Objective of project: Provide a distributed collaborative network of graphical and device independent tools in a shared virtual environment which can be used by Command and Control (C&C) personnel to gain a strategic advantage.

• NAVCIITI Connection:
  • Navy Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), Newport, Rhode Island
  • Naval Research Lab (NRL): Virtual Realty Laboratory

• Value to the Navy:
  • Because of the DIVERSE API, NUWC and NRL now have two applications, (1) CONRAY, and (2) MIX. Together NUWC, NRL, and Virginia Tech personnel gained experience with DIVERSE which has the future capabilities to rapidly develop other C&C applications. Rewriting the DIVERSE API in OpenGL (Taks2.1b) will extend the collaboration for C&C participants to HP-UX, Solaris, Window, SGI-IRIX, and Mac-OSx. Most important is HP-UX which will allow our group to develop CONRAY for actual use onboard submarines this summer as part of the NUWC FNC. Results will be presented at the 7th Annual Joint Aerospace Weapons Systems Support, Sensors, and Simulation Symposium & Exhibition (JAWS-2001) and at the ONR Workshop on Simulation Based Design by invitation.

• Accomplishment of first and second year:
  • In year-one we focused on cognitive processes that could be used in tactical decision making processes and the creation of shared Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs). From this effort we built a SGI-Performer-based CVE called the "CAVE Collaborative Console" (CCC).
  • In year-two we focused on the mission critical C&C interpretation of acoustic undersea data from towed arrays for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) using the CONRAY simulation models. These simulation models can be extended to "real-time" data acquisition systems. Under the direction of personnel from NUWC and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) we have identified a working prototype, "MIX", which we have successfully incorporated into our Device Independent Virtual Environment Reconfigurable-Scalable-Extensible ( DIVERSE) tool that works in stereo in the (C)AVE Automated Virtual Environment (CAVE), Immersive Work Bench (IWB), Immersive Desk (I-Desk), desktop workstation simulator, and Head Mounted Display (HMD) systems

• Plans for year three:
  - Work closely with CoPI on Task2.1b.
  - Work with DSL CoPI when DSL becomes functional and integrate year-3 tasks to DSL.

  • Year three SOWs: Task 2.1a Develop CONRAY application on OpenGL
    • Evaluate and modify CAVE display interfaces for NUWC acoustic model, July 01
    • Work with NAVCIITI usability group to address usability issues in future SOWs, June 01
    • Design NUWC CONRAY model on OpenGL API, October 01
    • Demonstrate NUWC CONRAY model, February 02
    • Evaluate and modify NUWC CONRAY model, March 02
    • Through out development create collaborative interfaces to work with HMDs, IWBs, and flat panels, across heterogeneous operating systems, April 02
    • Final report on NUWC CONRAY, April 02

  • Year four SOWs: Task 2.1a Develop CONRAY application on OpenGL
    • Evaluate and modify NUWC CONRAY model, May 02
    • Create interfaces (DSOs) for HMDs, IWBs, and desktop flat panel displays, across heterogeneous operating systems: IRIX, Linux, HP-UX, Windows, August 02
    • Incorporate interactive-collaborative tools into dgiGL CONRAY model, March 03
    • Final report on NUWC dgiGL CONRAY model, April 03

• Vision for year five:
  • Work with Task2.1b PI.
  • Work with other NAVCIITI PIs as the opportunity presents itself from our discussions from reviews such as these.

• Ideas to transition:
  • FNC: Bring C&C models developed for NUWC on board the submarine.
  • Establish other Navy contacts that can benefit from the DIVERSE API.