Innovative Digital Data Engineering Techniques to Develop Authoritative Sources of Truth and Knowledge across Missile Defense System Systems of Systems

RT&L FOCUS AREA(S): Autonomy; Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Information Systems OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative digital data engineering based techniques and technologies that leverage Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), and Development and Operations (DevOps) practices to create and manage authoritative sources of truth and knowledge across the Missile Defense System (MDS) Systems of Systems (SoS). DESCRIPTION: This topic seeks innovative technologies for applying AI/ML, MBSE and DevOps in MDS throughout the Systems Engineering (SE) V-model process. Currently, MDS SE is predominantly a manual, analog, time intensive, effort at both the element system level and the MDS SoS level. Often, products and data are developed at each level of the V-model, then passed on to the next level in a stove piped fashion and are not treated as a strategic asset that exists across the entire lifecycle. Thus, these products are usually not reusable or extensible for other aspects of engineering. Challenges also arise with configuration management and data management of these products. In addition, current tools are not easy to use and are not easily integrated into Microsoft Office. Treating data as a strategic asset and applying these techniques and technologies across the V-model should provide engineers and developers with the information they need to more quickly engineer and manage the complexity of the MDS. With the complexity of the MDS increasing and the amount of data exponentially increasing, faster and smarter engineering techniques and tools that pipeline the work in automatic ways while enabling an efficient configuration and data managed environment are desired. In addition, technologies that allow one to query across all the collected and metadata tagged engineering data sets (e.g., flight test, ground test, digital simulation, requirements, architecture, Random Access Memory (RAM), Computer-Aided Design (CAD), test plans, data analysis, etc.) are also desired. Lastly, technologies that enhance the quality and effectiveness of the MDS; shorten integration time enabling the government to gain efficiencies reducing schedules, and produce more lethal weapon systems are also of interest. PHASE I: Design and develop improved solutions, methods, and concepts for applying AI/ML, and MBSE in systems engineering to create and manage authoritative sources of truth and knowledge across the MDS SoS. The solutions should capture the key areas where new development is needed, suggest appropriate methods and technologies to minimize the time intensive processes, and incorporate new technologies researched during design development. Define the architecture and data structures for the MDS M&S enterprise. PHASE II: Complete a detailed prototype design incorporating government performance requirements. The contractor will coordinate with the government during prototype design and development to ensure that the delivered products will be relevant to ongoing and planned missile defense projects. This prototype design will be used to form the development and implementation of a mature, full-scale capability in Phase III. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Scale-up the capability from the prototype utilizing the new hardware and/or software technologies developed in Phase II into a mature, field-able capability. Work with missile defense integrators to integrate the technology for a missile defense system level engineering environment. REFERENCES: 1. https://ac.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2018-Digital-Engineering-Strategy_Approved_PrintVersion.pdf ; 2. J. Garae, R. K. L. Ko and S. 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