen, Yun-Yao; Hsu, Chiang

2014-03-28

Cloud computing is changing the ways software is developed and managed in enterprises, which is changing the way of doing business in that dynamically scalable and virtualized resources are regarded as services over the Internet. Traditional manufacturing systems such as supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) are often developed case by case. However, effective collaboration between different systems, platforms, programming languages, and interfaces has been suggested by researchers. In cloud-computing-based systems, distributed resources are encapsulated into cloud services and centrally managed, which allows high automation, flexibility, fast provision, and ease of integration at low cost. The integration between physical resources and cloud services can be improved by combining Internet of things (IoT) technology and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology. This study proposes a new approach for developing cloud-based manufacturing systems based on a four-layer SaaS model. There are three main contributions of this paper: (1) enterprises can develop their own cloud-based logistic management information systems based on the approach proposed in this paper; (2) a case study based on literature reviews with experimental results is proposed to verify that the system performance is remarkable; (3) challenges encountered and feedback collected from T Company in the case study are discussed in this paper for the purpose of enterprise deployment.

Enhancements to the KATE model-based reasoning system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Stan J.

1994-01-01

KATE (Knowledge-based Autonomous Test Engineer) is a model-based software system developed in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Kennedy Space Center for monitoring, fault detection, and control of launch vehicles and ground support systems. This report describes two software efforts which enhance the functionality and usability of KATE. The first addition, a flow solver, adds to KATE a tool for modeling the flow of liquid in a pipe system. The second addition adds support for editing KATE knowledge base files to the Emacs editor. The body of this report discusses design and implementation issues having to do with these two tools. It will be useful to anyone maintaining or extending either the flow solver or the editor enhancements.

Documentation Driven Development for Complex Real-Time Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

This paper presents a novel approach for development of complex real - time systems , called the documentation-driven development (DDD) approach. This... time systems . DDD will also support automated software generation based on a computational model and some relevant techniques. DDD includes two main...stakeholders to be easily involved in development processes and, therefore, significantly improve the agility of software development for complex real

Note: Tormenta: An open source Python-powered control software for camera based optical microscopy.

PubMed

Barabas, Federico M; Masullo, Luciano A; Stefani, Fernando D

2016-12-01

Until recently, PC control and synchronization of scientific instruments was only possible through closed-source expensive frameworks like National Instruments' LabVIEW. Nowadays, efficient cost-free alternatives are available in the context of a continuously growing community of open-source software developers. Here, we report on Tormenta, a modular open-source software for the control of camera-based optical microscopes. Tormenta is built on Python, works on multiple operating systems, and includes some key features for fluorescence nanoscopy based on single molecule localization.

Note: Tormenta: An open source Python-powered control software for camera based optical microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barabas, Federico M.; Masullo, Luciano A.; Stefani, Fernando D.

2016-12-01

Until recently, PC control and synchronization of scientific instruments was only possible through closed-source expensive frameworks like National Instruments' LabVIEW. Nowadays, efficient cost-free alternatives are available in the context of a continuously growing community of open-source software developers. Here, we report on Tormenta, a modular open-source software for the control of camera-based optical microscopes. Tormenta is built on Python, works on multiple operating systems, and includes some key features for fluorescence nanoscopy based on single molecule localization.

Ship electric propulsion simulator based on networking technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Huayao; Huang, Xuewu; Chen, Jutao; Lu, Binquan

2006-11-01

According the new ship building tense, a novel electric propulsion simulator (EPS) had been developed in Marine Simulation Center of SMU. The architecture, software function and FCS network technology of EPS and integrated power system (IPS) were described. In allusion to the POD propeller in ship, a special physical model was built. The POD power was supplied from the simulative 6.6 kV Medium Voltage Main Switchboard, its control could be realized in local or remote mode. Through LAN, the simulated feature information of EPS will pass to the physical POD model, which would reflect the real thruster working status in different sea conditions. The software includes vessel-propeller math module, thruster control system, distribution and emergency integrated management, double closed loop control system, vessel static water resistance and dynamic software; instructor main control software. The monitor and control system is realized by real time data collection system and CAN bus technology. During the construction, most devices such as monitor panels and intelligent meters, are developed in lab which were based on embedded microcomputer system with CAN interface to link the network. They had also successfully used in practice and would be suitable for the future demands of digitalization ship.

The design and implementation of urban earthquake disaster loss evaluation and emergency response decision support systems based on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Kun; Xu, Quan-li; Peng, Shuang-yun; Cao, Yan-bo

2008-10-01

Based on the necessity analysis of GIS applications in earthquake disaster prevention, this paper has deeply discussed the spatial integration scheme of urban earthquake disaster loss evaluation models and visualization technologies by using the network development methods such as COM/DCOM, ActiveX and ASP, as well as the spatial database development methods such as OO4O and ArcSDE based on ArcGIS software packages. Meanwhile, according to Software Engineering principles, a solution of Urban Earthquake Emergency Response Decision Support Systems based on GIS technologies have also been proposed, which include the systems logical structures, the technical routes,the system realization methods and function structures etc. Finally, the testing systems user interfaces have also been offered in the paper.

Framework Support For Knowledge-Based Software Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huseth, Steve

1988-03-01

The advent of personal engineering workstations has brought substantial information processing power to the individual programmer. Advanced tools and environment capabilities supporting the software lifecycle are just beginning to become generally available. However, many of these tools are addressing only part of the software development problem by focusing on rapid construction of self-contained programs by a small group of talented engineers. Additional capabilities are required to support the development of large programming systems where a high degree of coordination and communication is required among large numbers of software engineers, hardware engineers, and managers. A major player in realizing these capabilities is the framework supporting the software development environment. In this paper we discuss our research toward a Knowledge-Based Software Assistant (KBSA) framework. We propose the development of an advanced framework containing a distributed knowledge base that can support the data representation needs of tools, provide environmental support for the formalization and control of the software development process, and offer a highly interactive and consistent user interface.

A knowledge based software engineering environment testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, C.; Reedy, A.; Baker, L.

1985-01-01

The Carnegie Group Incorporated and Boeing Computer Services Company are developing a testbed which will provide a framework for integrating conventional software engineering tools with Artifical Intelligence (AI) tools to promote automation and productivity. The emphasis is on the transfer of AI technology to the software development process. Experiments relate to AI issues such as scaling up, inference, and knowledge representation. In its first year, the project has created a model of software development by representing software activities; developed a module representation formalism to specify the behavior and structure of software objects; integrated the model with the formalism to identify shared representation and inheritance mechanisms; demonstrated object programming by writing procedures and applying them to software objects; used data-directed and goal-directed reasoning to, respectively, infer the cause of bugs and evaluate the appropriateness of a configuration; and demonstrated knowledge-based graphics. Future plans include introduction of knowledge-based systems for rapid prototyping or rescheduling; natural language interfaces; blackboard architecture; and distributed processing

Evolvable Smartphone-Based Platforms for Point-of-Care In-Vitro Diagnostics Applications.

PubMed

Patou, François; AlZahra'a Alatraktchi, Fatima; Kjægaard, Claus; Dimaki, Maria; Madsen, Jan; Svendsen, Winnie E

2016-09-03

The association of smart mobile devices and lab-on-chip technologies offers unprecedented opportunities for the emergence of direct-to-consumer in vitro medical diagnostics applications. Despite their clear transformative potential, obstacles remain to the large-scale disruption and long-lasting success of these systems in the consumer market. For instance, the increasing level of complexity of instrumented lab-on-chip devices, coupled to the sporadic nature of point-of-care testing, threatens the viability of a business model mainly relying on disposable/consumable lab-on-chips. We argued recently that system evolvability, defined as the design characteristic that facilitates more manageable transitions between system generations via the modification of an inherited design, can help remedy these limitations. In this paper, we discuss how platform-based design can constitute a formal entry point to the design and implementation of evolvable smart device/lab-on-chip systems. We present both a hardware/software design framework and the implementation details of a platform prototype enabling at this stage the interfacing of several lab-on-chip variants relying on current- or impedance-based biosensors. Our findings suggest that several change-enabling mechanisms implemented in the higher abstraction software layers of the system can promote evolvability, together with the design of change-absorbing hardware/software interfaces. Our platform architecture is based on a mobile software application programming interface coupled to a modular hardware accessory. It allows the specification of lab-on-chip operation and post-analytic functions at the mobile software layer. We demonstrate its potential by operating a simple lab-on-chip to carry out the detection of dopamine using various electroanalytical methods.

Evolvable Smartphone-Based Platforms for Point-of-Care In-Vitro Diagnostics Applications

PubMed Central

Patou, François; AlZahra’a Alatraktchi, Fatima; Kjægaard, Claus; Dimaki, Maria; Madsen, Jan; Svendsen, Winnie E.

2016-01-01

The association of smart mobile devices and lab-on-chip technologies offers unprecedented opportunities for the emergence of direct-to-consumer in vitro medical diagnostics applications. Despite their clear transformative potential, obstacles remain to the large-scale disruption and long-lasting success of these systems in the consumer market. For instance, the increasing level of complexity of instrumented lab-on-chip devices, coupled to the sporadic nature of point-of-care testing, threatens the viability of a business model mainly relying on disposable/consumable lab-on-chips. We argued recently that system evolvability, defined as the design characteristic that facilitates more manageable transitions between system generations via the modification of an inherited design, can help remedy these limitations. In this paper, we discuss how platform-based design can constitute a formal entry point to the design and implementation of evolvable smart device/lab-on-chip systems. We present both a hardware/software design framework and the implementation details of a platform prototype enabling at this stage the interfacing of several lab-on-chip variants relying on current- or impedance-based biosensors. Our findings suggest that several change-enabling mechanisms implemented in the higher abstraction software layers of the system can promote evolvability, together with the design of change-absorbing hardware/software interfaces. Our platform architecture is based on a mobile software application programming interface coupled to a modular hardware accessory. It allows the specification of lab-on-chip operation and post-analytic functions at the mobile software layer. We demonstrate its potential by operating a simple lab-on-chip to carry out the detection of dopamine using various electroanalytical methods. PMID:27598208

For operation of the Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carmon, J. L.

1983-01-01

Computer programs for relational information management data base systems, spherical roller bearing analysis, a generalized pseudoinverse of a rectangular matrix, and software design and documentation language are summarized.

The advanced software development workstation project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fridge, Ernest M., III; Pitman, Charles L.

1991-01-01

The Advanced Software Development Workstation (ASDW) task is researching and developing the technologies required to support Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) with the emphasis on those advanced methods, tools, and processes that will be of benefit to support all NASA programs. Immediate goals are to provide research and prototype tools that will increase productivity, in the near term, in projects such as the Software Support Environment (SSE), the Space Station Control Center (SSCC), and the Flight Analysis and Design System (FADS) which will be used to support the Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom. Goals also include providing technology for development, evolution, maintenance, and operations. The technologies under research and development in the ASDW project are targeted to provide productivity enhancements during the software life cycle phase of enterprise and information system modeling, requirements generation and analysis, system design and coding, and system use and maintenance. On-line user's guides will assist users in operating the developed information system with knowledge base expert assistance.

Development of new data acquisition system for COMPASS experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodlak, M.; Frolov, V.; Jary, V.; Huber, S.; Konorov, I.; Levit, D.; Novy, J.; Salac, R.; Virius, M.

2016-04-01

This paper presents development and recent status of the new data acquisiton system of the COMPASS experiment at CERN with up to 50 kHz trigger rate and 36 kB average event size during 10 second period with beam followed by approximately 40 second period without beam. In the original DAQ, the event building is performed by software deployed on switched computer network, moreover the data readout is based on deprecated PCI technology; the new system replaces the event building network with a custom FPGA-based hardware. The custom cards are introduced and advantages of the FPGA technology for DAQ related tasks are discussed. In this paper, we focus on the software part that is mainly responsible for control and monitoring. The most of the system can run as slow control; only readout process has realtime requirements. The design of the software is built on state machines that are implemented using the Qt framework; communication between remote nodes that form the software architecture is based on the DIM library and IPBus technology. Furthermore, PHP and JS languages are used to maintain system configuration; the MySQL database was selected as storage for both configuration of the system and system messages. The system has been design with maximum throughput of 1500 MB/s and large buffering ability used to spread load on readout computers over longer period of time. Great emphasis is put on data latency, data consistency, and even timing checks which are done at each stage of event assembly. System collects results of these checks which together with special data format allows the software to localize origin of problems in data transmission process. A prototype version of the system has already been developed and tested the new system fulfills all given requirements. It is expected that the full-scale version of the system will be finalized in June 2014 and deployed on September provided that tests with cosmic run succeed.

Using Selection Pressure as an Asset to Develop Reusable, Adaptable Software Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berrick, Stephen; Lynnes, Christopher

2007-01-01

The Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) at NASA has over the years developed and honed several reusable architectural components for supporting large-scale data centers with a large customer base. These include a processing system (S4PM) and an archive system (S4PA) based upon a workflow engine called the Simple Scalable Script based Science Processor (S4P) and an online data visualization and analysis system (Giovanni). These subsystems are currently reused internally in a variety of combinations to implement customized data management on behalf of instrument science teams and other science investigators. Some of these subsystems (S4P and S4PM) have also been reused by other data centers for operational science processing. Our experience has been that development and utilization of robust interoperable and reusable software systems can actually flourish in environments defined by heterogeneous commodity hardware systems the emphasis on value-added customer service and the continual goal for achieving higher cost efficiencies. The repeated internal reuse that is fostered by such an environment encourages and even forces changes to the software that make it more reusable and adaptable. Allowing and even encouraging such selective pressures to software development has been a key factor In the success of S4P and S4PM which are now available to the open source community under the NASA Open source Agreement

Transformation Systems at NASA Ames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buntine, Wray; Fischer, Bernd; Havelund, Klaus; Lowry, Michael; Pressburger, TOm; Roach, Steve; Robinson, Peter; VanBaalen, Jeffrey

1999-01-01

In this paper, we describe the experiences of the Automated Software Engineering Group at the NASA Ames Research Center in the development and application of three different transformation systems. The systems span the entire technology range, from deductive synthesis, to logic-based transformation, to almost compiler-like source-to-source transformation. These systems also span a range of NASA applications, including solving solar system geometry problems, generating data analysis software, and analyzing multi-threaded Java code.

Availability of software services for a hospital information system.

PubMed

Sakamoto, N

1998-03-01

Hospital information systems (HISs) are becoming more important and covering more parts in daily hospital operations as order-entry systems become popular and electronic charts are introduced. Thus, HISs today need to be able to provide necessary services for hospital operations for a 24-h day, 365 days a year. The provision of services discussed here does not simply mean the availability of computers, in which all that matters is that the computer is functioning. It means the provision of necessary information for hospital operations by the computer software, and we will call it the availability of software services. HISs these days are mostly client-server systems. To increase availability of software services in these systems, it is not enough to just use system structures that are highly reliable in existing host-centred systems. Four main components which support availability of software services are network systems, client computers, server computers, and application software. In this paper, we suggest how to structure these four components to provide the minimum requested software services even if a part of the system stops to function. The network system should be double-protected in stratus using Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) as its base network. Client computers should be fat clients with as much application logic as possible, and reference information which do not require frequent updates (master files, for example) should be replicated in clients. It would be best if all server computers could be double-protected. However, if that is physically impossible, one database file should be made accessible by several server computers. Still, at least the basic patients' information and the latest clinical records should be double-protected physically. Application software should be tested carefully before introduction. Different versions of the application software should always be kept and managed in case the new version has problems. If a hospital information system is designed and developed with these points in mind, it's availability of software services should increase greatly.

Biogem: an effective tool-based approach for scaling up open source software development in bioinformatics.

PubMed

Bonnal, Raoul J P; Aerts, Jan; Githinji, George; Goto, Naohisa; MacLean, Dan; Miller, Chase A; Mishima, Hiroyuki; Pagani, Massimiliano; Ramirez-Gonzalez, Ricardo; Smant, Geert; Strozzi, Francesco; Syme, Rob; Vos, Rutger; Wennblom, Trevor J; Woodcroft, Ben J; Katayama, Toshiaki; Prins, Pjotr

2012-04-01

Biogem provides a software development environment for the Ruby programming language, which encourages community-based software development for bioinformatics while lowering the barrier to entry and encouraging best practices. Biogem, with its targeted modular and decentralized approach, software generator, tools and tight web integration, is an improved general model for scaling up collaborative open source software development in bioinformatics. Biogem and modules are free and are OSS. Biogem runs on all systems that support recent versions of Ruby, including Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. Further information at http://www.biogems.info. A tutorial is available at http://www.biogems.info/howto.html bonnal@ingm.org.

State-of-the-art Hydrology Education: Development of Windows-based and Web-based Interactive Teaching-Learning Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, X.

2011-12-01

This study, funded by the NSF CAREER program, focuses on developing new methods to quantify microtopography-controlled overland flow processes and integrating the cutting-edge hydrologic research with all-level education and outreach activities. To achieve the educational goal, an interactive teaching-learning software package has been developed. This software, with enhanced visualization capabilities, integrates the new modeling techniques, computer-guided learning processes, and education-oriented tools in a user-friendly interface. Both Windows-based and web-based versions have been developed. The software is specially designed for three major user levels: elementary level (Level 1: K-12 and outreach education), medium level (Level 2: undergraduate education), and advanced level (Level 3: graduate education). Depending on the levels, users are guided to different educational systems. Each system consists of a series of mini "libraries" featured with movies, pictures, and documentation that cover fundamental theories, varying scale experiments, and computer modeling of overland flow generation, surface runoff, and infiltration processes. Testing and practical use of this educational software in undergraduate and graduate teaching demonstrate its effectiveness to promote students' learning and interest in hydrologic sciences. This educational software also has been used as a hydrologic demonstration tool for K-12 students and Native American students through the Nurturing American Tribal Undergraduate Research Education (NATURE) program and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach activities.

New technologies for supporting real-time on-board software development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerridge, D.

1995-03-01

The next generation of on-board data management systems will be significantly more complex than current designs, and will be required to perform more complex and demanding tasks in software. Improved hardware technology, in the form of the MA31750 radiation hard processor, is one key component in addressing the needs of future embedded systems. However, to complement these hardware advances, improved support for the design and implementation of real-time data management software is now needed. This will help to control the cost and risk assoicated with developing data management software development as it becomes an increasingly significant element within embedded systems. One particular problem with developing embedded software is managing the non-functional requirements in a systematic way. This paper identifies how Logica has exploited recent developments in hard real-time theory to address this problem through the use of new hard real-time analysis and design methods which can be supported by specialized tools. The first stage in transferring this technology from the research domain to industrial application has already been completed. The MA37150 Hard Real-Time Embedded Software Support Environment (HESSE) is a loosely integrated set of hardware and software tools which directly support the process of hard real-time analysis for software targeting the MA31750 processor. With further development, this HESSE promises to provide embedded system developers with software tools which can reduce the risks associated with developing complex hard real-time software. Supported in this way by more sophisticated software methods and tools, it is foreseen that MA31750 based embedded systems can meet the processing needs for the next generation of on-board data management systems.

XML Flight/Ground Data Dictionary Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Jesse; Wiklow, Colette

2007-01-01

A computer program generates Extensible Markup Language (XML) files that effect coupling between the command- and telemetry-handling software running aboard a spacecraft and the corresponding software running in ground support systems. The XML files are produced by use of information from the flight software and from flight-system engineering. The XML files are converted to legacy ground-system data formats for command and telemetry, transformed into Web-based and printed documentation, and used in developing new ground-system data-handling software. Previously, the information about telemetry and command was scattered in various paper documents that were not synchronized. The process of searching and reading the documents was time-consuming and introduced errors. In contrast, the XML files contain all of the information in one place. XML structures can evolve in such a manner as to enable the addition, to the XML files, of the metadata necessary to track the changes and the associated documentation. The use of this software has reduced the extent of manual operations in developing a ground data system, thereby saving considerable time and removing errors that previously arose in the translation and transcription of software information from the flight to the ground system.

Learning Fraction Comparison by Using a Dynamic Mathematics Software--GeoGebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poon, Kin Keung

2018-01-01

GeoGebra is a mathematics software system that can serve as a tool for inquiry-based learning. This paper deals with the application of a fraction comparison software, which is constructed by GeoGebra, for use in a dynamic mathematics environment. The corresponding teaching and learning issues have also been discussed.

Active Learning through Modeling: Introduction to Software Development in the Business Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roussev, Boris; Rousseva, Yvonna

2004-01-01

Modern software practices call for the active involvement of business people in the software process. Therefore, programming has become an indispensable part of the information systems component of the core curriculum at business schools. In this paper, we present a model-based approach to teaching introduction to programming to general business…

Learning fraction comparison by using a dynamic mathematics software - GeoGebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poon, Kin Keung

2018-04-01

GeoGebra is a mathematics software system that can serve as a tool for inquiry-based learning. This paper deals with the application of a fraction comparison software, which is constructed by GeoGebra, for use in a dynamic mathematics environment. The corresponding teaching and learning issues have also been discussed.

Applications of artificial intelligence to mission planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ford, Donnie R.; Floyd, Stephen A.; Rogers, John S.

1990-01-01

The following subject areas are covered: object-oriented programming task; rule-based programming task; algorithms for resource allocation; connecting a Symbolics to a VAX; FORTRAN from Lisp; trees and forest task; software data structure conversion; software functionality modifications and enhancements; portability of resource allocation to a TI MicroExplorer; frontier of feasibility software system; and conclusions.

Software Reliability 2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Dolores R.

2003-01-01

In FY01 we learned that hardware reliability models need substantial changes to account for differences in software, thus making software reliability measurements more effective, accurate, and easier to apply. These reliability models are generally based on familiar distributions or parametric methods. An obvious question is 'What new statistical and probability models can be developed using non-parametric and distribution-free methods instead of the traditional parametric method?" Two approaches to software reliability engineering appear somewhat promising. The first study, begin in FY01, is based in hardware reliability, a very well established science that has many aspects that can be applied to software. This research effort has investigated mathematical aspects of hardware reliability and has identified those applicable to software. Currently the research effort is applying and testing these approaches to software reliability measurement, These parametric models require much project data that may be difficult to apply and interpret. Projects at GSFC are often complex in both technology and schedules. Assessing and estimating reliability of the final system is extremely difficult when various subsystems are tested and completed long before others. Parametric and distribution free techniques may offer a new and accurate way of modeling failure time and other project data to provide earlier and more accurate estimates of system reliability.

Research on Safety Monitoring System of Tailings Dam Based on Internet of Things

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ligang; Yang, Xiaocong; He, Manchao

2018-03-01

The paper designed and implemented the safety monitoring system of tailings dam based on Internet of things, completed the hardware and software design of sensor nodes, routing nodes and coordinator node by using ZigBee wireless sensor chip CC2630 and 3G/4G data transmission module, developed the software platform integrated with geographic information system. The paper achieved real-time monitoring and data collection of tailings dam dam deformation, seepage line, water level and rainfall for all-weather, the stability of tailings dam based on the Internet of things monitoring is analyzed, and realized intelligent and scientific management of tailings dam under the guidance of the remote expert system.

A data dictionary approach to multilingual documentation and decision support for the diagnosis of acute abdominal pain. (COPERNICUS 555, an European concerted action).

PubMed

Ohmann, C; Eich, H P; Sippel, H

1998-01-01

This paper describes the design and development of a multilingual documentation and decision support system for the diagnosis of acute abdominal pain. The work was performed within a multi-national COPERNICUS European concerted action dealing with information technology for quality assurance in acute abdominal pain in Europe (EURO-AAP, 555). The software engineering was based on object-oriented analysis design and programming. The program cover three modules: a data dictionary, a documentation program and a knowledge based system. National versions of the software were provided and introduced into 16 centers from Central and Eastern Europe. A prospective data collection was performed in which 4020 patients were recruited. The software design has been proven to be very efficient and useful for the development of multilingual software.

An overview of very high level software design methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asdjodi, Maryam; Hooper, James W.

1988-01-01

Very High Level design methods emphasize automatic transfer of requirements to formal design specifications, and/or may concentrate on automatic transformation of formal design specifications that include some semantic information of the system into machine executable form. Very high level design methods range from general domain independent methods to approaches implementable for specific applications or domains. Applying AI techniques, abstract programming methods, domain heuristics, software engineering tools, library-based programming and other methods different approaches for higher level software design are being developed. Though one finds that a given approach does not always fall exactly in any specific class, this paper provides a classification for very high level design methods including examples for each class. These methods are analyzed and compared based on their basic approaches, strengths and feasibility for future expansion toward automatic development of software systems.

Practical Application of Model-based Programming and State-based Architecture to Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horvath, Gregory; Ingham, Michel; Chung, Seung; Martin, Oliver; Williams, Brian

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation to develop models from systems engineers that accomplish mission objectives and manage the health of the system is shown. The topics include: 1) Overview; 2) Motivation; 3) Objective/Vision; 4) Approach; 5) Background: The Mission Data System; 6) Background: State-based Control Architecture System; 7) Background: State Analysis; 8) Overview of State Analysis; 9) Background: MDS Software Frameworks; 10) Background: Model-based Programming; 10) Background: Titan Model-based Executive; 11) Model-based Execution Architecture; 12) Compatibility Analysis of MDS and Titan Architectures; 13) Integrating Model-based Programming and Execution into the Architecture; 14) State Analysis and Modeling; 15) IMU Subsystem State Effects Diagram; 16) Titan Subsystem Model: IMU Health; 17) Integrating Model-based Programming and Execution into the Software IMU; 18) Testing Program; 19) Computationally Tractable State Estimation & Fault Diagnosis; 20) Diagnostic Algorithm Performance; 21) Integration and Test Issues; 22) Demonstrated Benefits; and 23) Next Steps

ART-Ada: An Ada-based expert system tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. Daniel; Allen, Bradley P.

1990-01-01

The Department of Defense mandate to standardize on Ada as the language for software systems development has resulted in an increased interest in making expert systems technology readily available in Ada environments. NASA's Space Station Freedom is an example of the large Ada software development projects that will require expert systems in the 1990's. Another large scale application that can benefit from Ada based expert system tool technology is the Pilot's Associate (PA) expert system project for military combat aircraft. The Automated Reasoning Tool-Ada (ART-Ada), an Ada expert system tool, is explained. ART-Ada allows applications of a C-based expert system tool called ART-IM to be deployed in various Ada environments. ART-Ada is being used to implement several prototype expert systems for NASA's Space Station Freedom program and the U.S. Air Force.

ART-Ada: An Ada-based expert system tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. Daniel; Allen, Bradley P.

1991-01-01

The Department of Defense mandate to standardize on Ada as the language for software systems development has resulted in increased interest in making expert systems technology readily available in Ada environments. NASA's Space Station Freedom is an example of the large Ada software development projects that will require expert systems in the 1990's. Another large scale application that can benefit from Ada based expert system tool technology is the Pilot's Associate (PA) expert system project for military combat aircraft. Automated Reasoning Tool (ART) Ada, an Ada Expert system tool is described. ART-Ada allow applications of a C-based expert system tool called ART-IM to be deployed in various Ada environments. ART-Ada is being used to implement several prototype expert systems for NASA's Space Station Freedom Program and the U.S. Air Force.

Production roll out plan for HANDI 2000 business management system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adams, D.E.

The Hanford Data Integration 2000 (HANDI 2000) Project will result in an integrated and comprehensive set of functional applications containing core information necessary to support the Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC). It is based on the Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) product solution with commercially proven business processes. The COTS product solution set, of Passport (PP) and PeopleSoft (PS) software, supports finance, supply, human resources, and payroll activities under the current PHMC direction. The PP software is an integrated application for Accounts Payable, Contract Management, Inventory Management, Purchasing and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). The PS software is an integrated application for Projects,more » General Ledger, Human Resources Training, Payroll, and Base Benefits. This set of software constitutes the Business Management System (BMS) and MSDS, a subset of the HANDI 2000 suite of systems. The primary objective of the Production Roll Out Plan is to communicate the methods and schedules for implementation and roll out to end users of BMS.« less

Generalized Support Software: Domain Analysis and Implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stark, Mike; Seidewitz, Ed

1995-01-01

For the past five years, the Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been carrying out a detailed domain analysis effort and is now beginning to implement Generalized Support Software (GSS) based on this analysis. GSS is part of the larger Flight Dynamics Distributed System (FDDS), and is designed to run under the FDDS User Interface / Executive (UIX). The FDD is transitioning from a mainframe based environment to systems running on engineering workstations. The GSS will be a library of highly reusable components that may be configured within the standard FDDS architecture to quickly produce low-cost satellite ground support systems. The estimates for the first release is that this library will contain approximately 200,000 lines of code. The main driver for developing generalized software is development cost and schedule improvement. The goal is to ultimately have at least 80 percent of all software required for a spacecraft mission (within the domain supported by the GSS) to be configured from the generalized components.

Final Technical Report - Center for Technology for Advanced Scientific Component Software (TASCS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sussman, Alan

2014-10-21

This is a final technical report for the University of Maryland work in the SciDAC Center for Technology for Advanced Scientific Component Software (TASCS). The Maryland work focused on software tools for coupling parallel software components built using the Common Component Architecture (CCA) APIs. Those tools are based on the Maryland InterComm software framework that has been used in multiple computational science applications to build large-scale simulations of complex physical systems that employ multiple separately developed codes.

A LabVIEW®-based software for the control of the AUTORAD platform: a fully automated multisequential flow injection analysis Lab-on-Valve (MSFIA-LOV) system for radiochemical analysis.

PubMed

Barbesi, Donato; Vicente Vilas, Víctor; Millet, Sylvain; Sandow, Miguel; Colle, Jean-Yves; Aldave de Las Heras, Laura

2017-01-01

A LabVIEW ® -based software for the control of the fully automated multi-sequential flow injection analysis Lab-on-Valve (MSFIA-LOV) platform AutoRAD performing radiochemical analysis is described. The analytical platform interfaces an Arduino ® -based device triggering multiple detectors providing a flexible and fit for purpose choice of detection systems. The different analytical devices are interfaced to the PC running LabVIEW ® VI software using USB and RS232 interfaces, both for sending commands and receiving confirmation or error responses. The AUTORAD platform has been successfully applied for the chemical separation and determination of Sr, an important fission product pertinent to nuclear waste.

Experimental demonstration of software defined data center optical networks with Tbps end-to-end tunability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yongli; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Li, Hui; Wang, Huitao; Ge, Chao

2015-10-01

The end-to-end tunability is important to provision elastic channel for the burst traffic of data center optical networks. Then, how to complete the end-to-end tunability based on elastic optical networks? Software defined networking (SDN) based end-to-end tunability solution is proposed for software defined data center optical networks, and the protocol extension and implementation procedure are designed accordingly. For the first time, the flexible grid all optical networks with Tbps end-to-end tunable transport and switch system have been online demonstrated for data center interconnection, which are controlled by OpenDayLight (ODL) based controller. The performance of the end-to-end tunable transport and switch system has been evaluated with wavelength number tuning, bit rate tuning, and transmit power tuning procedure.

Craniux: A LabVIEW-Based Modular Software Framework for Brain-Machine Interface Research

PubMed Central

Degenhart, Alan D.; Kelly, John W.; Ashmore, Robin C.; Collinger, Jennifer L.; Tyler-Kabara, Elizabeth C.; Weber, Douglas J.; Wang, Wei

2011-01-01

This paper presents “Craniux,” an open-access, open-source software framework for brain-machine interface (BMI) research. Developed in LabVIEW, a high-level graphical programming environment, Craniux offers both out-of-the-box functionality and a modular BMI software framework that is easily extendable. Specifically, it allows researchers to take advantage of multiple features inherent to the LabVIEW environment for on-the-fly data visualization, parallel processing, multithreading, and data saving. This paper introduces the basic features and system architecture of Craniux and describes the validation of the system under real-time BMI operation using simulated and real electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals. Our results indicate that Craniux is able to operate consistently in real time, enabling a seamless work flow to achieve brain control of cursor movement. The Craniux software framework is made available to the scientific research community to provide a LabVIEW-based BMI software platform for future BMI research and development. PMID:21687575

Craniux: a LabVIEW-based modular software framework for brain-machine interface research.

PubMed

Degenhart, Alan D; Kelly, John W; Ashmore, Robin C; Collinger, Jennifer L; Tyler-Kabara, Elizabeth C; Weber, Douglas J; Wang, Wei

2011-01-01

This paper presents "Craniux," an open-access, open-source software framework for brain-machine interface (BMI) research. Developed in LabVIEW, a high-level graphical programming environment, Craniux offers both out-of-the-box functionality and a modular BMI software framework that is easily extendable. Specifically, it allows researchers to take advantage of multiple features inherent to the LabVIEW environment for on-the-fly data visualization, parallel processing, multithreading, and data saving. This paper introduces the basic features and system architecture of Craniux and describes the validation of the system under real-time BMI operation using simulated and real electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals. Our results indicate that Craniux is able to operate consistently in real time, enabling a seamless work flow to achieve brain control of cursor movement. The Craniux software framework is made available to the scientific research community to provide a LabVIEW-based BMI software platform for future BMI research and development.

Ethical education in software engineering: responsibility in the production of complex systems.

PubMed

Génova, Gonzalo; González, M Rosario; Fraga, Anabel

2007-12-01

Among the various contemporary schools of moral thinking, consequence-based ethics, as opposed to rule-based, seems to have a good acceptance among professionals such as software engineers. But naïve consequentialism is intellectually too weak to serve as a practical guide in the profession. Besides, the complexity of software systems makes it very hard to know in advance the consequences that will derive from professional activities in the production of software. Therefore, following the spirit of well-known codes of ethics such as the ACM/IEEE's, we advocate for a more solid position in the ethical education of software engineers, which we call 'moderate deontologism', that takes into account both rules and consequences to assess the goodness of actions, and at the same time pays an adequate consideration to the absolute values of human dignity. In order to educate responsible professionals, however, this position should be complemented with a pedagogical approach to virtue ethics.

Software synthesis using generic architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhansali, Sanjay

1993-01-01

A framework for synthesizing software systems based on abstracting software system designs and the design process is described. The result of such an abstraction process is a generic architecture and the process knowledge for customizing the architecture. The customization process knowledge is used to assist a designer in customizing the architecture as opposed to completely automating the design of systems. Our approach using an implemented example of a generic tracking architecture which was customized in two different domains is illustrated. How the designs produced using KASE compare to the original designs of the two systems, and current work and plans for extending KASE to other application areas are described.

Detailed requirements document for common software of shuttle program information management system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everette, J. M.; Bradfield, L. D.; Horton, C. L.

1975-01-01

Common software was investigated as a method for minimizing development and maintenance cost of the shuttle program information management system (SPIMS) applications while reducing the time-frame of their development. Those requirements satisfying these criteria are presented along with the stand-alone modules which may be used directly by applications. The SPIMS applications operating on the CYBER 74 computer, are specialized information management systems which use System 2000 as a data base manager. Common software provides the features to support user interactions on a CRT terminal using form input and command response capabilities. These features are available as subroutines to the applications.

A web-based library consult service for evidence-based medicine: Technical development.

PubMed

Schwartz, Alan; Millam, Gregory

2006-03-16

Incorporating evidence based medicine (EBM) into clinical practice requires clinicians to learn to efficiently gain access to clinical evidence and effectively appraise its validity. Even using current electronic systems, selecting literature-based data to solve a single patient-related problem can require more time than practicing physicians or residents can spare. Clinical librarians, as informationists, are uniquely suited to assist physicians in this endeavor. To improve support for evidence-based practice, we have developed a web-based EBM library consult service application (LCS). Librarians use the LCS system to provide full text evidence-based literature with critical appraisal in response to a clinical question asked by a remote physician. LCS uses an entirely Free/Open Source Software platform and will be released under a Free Software license. In the first year of the LCS project, the software was successfully developed and a reference implementation put into active use. Two years of evaluation of the clinical, educational, and attitudinal impact on physician-users and librarian staff are underway, and expected to lead to refinement and wide dissemination of the system. A web-based EBM library consult model may provide a useful way for informationists to assist clinicians, and is feasible to implement.

Software structure for Vega/Chara instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clausse, J.-M.

2008-07-01

VEGA (Visible spEctroGraph and polArimeter) is one of the focal instruments of the CHARA array at Mount Wilson near Los Angeles. Its control system is based on techniques developed on the GI2T interferometer (Grand Interferometre a 2 Telescopes) and on the SIRIUS fibered hyper telescope testbed at OCA (Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur). This article describes the software and electronics architecture of the instrument. It is based on local network architecture and uses also Virtual Private Network connections. The server part is based on Windows XP (VC++). The control software is on Linux (C, GTK). For the control of the science detector and the fringe tracking systems, distributed API use real-time techniques. The control software gathers all the necessary informations of the instrument. It allows an automatic management of the instrument by using an original task scheduler. This architecture intends to drive the instrument from remote sites, such as our institute in South of France.

Information Systems Security Products and Services Catalogue.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

pricing information on the Motorola Portable DES Receiver Station and Portable DES Base Station, contact Motorola. The PX-300- S ranges in cost from...C2 Paul Smith (612) 482-2776 Tom Latterner (301) 220-3400 Jeffrey S . Bell (215) 986-6864 John Haggard (312) 714-7604 4-2d.2 GENERAL-PURPOSE...primary software security mechanism of the SCOMP system is the security kernel, based on the Center-approved Bell -LaPadula model of the software portion

SCaN Testbed Software Development and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kacpura, Thomas J.; Varga, Denise M.

2012-01-01

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed an on-orbit, adaptable, Software Defined Radio (SDR)Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS)-based testbed facility to conduct a suite of experiments to advance technologies, reduce risk, and enable future mission capabilities on the International Space Station (ISS). The SCAN Testbed Project will provide NASA, industry, other Government agencies, and academic partners the opportunity to develop and field communications, navigation, and networking technologies in the laboratory and space environment based on reconfigurable, SDR platforms and the STRS Architecture.The SDRs are a new technology for NASA, and the support infrastructure they require is different from legacy, fixed function radios. SDRs offer the ability to reconfigure on-orbit communications by changing software for new waveforms and operating systems to enable new capabilities or fix any anomalies, which was not a previous option. They are not stand alone devices, but required a new approach to effectively control them and flow data. This requires extensive software to be developed to utilize the full potential of these reconfigurable platforms. The paper focuses on development, integration and testing as related to the avionics processor system, and the software required to command, control, monitor, and interact with the SDRs, as well as the other communication payload elements. An extensive effort was required to develop the flight software and meet the NASA requirements for software quality and safety. The flight avionics must be radiation tolerant, and these processors have limited capability in comparison to terrestrial counterparts. A big challenge was that there are three SDRs onboard, and interfacing with multiple SDRs simultaneously complicatesd the effort. The effort also includes ground software, which is a key element for both the command of the payload, and displaying data created by the payload. The verification of the software was an extensive effort. The challenges of specifying a suitable test matrix with reconfigurable systems that offer numerous configurations is highlighted. Since the flight system testing requires methodical, controlled testing that limits risk, a nearly identical ground system to the on-orbit flight system was required to develop the software and write verification procedures before it was installed and tested on the flight system. The development of the SCAN testbed was an accelerated effort to meet launch constraints, and this paper discusses tradeoffs made to balance needed software functionality and still maintain the schedule. Future upgrades are discussed that optimize the avionics and allow experimenters to utilize the SCAN testbed potential.

Tracking-Data-Conversion Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flora-Adams, Dana; Makihara, Jeanne; Benenyan, Zabel; Berner, Jeff; Kwok, Andrew

2007-01-01

Object Oriented Data Technology (OODT) is a software framework for creating a Web-based system for exchange of scientific data that are stored in diverse formats on computers at different sites under the management of scientific peers. OODT software consists of a set of cooperating, distributed peer components that provide distributed peer-topeer (P2P) services that enable one peer to search and retrieve data managed by another peer. In effect, computers running OODT software at different locations become parts of an integrated data-management system.

Cyber security best practices for the nuclear industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Badr, I.

2012-07-01

When deploying software based systems, such as, digital instrumentation and controls for the nuclear industry, it is vital to include cyber security assessment as part of architecture and development process. When integrating and delivering software-intensive systems for the nuclear industry, engineering teams should make use of a secure, requirements driven, software development life cycle, ensuring security compliance and optimum return on investment. Reliability protections, data loss prevention, and privacy enforcement provide a strong case for installing strict cyber security policies. (authors)

Lessons in modern digital field geology: Open source software, 3D techniques, and the new world of digital mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlis, Terry; Hurtado, Jose; Langford, Richard; Serpa, Laura

2014-05-01

Although many geologists refuse to admit it, it is time to put paper-based geologic mapping into the historical archives and move to the full potential of digital mapping techniques. For our group, flat map digital geologic mapping is now a routine operation in both research and instruction. Several software options are available, and basic proficiency with the software can be learned in a few hours of instruction and practice. The first practical field GIS software, ArcPad, remains a viable, stable option on Windows-based systems. However, the vendor seems to be moving away from ArcPad in favor of mobile software solutions that are difficult to implement without GIS specialists. Thus, we have pursued a second software option based on the open source program QGIS. Our QGIS system uses the same shapefile-centric data structure as our ArcPad system, including similar pop-up data entry forms and generic graphics for easy data management in the field. The advantage of QGIS is that the same software runs on virtually all common platforms except iOS, although the Android version remains unstable as of this writing. A third software option we are experimenting with for flat map-based field work is Fieldmove, a derivative of the 3D-capable program Move developed by Midland Valley. Our initial experiments with Fieldmove are positive, particularly with the new, inexpensive (<300Euros) Windows tablets. However, the lack of flexibility in data structure makes for cumbersome workflows when trying to interface our existing shapefile-centric data structures to Move. Nonetheless, in spring 2014 we will experiment with full-3D immersion in the field using the full Move software package in combination with ground based LiDAR and photogrammetry. One new workflow suggested by our initial experiments is that field geologists should consider using photogrammetry software to capture 3D visualizations of key outcrops. This process is now straightforward in several software packages, and it affords a previously unheard of potential for communicating the complexity of key exposures. For example, in studies of metamorphic structures we often search for days to find "Rosetta Stone" outcrops that display key geometric relationships. While conventional photographs rarely can capture the essence of the field exposure, capturing a true 3D representation of the exposure with multiple photos from many orientations can solve this communication problem. As spatial databases evolve these 3D models should be readily importable into the database.

The Many Faces of a Software Engineer in a Research Community

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marinovici, Maria C.; Kirkham, Harold

2013-10-14

The ability to gather, analyze and make decisions based on real world data is changing nearly every field of human endeavor. These changes are particularly challenging for software engineers working in a scientific community, designing and developing large, complex systems. To avoid the creation of a communications gap (almost a language barrier), the software engineers should possess an ‘adaptive’ skill. In the science and engineering research community, the software engineers must be responsible for more than creating mechanisms for storing and analyzing data. They must also develop a fundamental scientific and engineering understanding of the data. This paper looks atmore » the many faces that a software engineer should have: developer, domain expert, business analyst, security expert, project manager, tester, user experience professional, etc. Observations made during work on a power-systems scientific software development are analyzed and extended to describe more generic software development projects.« less

An expert system prototype for aiding in the development of software functional requirements for NASA Goddard's command management system: A case study and lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebowitz, Jay

1986-01-01

At NASA Goddard, the role of the command management system (CMS) is to transform general requests for spacecraft opeerations into detailed operational plans to be uplinked to the spacecraft. The CMS is part of the NASA Data System which entails the downlink of science and engineering data from NASA near-earth satellites to the user, and the uplink of command and control data to the spacecraft. Presently, it takes one to three years, with meetings once or twice a week, to determine functional requirements for CMS software design. As an alternative approach to the present technique of developing CMS software functional requirements, an expert system prototype was developed to aid in this function. Specifically, the knowledge base was formulated through interactions with domain experts, and was then linked to an existing expert system application generator called 'Knowledge Engineering System (Version 1.3).' Knowledge base development focused on four major steps: (1) develop the problem-oriented attribute hierachy; (2) determine the knowledge management approach; (3) encode the knowledge base; and (4) validate, test, certify, and evaluate the knowledge base and the expert system prototype as a whole. Backcasting was accomplished for validating and testing the expert system prototype. Knowledge refinement, evaluation, and implementation procedures of the expert system prototype were then transacted.

Computer-Based Semantic Network in Molecular Biology: A Demonstration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callman, Joshua L.; And Others

This paper analyzes the hardware and software features that would be desirable in a computer-based semantic network system for representing biology knowledge. It then describes in detail a prototype network of molecular biology knowledge that has been developed using Filevision software and a Macintosh computer. The prototype contains about 100…

System support software for the Space Ultrareliable Modular Computer (SUMC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, T. E.; Hintze, G. C.; Hodges, B. C.; Austin, F. A.; Buckles, B. P.; Curran, R. T.; Lackey, J. D.; Payne, R. E.

1974-01-01

The highly transportable programming system designed and implemented to support the development of software for the Space Ultrareliable Modular Computer (SUMC) is described. The SUMC system support software consists of program modules called processors. The initial set of processors consists of the supervisor, the general purpose assembler for SUMC instruction and microcode input, linkage editors, an instruction level simulator, a microcode grid print processor, and user oriented utility programs. A FORTRAN 4 compiler is undergoing development. The design facilitates the addition of new processors with a minimum effort and provides the user quasi host independence on the ground based operational software development computer. Additional capability is provided to accommodate variations in the SUMC architecture without consequent major modifications in the initial processors.

Building Safer Systems With SpecTRM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

System safety, an integral component in software development, often poses a challenge to engineers designing computer-based systems. While the relaxed constraints on software design allow for increased power and flexibility, this flexibility introduces more possibilities for error. As a result, system engineers must identify the design constraints necessary to maintain safety and ensure that the system and software design enforces them. Safeware Engineering Corporation, of Seattle, Washington, provides the information, tools, and techniques to accomplish this task with its Specification Tools and Requirements Methodology (SpecTRM). NASA assisted in developing this engineering toolset by awarding the company several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center. The technology benefits NASA through its applications for Space Station rendezvous and docking. SpecTRM aids system and software engineers in developing specifications for large, complex safety critical systems. The product enables engineers to find errors early in development so that they can be fixed with the lowest cost and impact on the system design. SpecTRM traces both the requirements and design rationale (including safety constraints) throughout the system design and documentation, allowing engineers to build required system properties into the design from the beginning, rather than emphasizing assessment at the end of the development process when changes are limited and costly.System safety, an integral component in software development, often poses a challenge to engineers designing computer-based systems. While the relaxed constraints on software design allow for increased power and flexibility, this flexibility introduces more possibilities for error. As a result, system engineers must identify the design constraints necessary to maintain safety and ensure that the system and software design enforces them. Safeware Engineering Corporation, of Seattle, Washington, provides the information, tools, and techniques to accomplish this task with its Specification Tools and Requirements Methodology (SpecTRM). NASA assisted in developing this engineering toolset by awarding the company several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center. The technology benefits NASA through its applications for Space Station rendezvous and docking. SpecTRM aids system and software engineers in developing specifications for large, complex safety critical systems. The product enables engineers to find errors early in development so that they can be fixed with the lowest cost and impact on the system design. SpecTRM traces both the requirements and design rationale (including safety constraints) throughout the system design and documentation, allowing engineers to build required system properties into the design from the beginning, rather than emphasizing assessment at the end of the development process when changes are limited and costly.

Stereoelectroencephalography based on the Leksell stereotactic frame and Neurotech operation planning software.

PubMed

Zhang, Guangming; Chen, Guoqiang; Meng, Dawei; Liu, Yanwu; Chen, Jianwei; Shu, Lanmei; Liu, Wenbo

2017-06-01

This study aimed to introduce a new stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) system based on Leksell stereotactic frame (L-SEEG) as well as Neurotech operation planning software, and to investigate its safety, applicability, and reliability.L-SEEG, without the help of navigation, includes SEEG operation planning software (Neurotech), Leksell stereotactic frame, and corresponding surgical instruments. Neurotech operation planning software can be used to display three-dimensional images of the cortex and cortical vessels and to plan the intracranial electrode implantation. In 44 refractory epilepsy patients, 364 intracranial electrodes were implanted through the L-SEEG system, and the postoperative complications such as bleeding, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) leakage, infection, and electrode-related problems were also investigated.All electrodes were implanted accurately as preoperatively planned shown by postoperative lamina computed tomography and preoperative lamina magnetic resonance imaging. There was no severe complication after intracranial electrode implantation through the L-SEEG system. There were no electrode-related problems, no CSF leakage and no infection after surgery. All the patients recovered favorably after SEEG electrode implantation, and only 1 patient had asymptomatic frontal lateral ventricle hematoma (3 mL).The L-SEEG system with Neurotech operation planning software can be used for safe, accurate, and reliable intracranial electrode implantation for SEEG.

PC based PLCs and ethernet based fieldbus: the new standard platform for future VLT instrument control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiekebusch, Mario J.; Lucuix, Christian; Erm, Toomas M.; Chiozzi, Gianluca; Zamparelli, Michele; Kern, Lothar; Brast, Roland; Pirani, Werther; Reiss, Roland; Popovic, Dan; Knudstrup, Jens; Duchateau, Michel; Sandrock, Stefan; Di Lieto, Nicola

2014-07-01

ESO is currently in the final phase of the standardization process for PC-based Programmable Logical Controllers (PLCs) as the new platform for the development of control systems for future VLT/VLTI instruments. The standard solution used until now consists of a Local Control Unit (LCU), a VME-based system having a CPU and commercial and proprietary boards. This system includes several layers of software and many thousands of lines of code developed and maintained in house. LCUs have been used for several years as the interface to control instrument functions but now are being replaced by commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems based on BECKHOFF Embedded PCs and the EtherCAT fieldbus. ESO is working on the completion of the software framework that enables a seamless integration into the VLT control system in order to be ready to support upcoming instruments like ESPRESSO and ERIS, that will be the first fully VLT compliant instruments using the new standard. The technology evaluation and standardization process has been a long and combined effort of various engineering disciplines like electronics, control and software, working together to define a solution that meets the requirements and minimizes the impact on the observatory operations and maintenance. This paper presents the challenges of the standardization process and the steps involved in such a change. It provides a technical overview of how industrial standards like EtherCAT, OPC-UA, PLCOpen MC and TwinCAT can be used to replace LCU features in various areas like software engineering and programming languages, motion control, time synchronization and astronomical tracking.

Verification and Validation of Autonomy Software at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pecheur, Charles

2000-01-01

Autonomous software holds the promise of new operation possibilities, easier design and development and lower operating costs. However, as those system close control loops and arbitrate resources on board with specialized reasoning, the range of possible situations becomes very large and uncontrollable from the outside, making conventional scenario-based testing very inefficient. Analytic verification and validation (V&V) techniques, and model checking in particular, can provide significant help for designing autonomous systems in a more efficient and reliable manner, by providing a better coverage and allowing early error detection. This article discusses the general issue of V&V of autonomy software, with an emphasis towards model-based autonomy, model-checking techniques and concrete experiments at NASA.

Verification and Validation of Autonomy Software at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pecheur, Charles

2000-01-01

Autonomous software holds the promise of new operation possibilities, easier design and development, and lower operating costs. However, as those system close control loops and arbitrate resources on-board with specialized reasoning, the range of possible situations becomes very large and uncontrollable from the outside, making conventional scenario-based testing very inefficient. Analytic verification and validation (V&V) techniques, and model checking in particular, can provide significant help for designing autonomous systems in a more efficient and reliable manner, by providing a better coverage and allowing early error detection. This article discusses the general issue of V&V of autonomy software, with an emphasis towards model-based autonomy, model-checking techniques, and concrete experiments at NASA.

Recent Trends in Minicomputer-Based Integrated Learning Systems for Reading and Language Arts Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balajthy, Ernest

This paper discusses minicomputer-based ILSs (integrated learning systems), i.e., computer-based systems of hardware and software. An example of a minicomputer-based system in a school district (a composite of several actual districts) considers hardware, staffing, scheduling, reactions, problems, and training for a subskill-oriented reading…

Automatic documentation system extension to multi-manufacturers' computers and to measure, improve, and predict software reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simmons, D. B.

1975-01-01

The DOMONIC system has been modified to run on the Univac 1108 and the CDC 6600 as well as the IBM 370 computer system. The DOMONIC monitor system has been implemented to gather data which can be used to optimize the DOMONIC system and to predict the reliability of software developed using DOMONIC. The areas of quality metrics, error characterization, program complexity, program testing, validation and verification are analyzed. A software reliability model for estimating program completion levels and one on which to base system acceptance have been developed. The DAVE system which performs flow analysis and error detection has been converted from the University of Colorado CDC 6400/6600 computer to the IBM 360/370 computer system for use with the DOMONIC system.

Model Transformation for a System of Systems Dependability Safety Case

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Judy; Driskell, Stephen B.

2010-01-01

Software plays an increasingly larger role in all aspects of NASA's science missions. This has been extended to the identification, management and control of faults which affect safety-critical functions and by default, the overall success of the mission. Traditionally, the analysis of fault identification, management and control are hardware based. Due to the increasing complexity of system, there has been a corresponding increase in the complexity in fault management software. The NASA Independent Validation & Verification (IV&V) program is creating processes and procedures to identify, and incorporate safety-critical software requirements along with corresponding software faults so that potential hazards may be mitigated. This Specific to Generic ... A Case for Reuse paper describes the phases of a dependability and safety study which identifies a new, process to create a foundation for reusable assets. These assets support the identification and management of specific software faults and, their transformation from specific to generic software faults. This approach also has applications to other systems outside of the NASA environment. This paper addresses how a mission specific dependability and safety case is being transformed to a generic dependability and safety case which can be reused for any type of space mission with an emphasis on software fault conditions.

An FPGA- Based General-Purpose Data Acquisition Controller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robson, C. C. W.; Bousselham, A.; Bohm

2006-08-01

System development in advanced FPGAs allows considerable flexibility, both during development and in production use. A mixed firmware/software solution allows the developer to choose what shall be done in firmware or software, and to make that decision late in the process. However, this flexibility comes at the cost of increased complexity. We have designed a modular development framework to help to overcome these issues of increased complexity. This framework comprises a generic controller that can be adapted for different systems by simply changing the software or firmware parts. The controller can use both soft and hard processors, with or without an RTOS, based on the demands of the system to be developed. The resulting system uses the Internet for both control and data acquisition. In our studies we developed the embedded system in a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA, where we used both PowerPC and MicroBlaze cores, http, Java, and LabView for control and communication, together with the MicroC/OS-II and OSE operating systems

Building the Core Architecture of a Multiagent System Product Line: With an example from a future NASA Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pena, Joaquin; Hinchey, Michael G.; Ruiz-Cortes, Antonio

2006-01-01

The field of Software Product Lines (SPL) emphasizes building a core architecture for a family of software products from which concrete products can be derived rapidly. This helps to reduce time-to-market, costs, etc., and can result in improved software quality and safety. Current AOSE methodologies are concerned with developing a single Multiagent System. We propose an initial approach to developing the core architecture of a Multiagent Systems Product Line (MAS-PL), exemplifying our approach with reference to a concept NASA mission based on multiagent technology.

A proven approach for more effective software development and maintenance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pajerski, Rose; Hall, Dana; Sinclair, Craig

1994-01-01

Modern space flight mission operations and associated ground data systems are increasingly dependent upon reliable, quality software. Critical functions such as command load preparation, health and status monitoring, communications link scheduling and conflict resolution, and transparent gateway protocol conversion are routinely performed by software. Given budget constraints and the ever increasing capabilities of processor technology, the next generation of control centers and data systems will be even more dependent upon software across all aspects of performance. A key challenge now is to implement improved engineering, management, and assurance processes for the development and maintenance of that software; processes that cost less, yield higher quality products, and that self-correct for continual improvement evolution. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has a unique experience base that can be readily tapped to help solve the software challenge. Over the past eighteen years, the Software Engineering Laboratory within the code 500 Flight Dynamics Division has evolved a software development and maintenance methodology that accommodates the unique characteristics of an organization while optimizing and continually improving the organization's software capabilities. This methodology relies upon measurement, analysis, and feedback much analogous to that of control loop systems. It is an approach with a time-tested track record proven through repeated applications across a broad range of operational software development and maintenance projects. This paper describes the software improvement methodology employed by the Software Engineering Laboratory, and how it has been exploited within the Flight Dynamics Division with GSFC Code 500. Examples of specific improvement in the software itself and its processes are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the methodology. Finally, the initial findings are given when this methodology was applied across the mission operations and ground data systems software domains throughout Code 500.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Busbey, A.B.

A number of methods and products, both hardware and software, to allow data exchange between Apple Macintosh computers and MS-DOS based systems. These included serial null modem connections, MS-DOS hardware and/or software emulation, MS-DOS disk-reading hardware and networking.

Establishing a Novel Modeling Tool: A Python-Based Interface for a Neuromorphic Hardware System

PubMed Central

Brüderle, Daniel; Müller, Eric; Davison, Andrew; Muller, Eilif; Schemmel, Johannes; Meier, Karlheinz

2008-01-01

Neuromorphic hardware systems provide new possibilities for the neuroscience modeling community. Due to the intrinsic parallelism of the micro-electronic emulation of neural computation, such models are highly scalable without a loss of speed. However, the communities of software simulator users and neuromorphic engineering in neuroscience are rather disjoint. We present a software concept that provides the possibility to establish such hardware devices as valuable modeling tools. It is based on the integration of the hardware interface into a simulator-independent language which allows for unified experiment descriptions that can be run on various simulation platforms without modification, implying experiment portability and a huge simplification of the quantitative comparison of hardware and simulator results. We introduce an accelerated neuromorphic hardware device and describe the implementation of the proposed concept for this system. An example setup and results acquired by utilizing both the hardware system and a software simulator are demonstrated. PMID:19562085

Establishing a novel modeling tool: a python-based interface for a neuromorphic hardware system.

PubMed

Brüderle, Daniel; Müller, Eric; Davison, Andrew; Muller, Eilif; Schemmel, Johannes; Meier, Karlheinz

2009-01-01

Neuromorphic hardware systems provide new possibilities for the neuroscience modeling community. Due to the intrinsic parallelism of the micro-electronic emulation of neural computation, such models are highly scalable without a loss of speed. However, the communities of software simulator users and neuromorphic engineering in neuroscience are rather disjoint. We present a software concept that provides the possibility to establish such hardware devices as valuable modeling tools. It is based on the integration of the hardware interface into a simulator-independent language which allows for unified experiment descriptions that can be run on various simulation platforms without modification, implying experiment portability and a huge simplification of the quantitative comparison of hardware and simulator results. We introduce an accelerated neuromorphic hardware device and describe the implementation of the proposed concept for this system. An example setup and results acquired by utilizing both the hardware system and a software simulator are demonstrated.

A fault-tolerant intelligent robotic control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marzwell, Neville I.; Tso, Kam Sing

1993-01-01

This paper describes the concept, design, and features of a fault-tolerant intelligent robotic control system being developed for space and commercial applications that require high dependability. The comprehensive strategy integrates system level hardware/software fault tolerance with task level handling of uncertainties and unexpected events for robotic control. The underlying architecture for system level fault tolerance is the distributed recovery block which protects against application software, system software, hardware, and network failures. Task level fault tolerance provisions are implemented in a knowledge-based system which utilizes advanced automation techniques such as rule-based and model-based reasoning to monitor, diagnose, and recover from unexpected events. The two level design provides tolerance of two or more faults occurring serially at any level of command, control, sensing, or actuation. The potential benefits of such a fault tolerant robotic control system include: (1) a minimized potential for damage to humans, the work site, and the robot itself; (2) continuous operation with a minimum of uncommanded motion in the presence of failures; and (3) more reliable autonomous operation providing increased efficiency in the execution of robotic tasks and decreased demand on human operators for controlling and monitoring the robotic servicing routines.

Extending the Capture Volume of an Iris Recognition System Using Wavefront Coding and Super-Resolution.

PubMed

Hsieh, Sheng-Hsun; Li, Yung-Hui; Tien, Chung-Hao; Chang, Chin-Chen

2016-12-01

Iris recognition has gained increasing popularity over the last few decades; however, the stand-off distance in a conventional iris recognition system is too short, which limits its application. In this paper, we propose a novel hardware-software hybrid method to increase the stand-off distance in an iris recognition system. When designing the system hardware, we use an optimized wavefront coding technique to extend the depth of field. To compensate for the blurring of the image caused by wavefront coding, on the software side, the proposed system uses a local patch-based super-resolution method to restore the blurred image to its clear version. The collaborative effect of the new hardware design and software post-processing showed great potential in our experiment. The experimental results showed that such improvement cannot be achieved by using a hardware-or software-only design. The proposed system can increase the capture volume of a conventional iris recognition system by three times and maintain the system's high recognition rate.

TMT approach to observatory software development process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buur, Hanne; Subramaniam, Annapurni; Gillies, Kim; Dumas, Christophe; Bhatia, Ravinder

2016-07-01

The purpose of the Observatory Software System (OSW) is to integrate all software and hardware components of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) to enable observations and data capture; thus it is a complex software system that is defined by four principal software subsystems: Common Software (CSW), Executive Software (ESW), Data Management System (DMS) and Science Operations Support System (SOSS), all of which have interdependencies with the observatory control systems and data acquisition systems. Therefore, the software development process and plan must consider dependencies to other subsystems, manage architecture, interfaces and design, manage software scope and complexity, and standardize and optimize use of resources and tools. Additionally, the TMT Observatory Software will largely be developed in India through TMT's workshare relationship with the India TMT Coordination Centre (ITCC) and use of Indian software industry vendors, which adds complexity and challenges to the software development process, communication and coordination of activities and priorities as well as measuring performance and managing quality and risk. The software project management challenge for the TMT OSW is thus a multi-faceted technical, managerial, communications and interpersonal relations challenge. The approach TMT is using to manage this multifaceted challenge is a combination of establishing an effective geographically distributed software team (Integrated Product Team) with strong project management and technical leadership provided by the TMT Project Office (PO) and the ITCC partner to manage plans, process, performance, risk and quality, and to facilitate effective communications; establishing an effective cross-functional software management team composed of stakeholders, OSW leadership and ITCC leadership to manage dependencies and software release plans, technical complexities and change to approved interfaces, architecture, design and tool set, and to facilitate effective communications; adopting an agile-based software development process across the observatory to enable frequent software releases to help mitigate subsystem interdependencies; defining concise scope and work packages for each of the OSW subsystems to facilitate effective outsourcing of software deliverables to the ITCC partner, and to enable performance monitoring and risk management. At this stage, the architecture and high-level design of the software system has been established and reviewed. During construction each subsystem will have a final design phase with reviews, followed by implementation and testing. The results of the TMT approach to the Observatory Software development process will only be preliminary at the time of the submittal of this paper, but it is anticipated that the early results will be a favorable indication of progress.

Generalized implementation of software safety policies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, John C.; Wika, Kevin G.

1994-01-01

As part of a research program in the engineering of software for safety-critical systems, we are performing two case studies. The first case study, which is well underway, is a safety-critical medical application. The second, which is just starting, is a digital control system for a nuclear research reactor. Our goal is to use these case studies to permit us to obtain a better understanding of the issues facing developers of safety-critical systems, and to provide a vehicle for the assessment of research ideas. The case studies are not based on the analysis of existing software development by others. Instead, we are attempting to create software for new and novel systems in a process that ultimately will involve all phases of the software lifecycle. In this abstract, we summarize our results to date in a small part of this project, namely the determination and classification of policies related to software safety that must be enforced to ensure safe operation. We hypothesize that this classification will permit a general approach to the implementation of a policy enforcement mechanism.

GDSCalc: A Web-Based Application for Evaluating Discrete Graph Dynamical Systems

PubMed Central

Elmeligy Abdelhamid, Sherif H.; Kuhlman, Chris J.; Marathe, Madhav V.; Mortveit, Henning S.; Ravi, S. S.

2015-01-01

Discrete dynamical systems are used to model various realistic systems in network science, from social unrest in human populations to regulation in biological networks. A common approach is to model the agents of a system as vertices of a graph, and the pairwise interactions between agents as edges. Agents are in one of a finite set of states at each discrete time step and are assigned functions that describe how their states change based on neighborhood relations. Full characterization of state transitions of one system can give insights into fundamental behaviors of other dynamical systems. In this paper, we describe a discrete graph dynamical systems (GDSs) application called GDSCalc for computing and characterizing system dynamics. It is an open access system that is used through a web interface. We provide an overview of GDS theory. This theory is the basis of the web application; i.e., an understanding of GDS provides an understanding of the software features, while abstracting away implementation details. We present a set of illustrative examples to demonstrate its use in education and research. Finally, we compare GDSCalc with other discrete dynamical system software tools. Our perspective is that no single software tool will perform all computations that may be required by all users; tools typically have particular features that are more suitable for some tasks. We situate GDSCalc within this space of software tools. PMID:26263006

GDSCalc: A Web-Based Application for Evaluating Discrete Graph Dynamical Systems.

PubMed

Elmeligy Abdelhamid, Sherif H; Kuhlman, Chris J; Marathe, Madhav V; Mortveit, Henning S; Ravi, S S

2015-01-01

Discrete dynamical systems are used to model various realistic systems in network science, from social unrest in human populations to regulation in biological networks. A common approach is to model the agents of a system as vertices of a graph, and the pairwise interactions between agents as edges. Agents are in one of a finite set of states at each discrete time step and are assigned functions that describe how their states change based on neighborhood relations. Full characterization of state transitions of one system can give insights into fundamental behaviors of other dynamical systems. In this paper, we describe a discrete graph dynamical systems (GDSs) application called GDSCalc for computing and characterizing system dynamics. It is an open access system that is used through a web interface. We provide an overview of GDS theory. This theory is the basis of the web application; i.e., an understanding of GDS provides an understanding of the software features, while abstracting away implementation details. We present a set of illustrative examples to demonstrate its use in education and research. Finally, we compare GDSCalc with other discrete dynamical system software tools. Our perspective is that no single software tool will perform all computations that may be required by all users; tools typically have particular features that are more suitable for some tasks. We situate GDSCalc within this space of software tools.

Health care professional workstation: software system construction using DSSA scenario-based engineering process.

PubMed

Hufnagel, S; Harbison, K; Silva, J; Mettala, E

1994-01-01

This paper describes a new method for the evolutionary determination of user requirements and system specifications called scenario-based engineering process (SEP). Health care professional workstations are critical components of large scale health care system architectures. We suggest that domain-specific software architectures (DSSAs) be used to specify standard interfaces and protocols for reusable software components throughout those architectures, including workstations. We encourage the use of engineering principles and abstraction mechanisms. Engineering principles are flexible guidelines, adaptable to particular situations. Abstraction mechanisms are simplifications for management of complexity. We recommend object-oriented design principles, graphical structural specifications, and formal components' behavioral specifications. We give an ambulatory care scenario and associated models to demonstrate SEP. The scenario uses health care terminology and gives patients' and health care providers' system views. Our goal is to have a threefold benefit. (i) Scenario view abstractions provide consistent interdisciplinary communications. (ii) Hierarchical object-oriented structures provide useful abstractions for reuse, understandability, and long term evolution. (iii) SEP and health care DSSA integration into computer aided software engineering (CASE) environments. These environments should support rapid construction and certification of individualized systems, from reuse libraries.

Software-Based Visual Loan Calculator For Banking Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isizoh, A. N.; Anazia, A. E.; Okide, S. O. 3; Onyeyili, T. I.; Okwaraoka, C. A. P.

2012-03-01

industry is very necessary in modern day banking system using many design techniques for security reasons. This paper thus presents the software-based design and implementation of a Visual Loan calculator for banking industry using Visual Basic .Net (VB.Net). The fundamental approach to this is to develop a Graphical User Interface (GUI) using VB.Net operating tools, and then developing a working program which calculates the interest of any loan obtained. The VB.Net programming was done, implemented and the software proved satisfactory.

A database for TMT interface control documents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillies, Kim; Roberts, Scott; Brighton, Allan; Rogers, John

2016-08-01

The TMT Software System consists of software components that interact with one another through a software infrastructure called TMT Common Software (CSW). CSW consists of software services and library code that is used by developers to create the subsystems and components that participate in the software system. CSW also defines the types of components that can be constructed and their roles. The use of common component types and shared middleware services allows standardized software interfaces for the components. A software system called the TMT Interface Database System was constructed to support the documentation of the interfaces for components based on CSW. The programmer describes a subsystem and each of its components using JSON-style text files. A command interface file describes each command a component can receive and any commands a component sends. The event interface files describe status, alarms, and events a component publishes and status and events subscribed to by a component. A web application was created to provide a user interface for the required features. Files are ingested into the software system's database. The user interface allows browsing subsystem interfaces, publishing versions of subsystem interfaces, and constructing and publishing interface control documents that consist of the intersection of two subsystem interfaces. All published subsystem interfaces and interface control documents are versioned for configuration control and follow the standard TMT change control processes. Subsystem interfaces and interface control documents can be visualized in the browser or exported as PDF files.

Software architecture of INO340 telescope control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravanmehr, Reza; Khosroshahi, Habib

2016-08-01

The software architecture plays an important role in distributed control system of astronomical projects because many subsystems and components must work together in a consistent and reliable way. We have utilized a customized architecture design approach based on "4+1 view model" in order to design INOCS software architecture. In this paper, after reviewing the top level INOCS architecture, we present the software architecture model of INOCS inspired by "4+1 model", for this purpose we provide logical, process, development, physical, and scenario views of our architecture using different UML diagrams and other illustrative visual charts. Each view presents INOCS software architecture from a different perspective. We finish the paper by science data operation of INO340 and the concluding remarks.

Virtual Observatory and Colitec Software: Modules, Features, Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pohorelov, A. V.; Khlamov, S. V.; Savanevych, V. E.; Briukhovetskyi, A. B.; Vlasenko, V. P.

In this article we described complex processing system created by the CoLiTec project. This system includes features, user-friendly tools for processing control, results reviewing, integration with online catalogs and a lot of different computational modules that are based on the developed methods. Some of them are described in the article.The main directions of the CoLiTec software development are the Virtual Observatory, software for automated asteroids and comets detection and software for brightness equalization.The CoLiTec software is widely used in a number of observatories in the CIS. It has been used in about 700 000 observations, during which 1560 asteroids, including 5 NEO, 21 Trojan asteroids of Jupiter, 1 Centaur and four comets were discovered.

Specification for Visual Requirements of Work-Centered Software Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-01

no person shall be subject to any penity for fallng to comply wih a collection of N ilo ration it does not display a currenty valid OMB control...work- aiding systems. Based on the design concept for a work- centered support system (WCSS), these software systems support user tasks and goals...through both direct and indirect aiding methods within the interface client. In order to ensure the coherent development and delivery of work- centered

Hierarchical Ada robot programming system (HARPS)- A complete and working telerobot control system based on the NASREM model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leake, Stephen; Green, Tom; Cofer, Sue; Sauerwein, Tim

1989-01-01

HARPS is a telerobot control system that can perform some simple but useful tasks. This capability is demonstrated by performing the ORU exchange demonstration. HARPS is based on NASREM (NASA Standard Reference Model). All software is developed in Ada, and the project incorporates a number of different CASE (computer-aided software engineering) tools. NASREM was found to be a valid and useful model for building a telerobot control system. Its hierarchical and distributed structure creates a natural and logical flow for implementing large complex robust control systems. The ability of Ada to create and enforce abstraction enhanced the implementation of such control systems.

PiVoT GPS Receiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wennersten, Miriam; Banes, Vince; Boegner, Greg; Clagnett, Charles; Dougherty, Lamar; Edwards, Bernard; Roman, Joe; Bauer, Frank H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has built an open architecture, 24 channel spaceflight Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The compact PCI PiVoT GPS receiver card is based on the Mitel/GEC Plessey Builder 2 board. PiVoT uses two Plessey 2021 correlators to allow tracking of up to 24 separate GPS SV's on unique channels. Its four front ends can support four independent antennas, making it a useful card for hosting GPS attitude determination algorithms. It has been built using space quality, radiation tolerant parts. The PiVoT card works at a lower signal to noise ratio than the original Builder 2 board. It also hosts an improved clock oscillator. The PiVoT software is based on the original Piessey Builder 2 software ported to the Linux operating system. The software is posix compliant and can be easily converted to other posix operating systems. The software is open source to anyone with a licensing agreement with Plessey. Additional tasks can be added to the software to support GPS science experiments or attitude determination algorithms. The next generation PiVoT receiver will be a single radiation hardened compact PCI card containing the microprocessor and the GPS receiver optimized for use above the GPS constellation.

Data Collection with Linux in the Undergraduate Physics Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramey, R. Dwayne

2004-11-01

Electronic data devices such as photogates can greatly facilitate data collection in the undergraduate physics laboratory. Unfortunately, these devices have several practical drawbacks. While the photogates themselves are not particularly expensive, manufacturers of these devices have created intermediary hardware devices for data buffering and manipulation. These devices, while useful in some contexts, greatly increase the overall price of data collection and, through the use of proprietary software, limit the ability of the enduser to customize the software. As an alternative, I outline the procedure for establishing a computer-based data collection system that consists of opensource software and user constructed connections. The data collection system consists of the wiring needed to connect a data device to a computer and the software needed to collect and manipulate data. Data devices can be connected to a computer through either through the USB port or the gameport of a sound card. Software capable of collecting and manipulating the data from a photogate type device on a Linux system has been developed and will be discrussed. Results for typical undergraduate photogate based experiments will be shown, error limits and data collect rates will be discussed for both the gameport and USB connections.

Modern Corneal Eye-Banking Using a Software-Based IT Management Solution.

PubMed

Kern, C; Kortuem, K; Wertheimer, C; Nilmayer, O; Dirisamer, M; Priglinger, S; Mayer, W J

2018-01-01

Increasing government legislation and regulations in manufacturing have led to additional documentation regarding the pharmaceutical product requirements of corneal grafts in the European Union. The aim of this project was to develop a software within a hospital information system (HIS) to support the documentation process, to improve the management of the patient waiting list and to increase informational flow between the clinic and eye bank. After an analysis of the current documentation process, a new workflow and software were implemented in our electronic health record (EHR) system. The software takes over most of the documentation and reduces the time required for record keeping. It guarantees real-time tracing of all steps during human corneal tissue processing from the start of production until allocation during surgery and includes follow-up within the HIS. Moreover, listing of the patient for surgery as well as waiting list management takes place in the same system. The new software for corneal eye banking supports the whole process chain by taking over both most of the required documentation and the management of the transplant waiting list. It may provide a standardized IT-based solution for German eye banks working within the same HIS.

Software System Safety and the NASA Aeronautics Blueprint

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holloway, C. Michael; Hayhurst, Kelly J.

2002-01-01

NASA's Aeronautics Blueprint lays out a research agenda for the Agency s aeronautics program. The word software appears only four times in this Blueprint, but the critical importance of safe and correct software to the fulfillment of the proposed research is evident on almost every page. Most of the technology solutions proposed to address challenges in aviation are software dependent technologies. Of the fifty-two specific technology solutions described in the Blueprint, forty-one depend, at least in part, on software for success. For thirty-five of these forty-one, software is not only critical to success, but also to human safety. That is, implementing the technology solutions will require using software in such a way that it may, if not specified, designed, and implemented properly, lead to fatal accidents. These results have at least two implications for the research based on the Blueprint: (1) knowledge about the current state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice in software engineering and software system safety is essential, and (2) research into current unsolved problems in these software disciplines is also essential.

Digital video timing analyzer for the evaluation of PC-based real-time simulation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Shawn R.; Crosby, Jay L.; Terry, John E., Jr.

2009-05-01

Due to the rapid acceleration in technology and the drop in costs, the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) PC-based hardware and software components for digital and hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) simulations has increased. However, the increase in PC-based components creates new challenges for HWIL test facilities such as cost-effective hardware and software selection, system configuration and integration, performance testing, and simulation verification/validation. This paper will discuss how the Digital Video Timing Analyzer (DiViTA) installed in the Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) provides quantitative characterization data for PC-based real-time scene generation systems. An overview of the DiViTA is provided followed by details on measurement techniques, applications, and real-world examples of system benefits.

A Management Information System for Bare Base Civil Engineering Commanders

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

initial beddown stage. The purpose of this research was to determine the feasibility of developing a microcomputer based management information system (MIS...the software best suited to synthesize four of the categories into a prototype field MIS. Keyword: Management information system , Bare bases, Civil engineering, Data bases, Information retrieval.

TERMTrial--terminology-based documentation systems for cooperative clinical trials.

PubMed

Merzweiler, A; Weber, R; Garde, S; Haux, R; Knaup-Gregori, P

2005-04-01

Within cooperative groups of multi-center clinical trials a standardized documentation is a prerequisite for communication and sharing of data. Standardizing documentation systems means standardizing the underlying terminology. The management and consistent application of terminology systems is a difficult and fault-prone task, which should be supported by appropriate software tools. Today, documentation systems for clinical trials are often implemented as so-called Remote-Data-Entry-Systems (RDE-systems). Although there are many commercial systems, which support the development of RDE-systems there is none offering a comprehensive terminological support. Therefore, we developed the software system TERMTrial which consists of a component for the definition and management of terminology systems for cooperative groups of clinical trials and two components for the terminology-based automatic generation of trial databases and terminology-based interactive design of electronic case report forms (eCRFs). TERMTrial combines the advantages of remote data entry with a comprehensive terminological control.

The KATE shell: An implementation of model-based control, monitor and diagnosis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornell, Matthew

1987-01-01

The conventional control and monitor software currently used by the Space Center for Space Shuttle processing has many limitations such as high maintenance costs, limited diagnostic capabilities and simulation support. These limitations have caused the development of a knowledge based (or model based) shell to generically control and monitor electro-mechanical systems. The knowledge base describes the system's structure and function and is used by a software shell to do real time constraints checking, low level control of components, diagnosis of detected faults, sensor validation, automatic generation of schematic diagrams and automatic recovery from failures. This approach is more versatile and more powerful than the conventional hard coded approach and offers many advantages over it, although, for systems which require high speed reaction times or aren't well understood, knowledge based control and monitor systems may not be appropriate.

VIDANA: Data Management System for Nano Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montenegro, Sergio; Walter, Thomas; Dilger, Erik

2013-08-01

A Vidana data management system is a network of software and hardware components. This implies a software network, a hardware network and a smooth connection between both of them. Our strategy is based on our innovative middleware. A reliable interconnection network (SW & HW) which can interconnect many unreliable redundant components such as sensors, actuators, communication devices, computers, and storage elements,... and software components! Component failures are detected, the affected device is disabled and its function is taken over by a redundant component. Our middleware doesn't connect only software, but also devices and software together. Software and hardware communicate with each other without having to distinguish which functions are in software and which are implemented in hardware. Components may be turned on and off at any time, and the whole system will autonomously adapt to its new configuration in order to continue fulfilling its task. In VIDANA we aim dynamic adaptability (run tine), static adaptability (tailoring), and unified HW/SW communication protocols. For many of these aspects we use "learn from the nature" where we can find astonishing reference implementations.

Software system design for the non-null digital Moiré interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Meng; Hao, Qun; Hu, Yao; Wang, Shaopu; Li, Tengfei; Li, Lin

2016-11-01

Aspheric optical components are an indispensable part of modern optics systems. With the development of aspheric optical elements fabrication technique, high-precision figure error test method of aspheric surfaces is a quite urgent issue now. We proposed a digital Moiré interferometer technique (DMIT) based on partial compensation principle for aspheric and freeform surface measurement. Different from traditional interferometer, DMIT consists of a real and a virtual interferometer. The virtual interferometer is simulated with Zemax software to perform phase-shifting and alignment. We can get the results by a series of calculation with the real interferogram and virtual interferograms generated by computer. DMIT requires a specific, reliable software system to ensure its normal work. Image acquisition and data processing are two important parts in this system. And it is also a challenge to realize the connection between the real and virtual interferometer. In this paper, we present a software system design for DMIT with friendly user interface and robust data processing features, enabling us to acquire the figure error of the measured asphere. We choose Visual C++ as the software development platform and control the ideal interferometer by using hybrid programming with Zemax. After image acquisition and data transmission, the system calls image processing algorithms written with Matlab to calculate the figure error of the measured asphere. We test the software system experimentally. In the experiment, we realize the measurement of an aspheric surface and prove the feasibility of the software system.

Experiments in fault tolerant software reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcallister, David F.; Tai, K. C.; Vouk, Mladen A.

1987-01-01

The reliability of voting was evaluated in a fault-tolerant software system for small output spaces. The effectiveness of the back-to-back testing process was investigated. Version 3.0 of the RSDIMU-ATS, a semi-automated test bed for certification testing of RSDIMU software, was prepared and distributed. Software reliability estimation methods based on non-random sampling are being studied. The investigation of existing fault-tolerance models was continued and formulation of new models was initiated.

The Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) advanced automation project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dewberry, Brandon S.; Carnes, Ray

1990-01-01

The objective of the environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) Advanced Automation Project is to influence the design of the initial and evolutionary Space Station Freedom Program (SSFP) ECLSS toward a man-made closed environment in which minimal flight and ground manpower is needed. Another objective includes capturing ECLSS design and development knowledge future missions. Our approach has been to (1) analyze the SSFP ECLSS, (2) envision as our goal a fully automated evolutionary environmental control system - an augmentation of the baseline, and (3) document the advanced software systems, hooks, and scars which will be necessary to achieve this goal. From this analysis, prototype software is being developed, and will be tested using air and water recovery simulations and hardware subsystems. In addition, the advanced software is being designed, developed, and tested using automation software management plan and lifecycle tools. Automated knowledge acquisition, engineering, verification and testing tools are being used to develop the software. In this way, we can capture ECLSS development knowledge for future use develop more robust and complex software, provide feedback to the knowledge based system tool community, and ensure proper visibility of our efforts.

Unobtrusive Software and System Health Management with R2U2 on a Parallel MIMD Coprocessor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schumann, Johann; Moosbrugger, Patrick

2017-01-01

Dynamic monitoring of software and system health of a complex cyber-physical system requires observers that continuously monitor variables of the embedded software in order to detect anomalies and reason about root causes. There exists a variety of techniques for code instrumentation, but instrumentation might change runtime behavior and could require costly software re-certification. In this paper, we present R2U2E, a novel realization of our real-time, Realizable, Responsive, and Unobtrusive Unit (R2U2). The R2U2E observers are executed in parallel on a dedicated 16-core EPIPHANY co-processor, thereby avoiding additional computational overhead to the system under observation. A DMA-based shared memory access architecture allows R2U2E to operate without any code instrumentation or program interference.

High-throughput state-machine replication using software transactional memory.

PubMed

Zhao, Wenbing; Yang, William; Zhang, Honglei; Yang, Jack; Luo, Xiong; Zhu, Yueqin; Yang, Mary; Luo, Chaomin

2016-11-01

State-machine replication is a common way of constructing general purpose fault tolerance systems. To ensure replica consistency, requests must be executed sequentially according to some total order at all non-faulty replicas. Unfortunately, this could severely limit the system throughput. This issue has been partially addressed by identifying non-conflicting requests based on application semantics and executing these requests concurrently. However, identifying and tracking non-conflicting requests require intimate knowledge of application design and implementation, and a custom fault tolerance solution developed for one application cannot be easily adopted by other applications. Software transactional memory offers a new way of constructing concurrent programs. In this article, we present the mechanisms needed to retrofit existing concurrency control algorithms designed for software transactional memory for state-machine replication. The main benefit for using software transactional memory in state-machine replication is that general purpose concurrency control mechanisms can be designed without deep knowledge of application semantics. As such, new fault tolerance systems based on state-machine replications with excellent throughput can be easily designed and maintained. In this article, we introduce three different concurrency control mechanisms for state-machine replication using software transactional memory, namely, ordered strong strict two-phase locking, conventional timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control, and speculative timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control. Our experiments show that speculative timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control mechanism has the best performance in all types of workload, the conventional timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control offers the worst performance due to high abort rate in the presence of even moderate contention between transactions. The ordered strong strict two-phase locking mechanism offers the simplest solution with excellent performance in low contention workload, and fairly good performance in high contention workload.

High-throughput state-machine replication using software transactional memory

PubMed Central

Yang, William; Zhang, Honglei; Yang, Jack; Luo, Xiong; Zhu, Yueqin; Yang, Mary; Luo, Chaomin

2017-01-01

State-machine replication is a common way of constructing general purpose fault tolerance systems. To ensure replica consistency, requests must be executed sequentially according to some total order at all non-faulty replicas. Unfortunately, this could severely limit the system throughput. This issue has been partially addressed by identifying non-conflicting requests based on application semantics and executing these requests concurrently. However, identifying and tracking non-conflicting requests require intimate knowledge of application design and implementation, and a custom fault tolerance solution developed for one application cannot be easily adopted by other applications. Software transactional memory offers a new way of constructing concurrent programs. In this article, we present the mechanisms needed to retrofit existing concurrency control algorithms designed for software transactional memory for state-machine replication. The main benefit for using software transactional memory in state-machine replication is that general purpose concurrency control mechanisms can be designed without deep knowledge of application semantics. As such, new fault tolerance systems based on state-machine replications with excellent throughput can be easily designed and maintained. In this article, we introduce three different concurrency control mechanisms for state-machine replication using software transactional memory, namely, ordered strong strict two-phase locking, conventional timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control, and speculative timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control. Our experiments show that speculative timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control mechanism has the best performance in all types of workload, the conventional timestamp-based multiversion concurrency control offers the worst performance due to high abort rate in the presence of even moderate contention between transactions. The ordered strong strict two-phase locking mechanism offers the simplest solution with excellent performance in low contention workload, and fairly good performance in high contention workload. PMID:29075049

An Exploration of Software-Based GNSS Signal Processing at Multiple Frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasqual Paul, Manuel; Elosegui, Pedro; Lind, Frank; Vazquez, Antonio; Pankratius, Victor

2017-01-01

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS; i.e., GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and other constellations) has recently grown into numerous areas that go far beyond the traditional scope in navigation. In the geosciences, for example, high-precision GPS has become a powerful tool for a myriad of geophysical applications such as in geodynamics, seismology, paleoclimate, cryosphere, and remote sensing of the atmosphere. Positioning with millimeter-level accuracy can be achieved through carrier-phase-based, multi-frequency signal processing, which mitigates various biases and error sources such as those arising from ionospheric effects. Today, however, most receivers with multi-frequency capabilities are highly specialized hardware receiving systems with proprietary and closed designs, limited interfaces, and significant acquisition costs. This work explores alternatives that are entirely software-based, using Software-Defined Radio (SDR) receivers as a way to digitize the entire spectrum of interest. It presents an overview of existing open-source frameworks and outlines the next steps towards converting GPS software receivers from single-frequency to dual-frequency, geodetic-quality systems. In the future, this development will lead to a more flexible multi-constellation GNSS processing architecture that can be easily reused in different contexts, as well as to further miniaturization of receivers.

Development of an expert system prototype for determining software functional requirements for command management activities at NASA Goddard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebowitz, J.

1986-01-01

The development of an expert system prototype for software functional requirement determination for NASA Goddard's Command Management System, as part of its process of transforming general requests into specific near-earth satellite commands, is described. The present knowledge base was formulated through interactions with domain experts, and was then linked to the existing Knowledge Engineering Systems (KES) expert system application generator. Steps in the knowledge-base development include problem-oriented attribute hierarchy development, knowledge management approach determination, and knowledge base encoding. The KES Parser and Inspector, in addition to backcasting and analogical mapping, were used to validate the expert system-derived requirements for one of the major functions of a spacecraft, the solar Maximum Mission. Knowledge refinement, evaluation, and implementation procedures of the expert system were then accomplished.

Simulation and animation of sensor-driven robots.

PubMed

Chen, C; Trivedi, M M; Bidlack, C R

1994-10-01

Most simulation and animation systems utilized in robotics are concerned with simulation of the robot and its environment without simulation of sensors. These systems have difficulty in handling robots that utilize sensory feedback in their operation. In this paper, a new design of an environment for simulation, animation, and visualization of sensor-driven robots is presented. As sensor technology advances, increasing numbers of robots are equipped with various types of sophisticated sensors. The main goal of creating the visualization environment is to aid the automatic robot programming and off-line programming capabilities of sensor-driven robots. The software system will help the users visualize the motion and reaction of the sensor-driven robot under their control program. Therefore, the efficiency of the software development is increased, the reliability of the software and the operation safety of the robot are ensured, and the cost of new software development is reduced. Conventional computer-graphics-based robot simulation and animation software packages lack of capabilities for robot sensing simulation. This paper describes a system designed to overcome this deficiency.

Study of application of space telescope science operations software for SIRTF use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dignam, F.; Stetson, E.; Allendoerfer, W.

1985-01-01

The design and development of the Space Telescope Science Operations Ground System (ST SOGS) was evaluated to compile a history of lessons learned that would benefit NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Forty-nine specific recommendations resulted and were categorized as follows: (1) requirements: a discussion of the content, timeliness and proper allocation of the system and segment requirements and the resulting impact on SOGS development; (2) science instruments: a consideration of the impact of the Science Instrument design and data streams on SOGS software; and (3) contract phasing: an analysis of the impact of beginning the various ST program segments at different times. Approximately half of the software design and source code might be useable for SIRTF. Transportability of this software requires, at minimum, a compatible DEC VAX-based architecture and VMS operating system, system support software similar to that developed for SOGS, and continued evolution of the SIRTF operations concept and requirements such that they remain compatible with ST SOGS operation.

Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture Standard. Release 1.02.1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard C.; Kacpura, Thomas J.; Handler, Louis M.; Hall, C. Steve; Mortensen, Dale J.; Johnson, Sandra K.; Briones, Janette C.; Nappier, Jennifer M.; Downey, Joseph A.; Lux, James P.

2012-01-01

This document contains the NASA architecture standard for software defined radios used in space- and ground-based platforms to enable commonality among radio developments to enhance capability and services while reducing mission and programmatic risk. Transceivers (or transponders) with functionality primarily defined in software (e.g., firmware) have the ability to change their functional behavior through software alone. This radio architecture standard offers value by employing common waveform software interfaces, method of instantiation, operation, and testing among different compliant hardware and software products. These common interfaces within the architecture abstract application software from the underlying hardware to enable technology insertion independently at either the software or hardware layer.

Intelligent Hardware-Enabled Sensor and Software Safety and Health Management for Autonomous UAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rozier, Kristin Y.; Schumann, Johann; Ippolito, Corey

2015-01-01

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) can only be deployed if they can effectively complete their mission and respond to failures and uncertain environmental conditions while maintaining safety with respect to other aircraft as well as humans and property on the ground. We propose to design a real-time, onboard system health management (SHM) capability to continuously monitor essential system components such as sensors, software, and hardware systems for detection and diagnosis of failures and violations of safety or performance rules during the ight of a UAS. Our approach to SHM is three-pronged, providing: (1) real-time monitoring of sensor and software signals; (2) signal analysis, preprocessing, and advanced on-the- y temporal and Bayesian probabilistic fault diagnosis; (3) an unobtrusive, lightweight, read-only, low-power hardware realization using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) in order to avoid overburdening limited computing resources or costly re-certi cation of ight software due to instrumentation. No currently available SHM capabilities (or combinations of currently existing SHM capabilities) come anywhere close to satisfying these three criteria yet NASA will require such intelligent, hardwareenabled sensor and software safety and health management for introducing autonomous UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS). We propose a novel approach of creating modular building blocks for combining responsive runtime monitoring of temporal logic system safety requirements with model-based diagnosis and Bayesian network-based probabilistic analysis. Our proposed research program includes both developing this novel approach and demonstrating its capabilities using the NASA Swift UAS as a demonstration platform.

Computer-Assisted Instruction in the Context of the Advanced Instructional System: Authoring Support Software. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Ann D.; Judd, Wilson A.

This report details the design, development, and implementation of computer software to support the cost-effective production of computer assisted instruction (CAI) within the context of the Advanced Instructional System (AIS) located at Lowry Air Force Base. The report supplements the computer managed Air Force technical training that is…

Relating Communications Mode Choice and Teamwork Quality: Conversational versus Textual Communication in IT System and Software Development Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, James Robert

2012-01-01

This cross-sectional study explored how IT system and software development team members communicated in the workplace and whether teams that used more verbal communication (and less text-based communication) experienced higher levels of collaboration as measured using the Teamwork Quality (TWQ) scale. Although computer-mediated communication tools…

Tailoring Software for Multiple Processor Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

resource management decisions . Despite the lack of programming support, the use of multiple processor systems has grown sub- -stantially. Software has...making resource management decisions . Specifically, program- 1 mers need not allocate specific hardware resources to individual program components...Instead, such allocation decisions are automatically made based on high-level resource directives stated by ap- plication programmers, where each directive

The software architecture to control the Cherenkov Telescope Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oya, I.; Füßling, M.; Antonino, P. O.; Conforti, V.; Hagge, L.; Melkumyan, D.; Morgenstern, A.; Tosti, G.; Schwanke, U.; Schwarz, J.; Wegner, P.; Colomé, J.; Lyard, E.

2016-07-01

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project is an initiative to build two large arrays of Cherenkov gamma- ray telescopes. CTA will be deployed as two installations, one in the northern and the other in the southern hemisphere, containing dozens of telescopes of different sizes. CTA is a big step forward in the field of ground- based gamma-ray astronomy, not only because of the expected scientific return, but also due to the order-of- magnitude larger scale of the instrument to be controlled. The performance requirements associated with such a large and distributed astronomical installation require a thoughtful analysis to determine the best software solutions. The array control and data acquisition (ACTL) work-package within the CTA initiative will deliver the software to control and acquire the data from the CTA instrumentation. In this contribution we present the current status of the formal ACTL system decomposition into software building blocks and the relationships among them. The system is modelled via the Systems Modelling Language (SysML) formalism. To cope with the complexity of the system, this architecture model is sub-divided into different perspectives. The relationships with the stakeholders and external systems are used to create the first perspective, the context of the ACTL software system. Use cases are employed to describe the interaction of those external elements with the ACTL system and are traced to a hierarchy of functionalities (abstract system functions) describing the internal structure of the ACTL system. These functions are then traced to fully specified logical elements (software components), the deployment of which as technical elements, is also described. This modelling approach allows us to decompose the ACTL software in elements to be created and the ow of information within the system, providing us with a clear way to identify sub-system interdependencies. This architectural approach allows us to build the ACTL system model and trace requirements to deliverables (source code, documentation, etc.), and permits the implementation of a flexible use-case driven software development approach thanks to the traceability from use cases to the logical software elements. The Alma Common Software (ACS) container/component framework, used for the control of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is the basis for the ACTL software and as such it is considered as an integral part of the software architecture.

Server-based enterprise collaboration software improves safety and quality in high-volume PET/CT practice.

PubMed

McDonald, James E; Kessler, Marcus M; Hightower, Jeremy L; Henry, Susan D; Deloney, Linda A

2013-12-01

With increasing volumes of complex imaging cases and rising economic pressure on physician staffing, timely reporting will become progressively challenging. Current and planned iterations of PACS and electronic medical record systems do not offer workflow management tools to coordinate delivery of imaging interpretations with the needs of the patient and ordering physician. The adoption of a server-based enterprise collaboration software system by our Division of Nuclear Medicine has significantly improved our efficiency and quality of service.

SIM_EXPLORE: Software for Directed Exploration of Complex Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burl, Michael; Wang, Esther; Enke, Brian; Merline, William J.

2013-01-01

Physics-based numerical simulation codes are widely used in science and engineering to model complex systems that would be infeasible to study otherwise. While such codes may provide the highest- fidelity representation of system behavior, they are often so slow to run that insight into the system is limited. Trying to understand the effects of inputs on outputs by conducting an exhaustive grid-based sweep over the input parameter space is simply too time-consuming. An alternative approach called "directed exploration" has been developed to harvest information from numerical simulators more efficiently. The basic idea is to employ active learning and supervised machine learning to choose cleverly at each step which simulation trials to run next based on the results of previous trials. SIM_EXPLORE is a new computer program that uses directed exploration to explore efficiently complex systems represented by numerical simulations. The software sequentially identifies and runs simulation trials that it believes will be most informative given the results of previous trials. The results of new trials are incorporated into the software's model of the system behavior. The updated model is then used to pick the next round of new trials. This process, implemented as a closed-loop system wrapped around existing simulation code, provides a means to improve the speed and efficiency with which a set of simulations can yield scientifically useful results. The software focuses on the case in which the feedback from the simulation trials is binary-valued, i.e., the learner is only informed of the success or failure of the simulation trial to produce a desired output. The software offers a number of choices for the supervised learning algorithm (the method used to model the system behavior given the results so far) and a number of choices for the active learning strategy (the method used to choose which new simulation trials to run given the current behavior model). The software also makes use of the LEGION distributed computing framework to leverage the power of a set of compute nodes. The approach has been demonstrated on a planetary science application in which numerical simulations are used to study the formation of asteroid families.

A methodology based on openEHR archetypes and software agents for developing e-health applications reusing legacy systems.

PubMed

Cardoso de Moraes, João Luís; de Souza, Wanderley Lopes; Pires, Luís Ferreira; do Prado, Antonio Francisco

2016-10-01

In Pervasive Healthcare, novel information and communication technologies are applied to support the provision of health services anywhere, at anytime and to anyone. Since health systems may offer their health records in different electronic formats, the openEHR Foundation prescribes the use of archetypes for describing clinical knowledge in order to achieve semantic interoperability between these systems. Software agents have been applied to simulate human skills in some healthcare procedures. This paper presents a methodology, based on the use of openEHR archetypes and agent technology, which aims to overcome the weaknesses typically found in legacy healthcare systems, thereby adding value to the systems. This methodology was applied in the design of an agent-based system, which was used in a realistic healthcare scenario in which a medical staff meeting to prepare a cardiac surgery has been supported. We conducted experiments with this system in a distributed environment composed by three cardiology clinics and a center of cardiac surgery, all located in the city of Marília (São Paulo, Brazil). We evaluated this system according to the Technology Acceptance Model. The case study confirmed the acceptance of our agent-based system by healthcare professionals and patients, who reacted positively with respect to the usefulness of this system in particular, and with respect to task delegation to software agents in general. The case study also showed that a software agent-based interface and a tools-based alternative must be provided to the end users, which should allow them to perform the tasks themselves or to delegate these tasks to other people. A Pervasive Healthcare model requires efficient and secure information exchange between healthcare providers. The proposed methodology allows designers to build communication systems for the message exchange among heterogeneous healthcare systems, and to shift from systems that rely on informal communication of actors to a more automated and less error-prone agent-based system. Our methodology preserves significant investment of many years in the legacy systems and allows developers to extend them adding new features to these systems, by providing proactive assistance to the end-users and increasing the user mobility with an appropriate support. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semi-automatic computerized approach to radiological quantification in rheumatoid arthritis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steiner, Wolfgang; Schoeffmann, Sylvia; Prommegger, Andrea; Boegl, Karl; Klinger, Thomas; Peloschek, Philipp; Kainberger, Franz

2004-04-01

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a common systemic disease predominantly involving the joints. Precise diagnosis and follow-up therapy requires objective quantification. For this purpose, radiological analyses using standardized scoring systems are considered to be the most appropriate method. The aim of our study is to develop a semi-automatic image analysis software, especially applicable for scoring of joints in rheumatic disorders. The X-Ray RheumaCoach software delivers various scoring systems (Larsen-Score and Ratingen-Rau-Score) which can be applied by the scorer. In addition to the qualitative assessment of joints performed by the radiologist, a semi-automatic image analysis for joint detection and measurements of bone diameters and swollen tissue supports the image assessment process. More than 3000 radiographs from hands and feet of more than 200 RA patients were collected, analyzed, and statistically evaluated. Radiographs were quantified using conventional paper-based Larsen score and the X-Ray RheumaCoach software. The use of the software shortened the scoring time by about 25 percent and reduced the rate of erroneous scorings in all our studies. Compared to paper-based scoring methods, the X-Ray RheumaCoach software offers several advantages: (i) Structured data analysis and input that minimizes variance by standardization, (ii) faster and more precise calculation of sum scores and indices, (iii) permanent data storing and fast access to the software"s database, (iv) the possibility of cross-calculation to other scores, (v) semi-automatic assessment of images, and (vii) reliable documentation of results in the form of graphical printouts.

VirtualDose: a software for reporting organ doses from CT for adult and pediatric patients.

PubMed

Ding, Aiping; Gao, Yiming; Liu, Haikuan; Caracappa, Peter F; Long, Daniel J; Bolch, Wesley E; Liu, Bob; Xu, X George

2015-07-21

This paper describes the development and testing of VirtualDose--a software for reporting organ doses for adult and pediatric patients who undergo x-ray computed tomography (CT) examinations. The software is based on a comprehensive database of organ doses derived from Monte Carlo (MC) simulations involving a library of 25 anatomically realistic phantoms that represent patients of different ages, body sizes, body masses, and pregnant stages. Models of GE Lightspeed Pro 16 and Siemens SOMATOM Sensation 16 scanners were carefully validated for use in MC dose calculations. The software framework is designed with the 'software as a service (SaaS)' delivery concept under which multiple clients can access the web-based interface simultaneously from any computer without having to install software locally. The RESTful web service API also allows a third-party picture archiving and communication system software package to seamlessly integrate with VirtualDose's functions. Software testing showed that VirtualDose was compatible with numerous operating systems including Windows, Linux, Apple OS X, and mobile and portable devices. The organ doses from VirtualDose were compared against those reported by CT-Expo and ImPACT-two dosimetry tools that were based on the stylized pediatric and adult patient models that were known to be anatomically simple. The organ doses reported by VirtualDose differed from those reported by CT-Expo and ImPACT by as much as 300% in some of the patient models. These results confirm the conclusion from past studies that differences in anatomical realism offered by stylized and voxel phantoms have caused significant discrepancies in CT dose estimations.

Rapid Deployment of Optimal Control for Building HVAC Systems Using Innovative Software Tools and a Hybrid Heuristic/Model Based Control Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-21

for public release; distribution is unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES None 14. ABSTRACT ESTCP project EW-201409 aimed at demonstrating the benefits ...of innovative software technology for building HV AC systems. These benefits included reduced system energy use and cost as wetl as improved...Control Approach March 2017 This document has been cleared for public release; Distribution Statement A

Visualization and Analytics Software Tools for Peregrine System |

Science.gov Websites

R is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. Go to the R web site for System Visualization and Analytics Software Tools for Peregrine System Learn about the available visualization for OpenGL-based applications. For more information, please go to the FastX page. ParaView An open

Software Engineering and Its Application to Avionics

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

34Automated Software Development Methodolgy (ASDM): An Architecture of a Knowledge-Based Expert System," Masters Thesis , Florida Atlantic University, Boca...operating system provides the control semnrim and aplication services within the miltiproossur system. Them processes timt aks up the application sofhwae...as a high-value target may no longer be occupied by the time the film is processed and analyzed. With the high mobility of today’s enemy forces

Design implications for task-specific search utilities for retrieval and re-engineering of code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Rahat; Grzywaczewski, Adam; Halloran, John; Doctor, Faiyaz; Iqbal, Kashif

2017-05-01

The importance of information retrieval systems is unquestionable in the modern society and both individuals as well as enterprises recognise the benefits of being able to find information effectively. Current code-focused information retrieval systems such as Google Code Search, Codeplex or Koders produce results based on specific keywords. However, these systems do not take into account developers' context such as development language, technology framework, goal of the project, project complexity and developer's domain expertise. They also impose additional cognitive burden on users in switching between different interfaces and clicking through to find the relevant code. Hence, they are not used by software developers. In this paper, we discuss how software engineers interact with information and general-purpose information retrieval systems (e.g. Google, Yahoo!) and investigate to what extent domain-specific search and recommendation utilities can be developed in order to support their work-related activities. In order to investigate this, we conducted a user study and found that software engineers followed many identifiable and repeatable work tasks and behaviours. These behaviours can be used to develop implicit relevance feedback-based systems based on the observed retention actions. Moreover, we discuss the implications for the development of task-specific search and collaborative recommendation utilities embedded with the Google standard search engine and Microsoft IntelliSense for retrieval and re-engineering of code. Based on implicit relevance feedback, we have implemented a prototype of the proposed collaborative recommendation system, which was evaluated in a controlled environment simulating the real-world situation of professional software engineers. The evaluation has achieved promising initial results on the precision and recall performance of the system.

FluDetWeb: an interactive web-based system for the early detection of the onset of influenza epidemics.

PubMed

Conesa, David; López-Quílez, Antonio; Martínez-Beneito, Miguel Angel; Miralles, María Teresa; Verdejo, Francisco

2009-07-29

The early identification of influenza outbreaks has became a priority in public health practice. A large variety of statistical algorithms for the automated monitoring of influenza surveillance have been proposed, but most of them require not only a lot of computational effort but also operation of sometimes not-so-friendly software. In this paper, we introduce FluDetWeb, an implementation of a prospective influenza surveillance methodology based on a client-server architecture with a thin (web-based) client application design. Users can introduce and edit their own data consisting of a series of weekly influenza incidence rates. The system returns the probability of being in an epidemic phase (via e-mail if desired). When the probability is greater than 0.5, it also returns the probability of an increase in the incidence rate during the following week. The system also provides two complementary graphs. This system has been implemented using statistical free-software (R and WinBUGS), a web server environment for Java code (Tomcat) and a software module created by us (Rdp) responsible for managing internal tasks; the software package MySQL has been used to construct the database management system. The implementation is available on-line from: http://www.geeitema.org/meviepi/fludetweb/. The ease of use of FluDetWeb and its on-line availability can make it a valuable tool for public health practitioners who want to obtain information about the probability that their system is in an epidemic phase. Moreover, the architecture described can also be useful for developers of systems based on computationally intensive methods.

FluDetWeb: an interactive web-based system for the early detection of the onset of influenza epidemics

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background The early identification of influenza outbreaks has became a priority in public health practice. A large variety of statistical algorithms for the automated monitoring of influenza surveillance have been proposed, but most of them require not only a lot of computational effort but also operation of sometimes not-so-friendly software. Results In this paper, we introduce FluDetWeb, an implementation of a prospective influenza surveillance methodology based on a client-server architecture with a thin (web-based) client application design. Users can introduce and edit their own data consisting of a series of weekly influenza incidence rates. The system returns the probability of being in an epidemic phase (via e-mail if desired). When the probability is greater than 0.5, it also returns the probability of an increase in the incidence rate during the following week. The system also provides two complementary graphs. This system has been implemented using statistical free-software (ℝ and WinBUGS), a web server environment for Java code (Tomcat) and a software module created by us (Rdp) responsible for managing internal tasks; the software package MySQL has been used to construct the database management system. The implementation is available on-line from: http://www.geeitema.org/meviepi/fludetweb/. Conclusion The ease of use of FluDetWeb and its on-line availability can make it a valuable tool for public health practitioners who want to obtain information about the probability that their system is in an epidemic phase. Moreover, the architecture described can also be useful for developers of systems based on computationally intensive methods. PMID:19640304

Techniques and implementation of the embedded rule-based expert system using Ada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liberman, Eugene M.; Jones, Robert E.

1991-01-01

Ada is becoming an increasingly popular programming language for large Government-funded software projects. Ada with its portability, transportability, and maintainability lends itself well to today's complex programming environment. In addition, expert systems have also assured a growing role in providing human-like reasoning capability and expertise for computer systems. The integration of expert system technology with Ada programming language, specifically a rule-based expert system using an ART-Ada (Automated Reasoning Tool for Ada) system shell is discussed. The NASA Lewis Research Center was chosen as a beta test site for ART-Ada. The test was conducted by implementing the existing Autonomous Power EXpert System (APEX), a Lisp-base power expert system, in ART-Ada. Three components, the rule-based expert system, a graphics user interface, and communications software make up SMART-Ada (Systems fault Management with ART-Ada). The main objective, to conduct a beta test on the ART-Ada rule-based expert system shell, was achieved. The system is operational. New Ada tools will assist in future successful projects. ART-Ada is one such tool and is a viable alternative to the straight Ada code when an application requires a rule-based or knowledge-based approach.

Using Selection Pressure as an Asset to Develop Reusable, Adaptable Software Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berrick, S. W.; Lynnes, C.

2007-12-01

The Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) at NASA has over the years developed and honed a number of reusable architectural components for supporting large-scale data centers with a large customer base. These include a processing system (S4PM) and an archive system (S4PA) based upon a workflow engine called the Simple, Scalable, Script-based Science Processor (S4P); an online data visualization and analysis system (Giovanni); and the radically simple and fast data search tool, Mirador. These subsystems are currently reused internally in a variety of combinations to implement customized data management on behalf of instrument science teams and other science investigators. Some of these subsystems (S4P and S4PM) have also been reused by other data centers for operational science processing. Our experience has been that development and utilization of robust, interoperable, and reusable software systems can actually flourish in environments defined by heterogeneous commodity hardware systems, the emphasis on value-added customer service, and continual cost reduction pressures. The repeated internal reuse that is fostered by such an environment encourages and even forces changes to the software that make it more reusable and adaptable. Allowing and even encouraging such selective pressures to software development has been a key factor in the success of S4P and S4PM, which are now available to the open source community under the NASA Open Source Agreement.

A high-speed, large-capacity, 'jukebox' optical disk system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ammon, G. J.; Calabria, J. A.; Thomas, D. T.

1985-01-01

Two optical disk 'jukebox' mass storage systems which provide access to any data in a store of 10 to the 13th bits (1250G bytes) within six seconds have been developed. The optical disk jukebox system is divided into two units, including a hardware/software controller and a disk drive. The controller provides flexibility and adaptability, through a ROM-based microcode-driven data processor and a ROM-based software-driven control processor. The cartridge storage module contains 125 optical disks housed in protective cartridges. Attention is given to a conceptual view of the disk drive unit, the NASA optical disk system, the NASA database management system configuration, the NASA optical disk system interface, and an open systems interconnect reference model.

Virtual Observation System for Earth System Model: An Application to ACME Land Model Simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Dali; Yuan, Fengming; Hernandez, Benjamin

Investigating and evaluating physical-chemical-biological processes within an Earth system model (EMS) can be very challenging due to the complexity of both model design and software implementation. A virtual observation system (VOS) is presented to enable interactive observation of these processes during system simulation. Based on advance computing technologies, such as compiler-based software analysis, automatic code instrumentation, and high-performance data transport, the VOS provides run-time observation capability, in-situ data analytics for Earth system model simulation, model behavior adjustment opportunities through simulation steering. A VOS for a terrestrial land model simulation within the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy model is also presentedmore » to demonstrate the implementation details and system innovations.« less

Virtual Observation System for Earth System Model: An Application to ACME Land Model Simulations

DOE PAGES

Wang, Dali; Yuan, Fengming; Hernandez, Benjamin; ...

2017-01-01

Investigating and evaluating physical-chemical-biological processes within an Earth system model (EMS) can be very challenging due to the complexity of both model design and software implementation. A virtual observation system (VOS) is presented to enable interactive observation of these processes during system simulation. Based on advance computing technologies, such as compiler-based software analysis, automatic code instrumentation, and high-performance data transport, the VOS provides run-time observation capability, in-situ data analytics for Earth system model simulation, model behavior adjustment opportunities through simulation steering. A VOS for a terrestrial land model simulation within the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy model is also presentedmore » to demonstrate the implementation details and system innovations.« less

Software engineering risk factors in the implementation of a small electronic medical record system: the problem of scalability.

PubMed

Chiang, Michael F; Starren, Justin B

2002-01-01

The successful implementation of clinical information systems is difficult. In examining the reasons and potential solutions for this problem, the medical informatics community may benefit from the lessons of a rich body of software engineering and management literature about the failure of software projects. Based on previous studies, we present a conceptual framework for understanding the risk factors associated with large-scale projects. However, the vast majority of existing literature is based on large, enterprise-wide systems, and it unclear whether those results may be scaled down and applied to smaller projects such as departmental medical information systems. To examine this issue, we discuss the case study of a delayed electronic medical record implementation project in a small specialty practice at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. While the factors contributing to the delay of this small project share some attributes with those found in larger organizations, there are important differences. The significance of these differences for groups implementing small medical information systems is discussed.

Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS): Systems autonomy demonstration project, volume 2. Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glass, B. J. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP) produced a knowledge-based real-time control system for control and fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external active thermal control system (EATCS). The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) was demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of reliable fault anticipation and detection, as well as ordinary control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were addressed by adopting a hierarchical symbolic control approach-layering model-based expert system software on a conventional, numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based reasoning capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous over typical rule-based expert systems, particularly for detection of unforeseen faults and sensor failures. Volume 1 gives a project overview and testing highlights. Volume 2 provides detail on the EATCS testbed, test operations, and online test results. Appendix A is a test archive, while Appendix B is a compendium of design and user manuals for the TEXSYS software.

Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS): Systems automony demonstration project, volume 1. Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glass, B. J. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP) produced a knowledge-based real-time control system for control and fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external active thermal control system (EATCS). The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) was demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of reliable fault anticipation and detection, as well as ordinary control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were addressed by adopting a hierarchical symbolic control approach-layering model-based expert system software on a conventional, numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based reasoning capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous over typical rule-based expert systems, particularly for detection of unforeseen faults and sensor failures. Volume 1 gives a project overview and testing highlights. Volume 2 provides detail on the EATCS test bed, test operations, and online test results. Appendix A is a test archive, while Appendix B is a compendium of design and user manuals for the TEXSYS software.

Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS): Systems autonomy demonstration project, volume 2. Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glass, B. J.

1992-10-01

The Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP) produced a knowledge-based real-time control system for control and fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external active thermal control system (EATCS). The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) was demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of reliable fault anticipation and detection, as well as ordinary control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were addressed by adopting a hierarchical symbolic control approach-layering model-based expert system software on a conventional, numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based reasoning capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous over typical rule-based expert systems, particularly for detection of unforeseen faults and sensor failures. Volume 1 gives a project overview and testing highlights. Volume 2 provides detail on the EATCS testbed, test operations, and online test results. Appendix A is a test archive, while Appendix B is a compendium of design and user manuals for the TEXSYS software.

Top down, bottom up structured programming and program structuring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, M.; Zeldin, S.

1972-01-01

New design and programming techniques for shuttle software. Based on previous Apollo experience, recommendations are made to apply top-down structured programming techniques to shuttle software. New software verification techniques for large software systems are recommended. HAL, the higher order language selected for the shuttle flight code, is discussed and found to be adequate for implementing these techniques. Recommendations are made to apply the workable combination of top-down, bottom-up methods in the management of shuttle software. Program structuring is discussed relevant to both programming and management techniques.

Advanced software integration: The case for ITV facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garman, John R.

1990-01-01

The array of technologies and methodologies involved in the development and integration of avionics software has moved almost as rapidly as computer technology itself. Future avionics systems involve major advances and risks in the following areas: (1) Complexity; (2) Connectivity; (3) Security; (4) Duration; and (5) Software engineering. From an architectural standpoint, the systems will be much more distributed, involve session-based user interfaces, and have the layered architectures typified in the layers of abstraction concepts popular in networking. Typified in the NASA Space Station Freedom will be the highly distributed nature of software development itself. Systems composed of independent components developed in parallel must be bound by rigid standards and interfaces, the clean requirements and specifications. Avionics software provides a challenge in that it can not be flight tested until the first time it literally flies. It is the binding of requirements for such an integration environment into the advances and risks of future avionics systems that form the basis of the presented concept and the basic Integration, Test, and Verification concept within the development and integration life cycle of Space Station Mission and Avionics systems.

Integrated software health management for aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems: A probabilistic reasoning approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mbaya, Timmy

Embedded Aerospace Systems have to perform safety and mission critical operations in a real-time environment where timing and functional correctness are extremely important. Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) systems substantially rely on complex software interfacing with hardware in real-time; any faults in software or hardware, or their interaction could result in fatal consequences. Integrated Software Health Management (ISWHM) provides an approach for detection and diagnosis of software failures while the software is in operation. The ISWHM approach is based on probabilistic modeling of software and hardware sensors using a Bayesian network. To meet memory and timing constraints of real-time embedded execution, the Bayesian network is compiled into an Arithmetic Circuit, which is used for on-line monitoring. This type of system monitoring, using an ISWHM, provides automated reasoning capabilities that compute diagnoses in a timely manner when failures occur. This reasoning capability enables time-critical mitigating decisions and relieves the human agent from the time-consuming and arduous task of foraging through a multitude of isolated---and often contradictory---diagnosis data. For the purpose of demonstrating the relevance of ISWHM, modeling and reasoning is performed on a simple simulated aerospace system running on a real-time operating system emulator, the OSEK/Trampoline platform. Models for a small satellite and an F-16 fighter jet GN&C (Guidance, Navigation, and Control) system have been implemented. Analysis of the ISWHM is then performed by injecting faults and analyzing the ISWHM's diagnoses.

An Object-Based Requirements Modeling Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cordes, David W.; Carver, Doris L.

1992-01-01

Discusses system modeling and specification as it relates to object-based information systems development and software development. An automated system model based on the objects in the initial requirements document is described, the requirements document translator is explained, and a sample application of the technique is provided. (12…

Welding process modelling and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romine, Peter L.; Adenwala, Jinen A.

1993-01-01

The research and analysis performed, and software developed, and hardware/software recommendations made during 1992 in development of the PC-based data acquisition system for support of Welding Process Modeling and Control is reported. A need was identified by the Metals Processing Branch of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, for a mobile data aquisition and analysis system, customized for welding measurement and calibration. Several hardware configurations were evaluated and a PC-based system was chosen. The Welding Measurement System (WMS) is a dedicated instrument, strictly for the use of data aquisition and analysis. Although the WMS supports many of the functions associated with the process control, it is not the intention for this system to be used for welding process control.