The Application of the Systems Engineering Process Activities in the Population of Conceptual Models of the Mission Space

The simulation of complex domains requires the acquisition and representation of domain knowledge at a level of detail appropriate for the needs of one or more intended simulations. The Conceptual Models of the Mission Space (CMMS) is a DOD effort to develop an integrated framework providing simulationindependent descriptions of real world processes, entities, environments, interactions, and relationships using a representation compatible with the Unified Modeling Language (UML) standard. The population of such domain-specific knowledge for simulations requires a formal knowledge acquisition (KA) and modeling effort, beginning with KA sessions with Subject Matter Experts (SME). Once acquired, the information must be analyzed, refined and modeled at the appropriate level of detail to achieve a desired level of simulation resolution. The Systems Engineering Process Activities (SEPA) is a formal process for the analysis and design of complex systems developed at the Laboratory for Intelligent Processes and Systems (LIPS) at the University of Texas at Austin. SEPA consists of seven activities: 1) knowledge acquisition with SMEs, 2) creation of the knowledge models derived from KA reports, 3) synthesis of the knowledge models for the creation of a consistent, complete domain model, 4) creation of the component-based reference architecture specifying inherent domain requirements, 5) specification of the formal application requirements for specific implementations, 6) creation of a component-based description of the application requirements, and 7) creation of the system design specification, i.e. an instance of a simulation system design. This paper discusses the application of the SEPA process and associated tools to guide the knowledge and systems engineers in the population of a CMMS model meeting particular simulation requirements.