Ontology Driven Interoperability - M&S Applications

Interoperability is not a cookie cutter function and in fact, it can be achieved on several layers. The levels of conceptual interoperability model (LCIM) identify six layers of system interoperation: technical, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, dynamic, and conceptual. Standards such as the Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS, IEEE1278) and the High Level Architecture (HLA, IEEE1516) are very efficient part-solutions that address some layers of the LCIM. However, there is still a need for tools and frameworks that span across all layers. The current research on ontologies – an attempt to formulate an exhaustive and rigorous conceptual schema within a given domain – has the potential to become an overarching solution embracing existing working solutions. This tutorial will start by presenting the six levels of the LCIM and showing where current interoperability solutions such as DIS and HLA fit and to what degree they are lacking. After giving an overview of the ontological spectrum, the paper will introduce some current developments in the ontology domain, and give an overview of frameworks and methods such as the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and the Ontology Web Language (OWL). The third section will demonstrate some M&S enhancements and applications of ontological ideas to increase interoperability of M&S applications. Finally, the tutorial will show how the different aspects can grow together to become a framework for interoperable solutions covering aspects of all six layers.