Katrina Falkner is leading research into the construction of combat management and related defence systems using model driven engineering and system execution modelling techniques. The development of complex software systems for Defence applications is undergoing a step change in the approach and methodology used, with the trend moving toward the use of Model Based Systems Engineering and Model Driven Development. There is a need for defence organisations to understand the issues and benefits that arise out of the use of such approaches, and how to leverage the techniques to best effect.

This project investigates the implementation of an execution modelling computing environment to explore generic execution modelling techniques needed for combat system performance analysis. Within System Execution Modelling, models can be annotated with performance workload information with these workload used to simulate execution of the software model above different, realistic deployment scenarios.We are exploring how SEM and MDD techniques can help us gather early performance information for defence systems, and how these kinds of techniques will enable us to explore different deployment scenarios at the modelling level.

We are currently exploring several research extensions to this area, including the integration of a synthetic environment engine, which generates scenarios for the modelled software, and injects realistic data to fully explore performance and communications requirements. We are also exploring realistic calibration techniques and expanding techniques for workload modelling to provide robustness to SEM techniques.

We have constructed an experimental performance framework based on integrating the CUTS SEM tool within a Jenkins-supported continuous integration environment, supplemented by new modules to provide model repository, deployment, and build and experiment management above our hardware infrastructure. This is illustrated in the figure below.

DIG CI SEM Infrastructure

Research Contracts

Review of Model Driven Software Engineering Practice: System Execution Modelling Environment. K. Falkner, N. Falkner and C. Szabo. DSTO Research Contract ($75,000) (2012-2013)

Review of Model Driven Software Engineering Practice: Extending the Reference Combat management and System Execution Modelling Capability. K. Falkner, N. Falkner and C. Szabo, DSTO Research Contract ($490,000) (2012-2013)
Review of Model Driven Software Engineering Practice: System Execution Modelling. K. Falkner, DSTO Research Contract ($120,000) (2012)
Review of Model Driven Software Engineering Practice: Reference Combat Management System Development. K. Falkner, DSTO Research Contract ($225,000) (2011-2012)
Review of Model Driven Software Engineering Practice: UAV Models. K. Falkner, DSTO Research Contract ($46,500) (2011)
Review of Model Driven Software Engineering Practice. K. Falkner, DSTO Research Contract ($70,000) (2010)