Global Positioning System Modeling & Sensor Tracking Analysis – SimMetrics

Simulated Worlds. Real Analysis.

By Analytical Graphics Inc. and VT MÄK   

SimMetrics is a desktop application that helps increase the fidelity of distributed simulations by adding real-time analysis to battlefield simulations, through the DIS and HLA protocols. SimMetrics makes simulations more representative of the real world by modeling critical assets that are often overlooked in simulations.

Specifically, SimMetrics helps users understand how electronic interference, position, terrain, and time of day affect the navigational accuracy of autonomous vehicles by modeling GPS satellites and receivers. It calculates navigational accuracy and dilution of precision and displays both graphically and numerically. SimMetrics also helps users understand sensor coverage and target detection. It tracks how long targets are within the sensor coverage and presents data indicating where and when targets are covered and not covered.

Through these models, real-time navigation and sensor analysis is constantly provided to the simulation in real-time. This analysis adds fidelity to the simulation by bringing decision quality knowledge, driving both human and computer decision making, throughout the simulation. It also helps users understand the impact of those decisions made in a virtual environment. By using the models and analysis SimMetrics provides, the fidelity of simulations improves and better, more educated, decisions can be made, allowing users to train like they fight.

SimMetrics consists of an analysis server and an associated 3D visualization client. The server is developed by AGI and is based off of AGI Components along with MÄK’s VR-Link. The 3D visualization client is developed by MÄK and is built off VR-Vantage XR. It provides both 3D and graphical representations of the analysis from the server out of the box.

Highlights

• Federates with DIS, HLA 1.3, and HLA 1516
• Simulate GPS constellations
• GPS navigational accuracy calculations 
• Cumulative and instantaneous Dilution of Precision (DOP)calculations 
• Sensor access & detections throughout course of simulation
• Dynamic sensor coverage
• Fully integrated dynamic 3D visualization
• Reports and Graphs
• Terrain Correlation

Key Features

SimMetrics offers the following major capabilities:

• Navigation Accuracy

  Accurately propagates the GPS constellation using a variety of GPS data formats and a configurable receiver to compute the navigational accuracy of simulated entities continuously calculating and providing the following data:

  • Dilution of Precision (DOP)
  • Navigational accuracy
  • Predicted position

  

• Blue Force Tracking

  The SimMetrics server provides tracking information for any GPS device placed on any existing entity. This tracking information provides positional information reported by the GPS device which factors in error from terrain, earth position, and time of day. This data can then be used directly in a PVD or Stealth to provide entity location, or it can be converted into spot reports, which can then be injected into various components of the simulation.

  

• Sensor/camera modeling

  • Rectangular, complex conic, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
  • Interact with terrain
  • Simulate boresight views
  • Compute access
  • Live view of camera vision
  • Fog of war

• Asset coverage

  Enables users to compute asset coverage of gridded regions and time-dynamic platforms so users know exactly what assets are covering which areas and which targets in real-time through these figures of merit:

  • Number of assets
  • Coverage time 
  • Response time 
  • Coverage gaps 
  • Percentages and statistics over the grid 
  • Instantaneous and/or accumulated values

  

• Data Logging

  SimMetrics uses open industry standards to publish all analysis, so the MÄK Data Logger can be used to record and playback the whole simulation, including SimMetrics analysis with no special configuration. SimMetrics also logs the simulation as an STK scenario so that further offline analysis can be done through STK if needed.