Data Packets

In May 2008, MetaVR delivered to SRI International 10 new Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) licenses to use in the eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) program. This sale brings the total number of VRSG units used in the XCTC training program since 2005 to 32. The XCTC program uses MetaVR visuals to monitor the movements of soldiers in tactical exercises in its portable pre-deployment battlefield training system.

The XCTC program, of which SRI International is a founding member and sole provider of instrumentation and communications support, is a National Guard Bureau initiative for creating a transportable combat training capability. Starting in 2005, the program has delivered battalion-level combat-readiness training to National Guard units at their home station locations instead of requiring the units to travel for training. By August 2008, 1,200 soldiers and 105 vehicles were being tracked at one time in the XCTC system. It is estimated that over the next two years that number will increase to 5,000 per exercise.

The XCTC system simulates an immersive combat environment where mobile infantry soldiers of the player unit, opposing forces, and role-playing civilians all wear GPS and laser-based equipment that records their location and each movement and engagement in an exercise. Such activity is also monitored in real time at the tactical analysis facility (TAF). Vehicles are also instrumented with tracking devices.

At the TAF, Army trainers monitor instrumented troop movements during a training exercise on the 3-D virtual terrain of the actual training facility rendered in VRSG. Instrumented soldiers appear in the virtual world in the identical location to where they are in the real world.

VRSG also provides the visuals for the after action review. The VRSG display of geospecific terrain with live instrumented soldiers is combined with video shot in the field to create the AAR. VRSG’s 3-D simulation of the exercise, coupled with the video, enables trainees and instructors to review the tracked action of the exercise to gain insight into the mission execution and learn tactical and strategic lessons.

Garth Smith: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Road to SCORM 2.0

The recent Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) 2.0 Workshop was a watershed event in the evolution of SCORM. SCORM 2.0 will be an overhaul of the de facto global standard for learning systems interoperability. SCORM was originally conceived by the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative and developed as a government/industry collaboration. The ADL and 11 other sponsors have created a new organization to continue SCORM’s tradition of open standards for learning systems, LETSI, the International Federation for Learning-Education- Training Systems Interoperability.

“LETSI’s process for assuring that the new SCORM is created in an open, inclusive manner started with a public solicitation of white papers last July,” Avron Barr, LETSI spokesperson, told MT2. He noted that more than 100 submissions about requirements for the next SCORM have been received to date, from educators and technologists all over the world. The workshop was the first face-to-face meeting where the SCORM community could review, deliberate and prioritize the ideas in the white papers.

Sixty-four attendees from government, industry and academia attended, including representatives from North America, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, Singapore and Japan. Longtime SCORM experts were joined by enthusiastic newcomers to SCORM. Several experts from the ADL Initiative participated, as well as representatives from Army, Navy and Air Force training commands and their contractors. Corporate adopters and product vendors were also very active participants.

All the briefings, session minutes and use cases are publicly available on the LETSI wiki, www.letsi.org/ scorm2. eLearning professionals are welcome to read, comment and contribute.

The requirements-gathering phase of LETSI’s SCORM 2.0 initiative will continue well into 2009. LETSI plans to have additional requirements-gathering meetings to deal with other white paper issues and to reach out to the many diverse eLearning communities of practice. LETSI expects to see developers announce SCORM 2.0 conformant products starting a year from now.

Avron Barr: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rockwell Collins to Acquire SEOS

Rockwell Collins Inc. announced its intent to acquire SEOS, a leading global supplier of highly realistic visual display solutions for commercial and military full flight simulators. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

After completion of the transaction, SEOS will operate under the Rockwell Collins name and will become part of the Simulation and Training Solutions organization. The transaction was expected to be completed after this issue went to press and is subject to regulatory approvals. “The acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on Rockwell Collins’ fiscal year 2009 earnings,” read a statement provided to MT2.

Dave Gosch: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

OLIVE Integrates Media Content and SCORM Content

Forterra Systems announced that it has released several advanced media sharing and SCORM content integration features in its flagship OLIVE virtual world software platform. OLIVE 2.1 includes drag-anddrop display of Microsoft PowerPoint and streaming video to distributed audiences in 3-D meeting environments. Organizations with SCORM-conformant and Web-based e-learning content can now integrate this content into multi-user 3-D training scenarios. Forterra is the first virtual world company to provide its customers with the ability to leverage its existing SCORM content directly in 3-D scenes to support synchronous and asynchronous forms of learning.

OLIVE 2.1 is conformant “with SCORM 2004, which is the current version of the SCORM specifications,” David “Bart” Bartlett, director, marketing and business development, Forterra, told MT2. OLIVE has been delivered to or is being eyed by a number of defense organizations. “We are currently working with RDECOM, Army Research Institute, ADL Co-Lab and intelligence agencies that are looking at using our new collaborative features,” concluded Bartlett.

The OLIVE 2.2 release, to be available this fall, enables displaying of any software application onto 3-D screens, collaborative whiteboards, and enterprise-level scheduling capabilities to enable participants to meet in a designated 3-D room.

Bart Bartlett: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wedgetail Simulator Receives Top-Level Accreditation

The Thales-designed Wedgetail Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) has been awarded zero flight time status by accreditation agency Simulinc. The OFT is situated at the AEW&C (airborne early warning & control) support center, Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown, Australia.

“Zero flight time (Level 5) status is the highest level of accreditation under Australian standards. It allows experienced pilots to undertake training using a highquality flight simulator instead of an actual aircraft. The award follows an engineering upgrade by Thales Australia, which transformed a simulator platform based on the Boeing 737-700 NG (Next Generation) into one tailored to the Wedgetail’s specific requirements, configuration and aerodynamics,” noted a statement provided to MT2 by Mark Rouson, spokesperson, Thales.

The certification activities were completed on time and on budget. The AEW&C Wedgetail aircraft is being procured by the Commonwealth from Boeing to provide surveillance, air defense, fleet support and force coordination. It features advanced sensors, avionics, navigation equipment, mission system and flight deck.

Mark Rouson: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Presagis Bolsters Its Software Suite

Presagis, the leading provider of commercial- off-the-shelf modeling, simulation and embedded display graphics software, has released new features and capabilities across its entire software suite. As a complement to Aeria, the company’s vision for a unified M&S workflow, Presagis delivers innovative, valueadded functionality across its industry-leading product brands.

Updated visualization tools from Presagis enable developers to achieve better visual quality while improving real-time performance by leveraging the shader infrastructure of Vega Prime, a toolkit for real-time 3-D application development and deployment. “Technique Ocean,” a new model in Vega Prime Marine, allows developers to represent highly detailed water areas by dramatically reducing the polygon count as well as the ability to seamlessly integrate environmental and marine modules with Lyra, a high performance image generator.

Terra Vista 5.3, the Presagis terrain generation software, now features Vega Prime-ready output capabilities and can generate a correlated terrain output for the VBS2 platform using a new optional module. Creator 3.5, a real-time 3-D modeling toolset, has been enhanced to ship with an OpenFlight script editor tool and features a building wizard option ideal for creating detailed building interiors and exteriors.

Presagis simulation products now offer an enhanced workflow between 3-D model creation and MOUT simulations. With tightened integration between Creator, AI.implant and STAGE Scenario, details and entities moving within buildings can be simulated easily. VAPS XT 2.3, the company’s HMI software tool, offers improved performance on embedded systems by as much as 68 percent. It also features improved record and playback capabilities, opportunities for third-party integration, and the ability to create an ARINC 661 pop-up dialog. Finally, tighter integration with Vega Prime enables developers to represent HMI overlays on a Vega Prime generated scene.

Tracey Ades: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ♦