Integration of User-Developed Software with SIMDIS

摘要

SIMDIS is a software toolkit that provides two- and three- dimensional interactive graphical and video display of live and postprocessed simulation, test, and operational data. SIMDIS has evolved from a display tool for the output of missile models to a premier government off-the-shelf (GOTS) product for advanced situational awareness and visual analysis. Since its inception as an Office of Naval Research-sponsored project, the toolkit has experienced significant user base growth, with more than 1,000 current registrations within the DoD community. The toolkit has also undergone significant improvements in features and functionality. To better support the growth in capabilities, and to allow the community to customize the toolkit for their needs, a modularized plug-in applications programming interface (API) was designed and implemented. This plug-in API facilitates the integration of custom user-developed software with the SIMDIS toolkit. The plug-in approach improves the software development process by promoting modularization and reuse of software components. The approach also provides users with the ability to independently add new features to the SIMDIS toolkit based on the user's specific requirements. These new features can be added without the knowledge of, or access to, the SIMDIS source code.