reaching it's potential: how to make government-developed oss a major player

Reaching its Potential: How to Make Government-Developed

OSS a Major Player

Military Open Source Software Conference

August 3, 2010

Perry McDowell

Perry McDowell

• Navy Nuke-SWO• MSCS from NPS

– Virtual environment for damage control training• At NPS/MOVES since 2000• Executive Director at Delta3D since 2003

– Delta3D is an open source game engine

Our history

– MOdeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation– MOVES began in March 1996 with the MS degree

program– The PhD program was approved in 1999– Originally intended to be mix of Computer Science

and Operations Analysis– MOVES has since evolved to contain significantly

more areas and has become its own field

“If I asked my customers what they wanted, they would have

said a faster horse.”- Henry Ford

President Obama now requires all government employees to push the US auto industry as

part of the bail out?

5“…and tomorrow I shall be sober!”

“A hiatus exists between inventors who know what they could invent, if they only knew what was wanted, and the soldiers who know, or ought to know, what they want, and would ask for it if they only knew how much science could do for them.

You have never really bridged that gap yet.”

-- Winston Churchill, The Great War

NPS is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between Modeling and Simulation’s potential and military needs.

We combine military operational expertise with technical expertise towards relevant, cost effective, sustainable solutions.

Philosophy

MOVES brings together the

technical and tactical

MissionTo enhance the operational effectiveness

of our joint forces and our allies by providing superior training and analysis

products, education, and exemplary research in the field of modeling and

simulation.

8

DOD-focused Education and Research addressing the Science and Technology that drives creation and application of Modeling and

Simulation tools.

Contribute to the evolution of the M&S discipline

Core Competencies• Human Systems and Training

– Training system design and human factors– Human performance evaluation

• Cognitive Agents and Adaptive Systems– Learning agents in rich environments– Predictive agents

• Computer Gaming, Visual Simulation, Augmented Reality– Methods for game-based training design– Highly cost efficient software and simulation development– Mixed-mode, real and virtual, simulation environments

• Standards and Interoperability– Web-Based Simulation

• Simulation Modeling for Analysis– Composable models, large-scale reusability– Experimental designs for large studies

NPS is independent and objective – answers to end users, not stockholders. Uniquely positioned to identify and address the areas

that best contribute to advancing S&T behind M&S.9

NPS is independent and objective – answers to end users, not stockholders. Uniquely positioned to

identify and address the areas that best contribute to

advancing S&T behind M&S

ITEC and I/ITSEC

“You can’t swing a dead cat on the show floor without hitting an unsubstantiated claim.”

CDR Joseph CohenAt I/ITSEC 200X10

MOVES is an honest broker where you can get unbiased

advice based upon science

“Typical” Current Projects

• Evaluation of E2 NFO station as training platform• Novel requirements generation process for deployed F-18

training• Visualization system for NSWC damage visualization• Behavior Analysis Synthesis and Evaluation for Improved

Training– Transition live exercise MOUT AAR tools from 2D video streams to 3D

annotated reconstruction– Computer vision, agent technology, training design and evaluation

• Port security game for FLETC training• Perceptual modeling for improved agents in games.• Evaluation of Combat Models for IW training

– III Corps emergent requirement – invaluable reach-back for MOVES

Challenges• Enrollment of Civilians• Continued evolution of the Research Agenda and Education Program (BoK)

– How do we discover the ‘unknown, unknowns’• Improving interoperability

– Open source, standards and architectures• Immersive distance learning• Leveraging medical simulation advances• Human behavior representation• Joint, Coalition, Interagency, military-civil operations

– ITAR restrictions

• Linking academia, military and industry

Did you see anything about managing and

directing OSS programs?

Detailed Breakdown

Delta3D Overview

• Delta3D is an open source game and simulation engine

• Specifically designed for training apps and interacting with tools those apps use

• Built atop other open source projects• Licensed under Gnu’s Lesser General Public

License (LGPL) – not viral

Delta3D Overview

• Delta3D was designed to be the “commodity” solution – it provides what is freely available and puts it in an easy to use API

• It is not intended to replace any of the AAAA game engines (Half Life™ 2, UNREAL™ 3, Cry Engine™ 3)

• However, now it has some specific features for its intended usage well beyond what is available in most other engines

Michael Skok, on OS adaption

If we have a better product, and it happens to be open source, we're going to win. But it has to be in that order.1

From Matt Asay’s Open Road Blog, http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10204910-16.html, dwnld 3/30/9

1 – Delivered at the OS Business Conference, SF, March 2009

VBS2

• VBS2 is beginning to corner the market that Delta3D was built to fill

• VBS2 is a good piece of software– Delivers good value– Very responsive to DoD needs– Run by former officer in the Aussie army

VBS2

≠

Delta3D Cannot Compete w/ VBS2

As the major game-based sim for land-based training

WITHthe inherent restrictions imposed

upon us as a DoD “research” project

VBS2

• Chosen for the Army by PEO-STRI because no other option met requirement of being ready then

• Bohemia Interactive used IRAD to create awesome tools for non-technical users, i.e., Soldiers

• Constantly working with customers to figure out what they need and give it to them

Hey, that’s open source’s gig

Problems w/ Delta3D Competing

• Work on reimbursable research funding– All work must be directed in support of the final

deliverable• Can’t take funds from companies without an

Act of Congress– Okay, an act of ONR

AGILITY

OSS is about agility, and VBS2

is more agile than Delta3D

right now

So, What’s the Problem w/ VBS2?

• VBS2 sounds great – what is the problem with keeping using it?

• Isn’t it more important to have the best tool, which certainly seems to be VBS2 today, than satisfying a philosophy?

Possible Problems

• Peter Morrison might leave and be replaced by someone not so customer-centric

• Peter himself said at 2009 NATO Gaming Conference that they’re not making enough money on military sales/contracts– Compared to the high risk/high reward payoffs of

the gaming industry• BI might die, be acquired, etc. causing a

change in business strategy

What’s Needed?

A simple, well-documented method with considerable top

cover to give control of software developed within

the government to an outside agency

A simple, well-documented method with considerable top

cover to give control of software developed within

the government to an outside agency

Problem: Who Makes Decision?

• At a conference, someone from a government lab asked me how I got permission to release my code as open source

Problem: Who Makes Decision?

• At a conference, someone from a government lab asked me how I got permission to release my code as open source

• We never even thought about it, we just released it

• This lab had to go to their PAO to get permission to release the code as OSS

PAO

What Needs to Happen (My Thoughts)

DoD CIO needs to disseminate a memo

describing how to transition OSS from

government organizations to outside organizations

What Needs to Happen (My Thoughts) – WHO?

DoD CIO needs to disseminate a memo

describing how to transition OSS from

government organizations to outside organizations

What Needs to Happen (My Thoughts) – WHAT?

DoD CIO needs to disseminate a memo

describing how to transition OSS from

government organizations to outside organizations

Remember me?

“DoD Always Liked You Better”

What Needs to Happen (My Thoughts) – WHAT?

DoD CIO needs to disseminate a memo

describing how to transition OSS from

government organizations to outside organizations

What Needs to Happen (My Thoughts) – HOW?

DoD CIO needs to disseminate a memo

describing how to transition OSS from

government organizations to outside organizations

What Needs to Happen (My Thoughts) – WHY?

DoD CIO needs to disseminate a memo

describing how to transition OSS from

government organizations to outside organizations

What Needs to Happen (My Thoughts)

DoD CIO needs to disseminate a memo

describing how to transition OSS from

government organizations to outside organizations

What Do YOU Think Should be

Done?

Point of Contact

Perry McDowellExecutive Director, Delta3D

mcdowell@nps.edu(831) 656-7591