Today’s multi-echelon simulation environments require simulation support for high resolution entities in extremely high numbers.  

Standard simulation frameworks such as Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) and the High Level Architecture (HLA) have provided interoperability across a large ecosystem of simulation environments and their related tools; however both standards (and other existing frameworks) were designed before large multi-core systems were commonplace and affordable, before network speeds had reached current levels, before cloud-based deployment options were practical, and before the client-server approach had become the dominant paradigm in massively-multiplayer online games (MMOGs). These improvements in technology have paved the way for increasing the performance and scalability of real-time, high fidelity simulation environments, but new interoperability standards are required for the M&S community to fully leverage these modern approaches.

The lead proponents for this proposed Study Group have developed a new set of interoperability APIs and interfaces that could serve as the basis for a new “Scalable Simulation Framework (SSF)” standard.  The APIs were designed to enable highly scalable implementations that can take full advantage of today’s multi-core hardware, high-bandwidth networks, cloud-computing resources, and client-server paradigms. A reference implementation was built to help prove and refine the concept; and initial integrations have been achieved with several COTS and GOTS federates from various suppliers.

In addition, there may be alternative frameworks that could serve as a basis for a new SSF. These will be evaluated along with the currently proposed framework.

The goals of the Study Group will be to:

• Develop a common understanding of the problem of scalability among distributed simulation applications.
• Evaluate the proposed design and initial API draft to determine whether they can serve as a starting point for a SISO standards development effort.
• Evaluate potential alternatives that may be presented to the Study Group to determine if another design would be a better starting point for an SSF SISO Standard.
• Help refine and develop the SSF concept and initial interface drafts with the goal of building their maturity before kicking off a formal SISO PDG Product Development Group