Envision^TM - Data and Scenario Visualization

JANUS' Envision™ Framework is a software engine designed for visualizing large data-sets. Envision™ provides a dynamic visualization mechanism that allows application developers to build situational environment renderings by focusing on developing scenarios rather than developing the mechanisms to visualize those scenarios.

Envision™ For Data & Scenario Visualization

The Envision™ Framework hides the complexity of implementing a complete 3D visualization solution for displaying communications information. 

Applications built on Envision™ can make use of Envision™ subsystems that provide the capability necessary to display detailed scenario information:

The Envision™ Visualization Subsystem

The Visualization Subsystem is the dynamic visualization mechanism in the Envision™ Framework. Through the implementation of Visualization Providers and their associated Visualization Library, other subsystems can add visual elements to the display that relay situational information back to the user.

The Envision™ Terrain Subsystem

The terrain over which communications take place can greatly affect the quality of those communications. As such, applications can leverage the Envision™ Terrain Subsystem for terrain-based calculations.

The Envision™ Module Subsystem

The Envision™ Framework facilitates straightforward introduction of new modules into the Envision™ Framework to build Envision™-based applications. The addition of new features and functionality through modules enables developers to quickly create new applications and extend existing ones without restructuring existing code in the Envision™ Framework. This ability to support rapid development is a characteristic of the Envision™ Framework, whose value has been demonstrated in numerous experiment situations.

The Envision™ Query Subsystem

One of the tenets of Envision™'s design is that the user should have a great deal of control over what is displayed in the battlespace. Management by Exception allows the user to specify and display relevant information without displaying simulation data that is extraneous to the issue at hand. Applications accomplish this, in part, through the Envision™ Framework's Query Subsystem. The Query Subsystem can search all the connected components of the system, data sources, entities, modules, and so on. The user can pose a query against these sources of information to filter the set of entities displayed in the battlespace at a given time. For example, a user can create a group of entities matching some specific criteria and the Query Subsystem will dynamically maintain the list of all entities meeting that criteria.

Case Study: The Network Planning and Simulation Toolset (NPST)

The Battle Command Battle Lab, Fort Gordon (BCBL-G) employed JANUS to develop communications planning and simulation software called the Network Planning and Simulation Toolset (NPST).

The NPST was developed to provide visualization and planning of realistic communication effects during force on force training simulations. While some network planning software existed, they were not scenario based and could not provide a 360-degree view of the Battlespace. JANUS provided a solution by visualizing the Battlespace as a network planner would see it in three dimensions. By allowing the network planner to view the Battlespace from any angle, terrain features and potential line-of-sight obstructions can quickly be assessed and analyzed.

NPST is built on JANUS' Envision framework and Sun Microsystems' Java platform to leverage ready made tools for more productive development. Developers take advantage of these components to produce reliable representations of the battle space and reductions of the simulation data. Using the Java platform provides a platform independent final product and speeds development time by abstracting away difficult programming tasks such as memory management. The Envision™ framework provides a highly customizable set of management utilities.

NPST was designed for use by the Signal Planner acting as the UEx, G6, BICC or S6 with the specific intent of planning and monitoring unit positions and communications status in a federated simulation. Additionally the NPST was intended to be used by the planner to adjust the communications plans and assets as necessary during a simulation.

Envision™ supports simulation network protocols through the use of communication modules which are developed upon Envision's™ Module Subsystem. Modules have been implemented for NPST to support use of various network protocols such as High Level Architecture (HLA) RTI version 1.3 specification, Aggregate Level Communications Effects Server (ALCES) Message Transceiver Service versions 2.3 and 3.1, and the Simple Communications Effects Server (S-CES) socket interface. The Envision™ Module Subsystem allows developers to create interfaces using custom built TCP/IP socket connections and UDP broadcast datagrams, or standard simulation protocols such as HLA and Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS). Users are able to choose which interface they use to get the necessary information from the simulation. The flexibility of this approach gives developers and users multiple options for interfacing their simulation with the chosen federation.

NPST has been deployed extensively for TRADOC Future Force integrating experiments over the last three years. These experiments include the Unit of Action and Unit of Employment Warfighting Simulations occurring quarterly at the Battle Labs at Fort Knox, Fort Benning, Fort Sill, and Fort Leavenworth.