Interoperable simulations and HLA

Keywords: HLA, RTI, Interoperability, DoD. The Department of Defense (DoD), under the leadership of the Defense Modeling and Simulation Office (DMSO), is developing a high level architecture for modeling and simulation within the DoD. One of the central components of this architecture is the Runtime Infrastructure (RTI). This study provides an introduction to the RTI. After a brief introduction to the High Level Architecture (HLA) and the three components that comprise the HLA, this study describes the various classes of services provided by the RTI to simulation applications. A few examples are given comparing the RTI with DIS. The High Level Architecture provides an architecture for modeling and simulation within the Department of Defense (DoD). The intent of this architecture is to foster the interoperation of simulations and the re-use of simulation components within the DoD. The HLA is defined by three concepts: The Object Model Templates, RTI, HLA Compliance Rules. The RTI and compliance rules are unchanged across all HLA-compliant simulations. However, each group of interacting simulations, or federation, must define a basis for the exchange of data and events between simulations. The format and content of this basis is defined by the Object Model Templates, The definition of the Federation Object Model (FOM) is one part of the process of creating an HLA compliant federation. The RTI is a collection of software that provides commonly required services to simulation systems. However, this goal is occasionally moderated when it is clear that an additional service could be used across multiple simulation domains. The RTI is also intended to provide a measure of portability (across computing platforms, operating systems, and communication systems) and simulation interoperability. The services of the RTI are described by the HLA Interface Specification. XVI