look to the sky for your answer. stk version 9. · look to the sky for your answer. stk version 9....
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LOOK TO THE SKY FOR YOUR ANSWER. STK version 9.Pages 8-11.
March 2009 newsletter In thIs Issue
AGI PARTNERS WITH GOOGLE LUNAR X PRIZE
Page 3
US MARINE CORPS ENHANCES UAS ANALYSIS
Page 5
OVERLAYS AND LINES ON TERRAIN WITH INSIGHT3D
Page 15
MASTERFLIGHT FOUNDATIONTRAINS TEENS ON AGI
SOFTWARE Page 17
Agi iN THE NEWSAgi iN THE NEWS
sPace caPsules• AGIwasfeaturedintheAviationWeek&SpaceTechnologyarticle“AttractandRetain:
Employeesvaluecompaniesthatoffertechnologicalchallengesandadvancededucationopportunities”basedonasurveyofindustrycompanies.AGIrankedhighestinthe“Valuing theIndividual”category.AllofAGI’saccoladescanbefoundatwww.agi.com/awards.
• DeepDamlewasrecentlypromotedtoAGI’svicepresidentofInternationalSales.Inthisrole,DeepisresponsibleforexpandingAGI’ssoftwarebusinessoutsideofNorthAmerica;managingtheAGIteamresponsibleforinternationalproductsales;findingandtraining newinternationalbusinesspartners;andoverseeingexistingpartnercompanies.Prior tothisrole,DeepwasthedirectoroftheEuropeanregionandanAGIproductmanager.
• T.S.Kelso,seniorresearchastrodynamicistforAGI’sresearchbranchCenterforSpaceStandards&Innovation(CSSI),wasintroducedasaFellowattheAmericanAstronauticalSociety’sNationalConferenceinCaliforniainNovember.Kelsojoinsothermembersof thesocietywhohavemadesignificantcontributionstoastronauticsincludingthe2008 AGIUsers’Conferencekeynote,NASAastronautCapt.AlanBean.
• Dr.DavidFinkleman,seniorscientistatCSSI,wasrecognizedbyTheAmericanInstitute ofAeronauticsandAstronautics(AIAA)for50yearsofsustainedcontributionstothearts,sciences,andtechnologyofaeronauticsandastronautics.HewaselectedaFellowoftheAIAAin1989forhisworkinaerodynamics,reentrygasdynamics,andradiativetransfers,andhasorganizedandchairedmanyAIAAcommitteesandconferencesintheseareas.
• AGIwasgrantedapatententitled“MethodforRefiningStateEstimatesofaGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)ReceiverBasedUponSequentialGPSCarrierPhaseMeasurements”lastSeptember,basedontheworkofastrodynamicistsJimWright,WilliamChuba,andDickHujsak.Findoutmoreatwww.agi.com/patents.
• FormerNewYorkCitymayorRudyGiulianivisitedAGIinOctober.MayorGiulianireceived ademonstrationofAGItechnology,andthenaddressedemployeesandansweredquestionsonsuchtopicsasdefense,homelandsecurity,andtheeconomy.
2iNViEW March2009
agI celebrates 20 Years In1989,AGIwasformedinfounderandCEOPaulGraziani’sKingofPrussia,PA,livingroomonthepremisethatcommerciallyavailablesoftwarecanmeetorexceedspaceanddefenseprogramneedsoutofthebox.20yearslater,AGI’sbusinessmodelhasbeenwidelyacceptedandourofferingshavesignificantlyexpanded,too.Wecontinuetoenhanceourtraditionaldesktopapplications,andhavepulledoutthecorefunctionalitiessothatyoucannowintegratethemintomission-specificapplicationsviaanapplicationengine,orbuildyourownapplicationfromscratchusingournewAGIComponents.Wesincerelythankyouforthecontinuedsupportandfeedbackthathaveenabledoursuccessoverthepast20years.
In MeMorY of ralPh PatrIck
Dr.RalphPatrick,whospearheadedAGIproductdocumentationimprovementefforts,directedpatentactivities,andsupportedglobalsalesinitiatives,passedawayinDecemberfromcancer.
RalphhasbeenamemberoftheAGIfamilysinceMarch1997,servingastheDocumentationandIntellectualPropertiesManager.BeforejoiningAGI,hewasaninternationalcopyrighttriallawyer,alinguist,acollegeprofessor,andaveteranoftheUSAirForce.Hetraveledextensivelyandwasfluentinseverallanguages.Hisbackground,education,andstrongworkethicenabledhimtoexcelatAGIonmanyfronts.“RalphalwaysshowedremarkablededicationandresponsibilitytowardAGI,”saysAGIChiefOperatingOfficerFrankLinsalata.“Thisis averysadlossforus.”
Inadditiontobeingavaluedemployee,Ralph’sintellect,compassion,generosity,senseofhumor,andSoutherncharmalsomadehimagreatfriendtomanyatAGI. Hewillbedeeplymissed.
Heissurvivedbyhiswife,DeniseDiPersio;sonsRandyandRodney;daughtersNatalieandJessica;fourgrandchildren;hisfatherR.C.Patrick;andbrothersRaymondandRick.
>> We sincerely thank you for the continued support and feedback …<<
Agi iN THE NEWSAgi iN THE NEWS
March2009iNViEW 3
aPPlIed defense solutIons keePs nasa’s IbeX on track AsmallNASAspacecraftisonatwo-yearmissiontogivescientiststheirfirstmapoftheedgeofoursolarsystem,andanAGIbusinesspartnerisdesigningthissatellite’suniquetrajectory.AppliedDefenseSolutions(ADS)ofFulton,MD,isresponsibleforflightdynamicsfortheInterstellarBoundaryExplorer(IBEX)satellite.ADSisworkingwithSouthwestResearchInstitute(SwRI)todesignandmodelthesometimes“chaotic”trajectoryassociatedwiththiscriticalmission.ADSperformedthepre-launchorbitanalysisusingAGItechnology.FollowingtheOct.19launch, theflightdynamicsteampositionedIBEXintoitsplannedorbit,afterwhichorbitflightdynamicsoperationsmovedfromOrbitalSciencesCorporationinDulles,Virginia,toADSheadquarters.
IBEXwaslaunchedfromKwajaleinIsland,MarshallIslands,onanL-1011thattookaPegasusrocketto40,000ft.ThePegasusrocketthenfireditsownrocketstopropelitandtheIBEXspacecraftintospace.NewandinnovativetechnologiessuchasAGI’shavedramaticallyreducedthemanpower,hardware,andcostrequiredtoflythesatellite.WithNASA’stightbudgets,thesedecreasedflightoperationscostsallowADScustomerstoinvestmoreheavily inthemission’sscience,whereitmattersmost.“Ifwehadto,wecouldflythisbirdwithalaptopandanaircardfromacoffeeshoponthecorner,”saidADSpresidentRyanFrederic.
IBEXwillclimbintoanorbitthatgoesmorethan80%ofthewaytotheMoon.Thisorbitapogeeisveryhigh,whichallowsthesatellitetospendmuchofthetimeoutoftheEarth’smagnetosphere,reducinginterferencewithitsmissionandobservations.“Thistrajectoryisveryuniqueandexhibitssomeofthephenomenaassociatedwiththemathematicaldefinitionof’chaos;’thiswillreallytestthelimitsofcurrentlyavailabletechnologies,”saysJohnCarrico,ADS’principalastrodynamicsspecialist.
TheteamhasalsocomeupwithsomeinnovativeusesofAGItechnology,especiallyOrbitDeterminationToolKit(ODTK)andSTK/Astrogator.UsingODTK’sabilitytocalculateaphysicallyrealisticuncertainty,theteamusedtheoutputcovariancefromODTKastheinputtoMonteCarloalgorithmsthatcallSTK/Astrogator.Combinedwithmaneuverperformanceestimates,thisorbiterroranalysiswasabletoreducemissionriskandoperationalimpactonthescienceteambydemonstratingthatmissionrequirementswouldbemetoverthelifeofthemission.
LearnmoreaboutIBEXatwww.ibex.swri.edu/.AdditionalinformationaboutADSandthesolutionsandservicesitprovidesusingAGIandothercommercialoff-the-shelftechnologiescanbefoundatwww.applieddefense.com.
shootIng for the Moon
Agi Software Enhances Mission Planning for google Lunar X PRiZE TeamsThinkyouhavewhatittakestolandarobotontheMooncapableoftraveling500metersabovethelunarsurfaceandsendingimagesanddatabacktoEarth?MorethanadozenteamscomprisedofworldwidespaceprofessionalsandenthusiastsaretestingtheirmettleviatheGoogleLunarXPRIZE,a$30millioncompetitionannouncedDec.6,2007.OnOctober7,2008,attheAGIUsers’Conference,GoogleLunarXPRIZEDirectorWilliamPomerantzannouncedAGIasanew“PreferredSoftwarePartner.”Throughthisrelationship,allPRIZEteamshaveaccesstomorethan$150,000worthofAGIsoftwareandservicestoassistwithcomplexmissionplanning,fromlaunchtolanding.
GlobalGoogleLunarXPRIZEteammembersconvenedinChicagoinOctober2008forAGI’sUsers’Conference,whereofferings—includingaLunarMissionDesignWorkshop,trainingwithAGI’strajectoryandmaneuvermodelingSTK/Astrogatorsoftware,andauserpresentationbyPomerantz—offeredpracticaltipsandhands-onexperienceonhowtobestleverageAGIsoftwareasthey“shootfortheMoon.”AlsoatAGI’sconference,twonewteamswereannounced—Independence-XAerospaceofMalaysiaandOmegaEnvoyofFlorida.
Pictures,blogs,andvideosfromGoogleLunarXPRIZEteammembers,AGI,andtheXPRIZEFoundation,whichmanagesthecompetition,canbeaccessedatwww.agi.com/GLXP.
ADS is using Agi’s orbit determination tool kit and stk/astrogator software to determine orbit error analysis for the nasa IbeX mission.
At the 2008 Agi Users’ Conference in october, agI’s partnership with the google lunar X PrIZe was announced, as were two new competing teams.
Agi USER APPLiCATiONS
imageresolutionandspacecraftrangedata,wereloadedforInternet-basedviewingpriorto,during,andaftertheflybys.Trajectorycorrectionmaneuvers(TCMs)wereimplementedusingAGI’sSTK/Astrogator.
Theaward-winningMercuryFlybyVisualizationToolhasheritagethattracestoMcAdams’award-winningWeb-basedtimelinedevelopedfortheNearEarthAsteroidRendezvousspacecraft’sflybyofasteroid253Mathildein1997.ForMESSENGER,McAdamsandWebbmadethetoolnotonlyinteractive,butabletodisplaysimulatedimagesmuchfaster.“TheMESSENGERspacecraft’sscientificobservationsequenceduringitsfirstMercuryencounter[Jan.14,2008]leftnotimetotransmitMercuryimagestoEarthuntilmanyhoursaftertheflyby,”McAdamssays.“ThiswouldleavetheworldwideWebaudienceandon-sitemediawithnonewimagestodisplayuntilmorethanadayaftertheflyby.”SinceengineersatAPLwerealreadyusingSTKsoftwaretodefineadetailedspacecraftmodelandtoillustrateinstrumentpointing,McAdamsdecidedtoleveragethesoftwaretoo—savingtimeandcost.“STK’suser-friendlygraphicaluserinterfaceenabledmysummerinterntoeasilyunderstandthesoftware,”hesays.
STK/Astrogator,combinedwithSTK’s3Dvisualizationcapabilities,definesthelocationsofthespacecraftandMercury,spacecraftattitude,sensordefinition,sensorpointing,andtimingforeachofthetargetedscienceobservations.“OneadvantageofSTKwastheabilityofthecamerapatheditortokeeptheapparentsizeofMercurynearlyconstantthroughlargevariationsinrangefromthespacecrafttoMercury,”McAdamssays.
Messenger MercurY flYbY VIsualIZatIon tool gIVes glIMPses Into thIs MYsterIous PlanetNearly30yearsafterMariner10first visitedMercury,thesecondmissiontothismysteriousterrestrialplanetlaunched.MESSENGER(MErcurySurface,SpaceENvironment,GEochemistryandRanging),partofNASA’sDiscoveryProgramoflower-cost,roboticplanetaryexplorationmissions,hasachievedflybysofEarth(1),Venus(2),andMercury(2)duringits4½yearsinspace.JimMcAdams,MESSENGERMissionDesignleadengineeratJohnsHopkinsUniversityAppliedPhysicsLaboratory(JHU/APL),appliedAGIsoftwarewithNASASpaceGrantinternKevinWebbtocreateaWeb-basedtoolthatprovidessimulatedviewsofMercuryfromMESSENGER’sperspectiveduringcloseapproaches.
UsersofthistoolduringMercuryflybycloseapproachwereabletoaccesssimulatedviewsofeachplannedimageinrealtimeontheMESSENGERWebsite.ThesimulatedimagesofMercury,generatedusingSTK’s3Dvisualizationcapabilitiesandcorresponding
ThecenterimageinthetoolisacompositeoverlayofasmanyasthreeimagesdepictingimagefootprintsinspaceandonMercury’ssurface.WhenthespacecraftisveryclosetoMercury,alinemarksthefootprintforthelaseraltimeter.Theleftandrightframesofthetooldisplaythesimulatedviewfromthespacecraft’swide-angleandnarrow-anglecameras.ThemostrecentversionofthetooldepictsscienceobservationsforMESSENGER’ssecondflybyofMercuryonOct.6,2008.McAdamsshareddetailsof thissecondflybyviateleconferenceduringthe2008AGIUsers’Conference.
“TheapplicationofAGItoolsininnovativewayswasacontributingfactorinmy2008EngineeroftheYearAward(Baltimoresection)fromtheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics(AIAA)and intherecentMarComawardfortheMercuryFlybyVisualizationTool,”McAdamssays.
MESSENGERwillflybyMercuryonemoretimeinSeptember2009beforebecomingthefirstspacecrafttoorbitMercuryinMarch2011,thebeginningofyearlongcomprehensivescienceobservationsthatwillenablecompletionofsciencegoalssuchascompilationofaglobalcolorstereoimagemapofMercury’ssurface.
FormoreonthemissionandtheMercuryFlybyVisualizationTool,visithttp://messenger.jhuapl.edu.
>> STK’s user-friendly GUI enabled my summer intern to easily understand the software. <<
Jim McAdams (right), Messenger Mission design lead engineer at Jhu/aPl, designed the Messenger Mercury Visualization tool with nasa space grant intern kevin webb. Image courtesy Jhu/aPl.
The Web-based Messenger Mercury Visualization tool provides simulated views of Mercury from Messenger’s perspective during close approaches using agI software.
Agi USER APPLiCATiONS
addIng agI analYsIs to u.s. MarIne corPs unManned aIrcraft sYsteM reQuIreMentsTaskedtodeterminethemostcost-effectivemixofunmannedaircraftsystem(UAS)capabilitiestomeetoperationalMarineAir-GroundTaskForcerequirementsin2020,theU.S.MarineCorpsCombatDevelopmentCommand(MCCDC)conductedaTierIIAnalysisofAlternativesofSmallTacticalUnmannedAircraftSystems(STUAS).MCCDCemployedSTK,STK/Analyzer,STK/Communications,andSTK/RadarwithTerrainIntegratedRoughEarthModel(TIREM)asthequalitativetoolstoachieveitsgoals. Assuring UAS Effectiveness Throughthisstudy,theteamquantitatively:
• Assessedunmannedaircraftsystems(UAS)andcandidatesensors.
• Determinedthesensors’abilitytocommunicatewithgroundcontrolstationsandotherground-basedassetsinrealisticterrain.
• Performeddetailedcomparativeanalysesonelectro-optical/infrared(EO/IR)sensors.
• Testedoperationaleffectivenessofintelligence,surveillance,andreconnaissance(ISR)UASs.
Agi and NiiRS integrationTheteamintegratedthemodelingandanalysiscapabilitiesofAGItechnologywithaNationalImageInterpretabilityReadingScale(NIIRS)plugintodetermineaggregateprobabilitiesofdetectionandidentificationforterrestrialISR.MCCDCthenpresentedoptimalsystemsrecommendationstoacquisitionleadershipfortheTierII/STUASprogram.TierII/STUASwasapprovedbytheJointStaffinSeptember2008,withAGIproductsservingastheprimarysoftwareusedtodevelopthisnewUAS. UsingAGItechnologytosimulatereal-worldenvironmentsinwhichtheU.S.AirForce,Navy,andMarineCorpshaveavestedinterest,MCCDCtestedwhatimpactenvironmentssuchasmountainousterrainhaveonsituationalawarenessandline-of-sightcommunications.MultipleISR
missionpossibilities—forexamplescanningabuildingoridentifyingapersonoranobject—hadtobeconsidered,andtheteamusedapluginthatusedtheNIIRSratingscaletocharttheefficiencyofUASsandsensors.AGItechnologyprovideddetailedsensorandplatformanalysisandmodelingcapabilitiesforthetrialsincludingtheincorporationofhigh-fidelityterrain;sensorfootprints;high-levelsensormodelingandcommunications;andline-of-sightanalysis.PartoftheprobabilisticEO/IRdetectionmethodologywastakingintoaccounttwoassumptions.Thefirstbeingthatatrainedoperator’sstandardresponsetimeis2.5seconds,andthesecondbeingthataUASoperatesataltitudesufficienttoresolve theprojected“NIIRSX”target.
Becoming a Qualitative ToolTrialswereperformedonscenarioswherethetwoassumptionswereretained,butafactorintheoperationalcontextwouldaffecttheUAS,thesensor,andthesituationalandenvironmentalsituation.AGItechnology’soutputofthecoveragetimeforhowlongtheobjectofinterestwasinthesensor’sfieldofview,combinedwiththeNIIRSpluginoutput,allowedMCCDCtorecommendmultiplesensorsystemsandplatformsbasedonmissionrequirements.
Formore,downloadtheMCCDCpresentationfromthe2008AGIUsers’Conferenceatwww.uc.agi.com.
UAV Search Path Sample Point Visible Sample PointArea of Interest
Not seen Seen
Not seen Seen
March2009iNViEW 5
The Marine Corps combat development command is using agI products for detailed uas sensor and platform analysis and modeling incorporating terrain, sensor footprints, communications, and line-of-sight.
Lt Col Brian Zacherl, us Marine corps, shared highlights of how agI software is employed for tier II analysis of alternatives of small tactical unmanned aircraft systems (stuas) at the 2008 agI users’ conference in october.
Agi USER APPLiCATiONS
6iNViEW March2009
flYIng the frIendlY skIes, wIth agI Overthepastfewdecades,InflightEntertainment(IFE)hasevolvedfromsimpleprojectionscreenmoviestoamultitudeofmediatokeeppassengersentertained,includingfullyinteractivepersonaldisplayswithmovingmapsthatshowthepositionoftheaircraft.AGIisintroducinganewlevelofrealismtomovingmapdisplaysbybringingitstechnologytoIFE.Fromtakeofftolanding,passengerscouldleverageourinteractive3Denvironmenttoviewreal-timeflightinformation,exploreplacesofinterestaroundtheglobe,andevenzoomouttospace.
AGI’simmersive3Dglobedisplayshigh-resolutionimageryandterrain,alongwithdetailedaircraftmodels.Inaddition,AGItechnologyperformsdynamicanalysisofthelocationoftheaircrafttopointsonthegroundsopassengerscanseethedistance,directionalpointers,andatwhattimetheywillpasspointsofinterest.Passengerswillbeabletosetremindersforthesepointsofinterestalongtheplannedroutesandreceiveanalertwhenthatobjectisinview,alongwithapointershowingwheretolook.Aviationenthusiastscanviewthevirtualhighwaysinthesky,airspacevolumes,andapproachconesaroundtheairports.
Forvideosdemonstratingthistechnology,visitwww.agi.com/ife.
star one & noaa sats share longItudeTheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA)hasbeenbroadcastingmeteorologicaldatafrom75˚Wlongitudesince1975thankstoitsGOES(GeostationaryOperationalEnvironmentalSatellite)program.Forthepastfiveyears,GOES12hasbeentransmittingimageryfromthislocation22,300milesabovetheEarth.SowhenStarOne,asubsidiaryofEMBRATELthatoperatesthemajorsatellitesysteminSouthAmerica,approachedNOAAaboutsharingitslocation,measurestoassuresatellitesafetywerecritical.NOAAandStarOneengineersemployedSTKtostandardizeorbitdataandgravitymodelsbetweentheorganizations.
“Geostationarysatellitesareallataboutthesamespot,”saysEricMadsen,seniorinternationalrelationsspecialistatNOAA.“Therealestateisn’tregulated,buttheradiofrequenciesare.Theyreallyhave tobecontrolledtoeliminateinterference.”Themajorconcernforbothpartieswasminimizinginterferencetoensuredatacontinuity.“Wehaveanunbrokenflowofdataatthislongitudedatingbackto1960whenNASA’sTERRAsatelliteswerethere,andwehaveplansintothenextgenerationofGOESthrough2030,”Madsensays.
The“gentlemen’sagreement”betweenStarOneandNOAAwasformedinMarch2007,withengineersatbothorganizationsusingSTKtoassureefficiency.“Ourorbitaloperationsneedtospeakthesame‘language’intermsofgravitymodels,coordinatesystems,references,andorbitalelements,”saysEvandroPaivadeAndrade,orbitoperationsteamleader,engineeringdivision,StarOne.“STKsetsupacommonbasisfortheagreements.StarOneandNOAAuse
orbitalsoftwarefromourrespectivesatellitemanufacturers,butSTKenablesappropriatetranslationsbetweenthem.”
StarOneleveragesSTK/ProfessionalEdition,STK/Integration,STK/Astrogator,STK/ConjunctionAnalysisTools,STK/Analyzer,andtheOptimizerExtensionforitsanalysis.Thecompanyalsofoundthesoftware’s3Dcapabilitiesespeciallyhelpfulforeasilydemonstratingthetechnicalaspectsof thesharedorbitslotwithmanagers.
Theorganizationsagreethatbeingable toworktogetherwithoutthirdparties asaresultofcommonsoftwarehas increasedconfidenceintheirdecision, andeliminatedtheenergyandresourcesthatwouldhavebeeninvestedtodevelopasolutionthemselves.“UsingSTKreducescoordinationneedstoaminimum,andallowsustofocusourdevelopmenteffortsontheapplicationsofourinterest,”PaivadeAndradeconcludes.
FormoreonStarOne,visitwww.starone.com.br.DetailsontheGOESprogramcanbefoundatwww.goes.noaa.gov.
Agi’s interactive 3D environment can be used to enhance the Inflight entertainment experience aboard aircraft.
NOAA and Star One are using agI software to assure efficiency as their goes 12 and brasilsat b1 satellites, respectively, share 75˚ w longitude.
>> STK sets up a common basis for Star One and NOAA’s orbital operations …<<
Agi USER APPLiCATiONS
ItalY’s sIMlabs foster dIs & hla data IntegratIonFinmeccanicaisthemainItalianindustrialgroupoperatingintheaerospace,defense,andsecuritysectors,andtheleadingsatelliteandspaceserviceproviderinEuropethroughthejointventurewithThalesnamed“SpaceAlliance.”Finmeccanica’sMindSh@reInitiative,begunin2003,aimstoincreasethelevelofknowledge-sharingamongitssubsidiaries,includingTelespazio,achiefglobaloperatorinthemanagementofsatellitesandservicesrelatedtoEarthobservation,satellitenavigation,integratednetworksformultimediacommunications,integratedconnectivity,andaddedvalue.TelespazioSimulationLabisusingSTKProfessionalEdition,STK/Integration,STKEngine,Real-TimeTrackingTechnology(RT3),DistributedSimulation(DSim)Extension,andSTK/Coveragetopulltogetherthespace,ground,andairbornesegmentsin anintuitive3Dgraphicaluserinterface(GUI).GMSPAZIO,AGI’sbusinesspartnerinItaly, issupportingtheeffort.
SimLabsareconfigurableandscalableenvironmentsinwhichitispossibleto:
• Designandtestequipment,systemsbehaviors,rules,doctrines,strategies, andtactics.
• Createasyntheticenvironmentwherescenarios,objects,andrelatedrelationshipscanbedefined.
• Trainpeopleonanyobject,object’saction,orruleinthedefinedscenario.
• Integrateandvalidatesystems.
• Testrealandsimulatedpartsofsystems.
GiuseppeCorrao,headofTelespazio’sSimLabfocusedonthespacesegmentofdistributedscenarios,sayshisteamneededanintegratedsyntheticenvironmentthatjoinedmultiplesegmentstogetherwhileprovidingreal-timeanalysis,human-in-the-loop,ahigh-level3Dsyntheticenvironment,andaconfigurableGUI.SinceTelespaziowasalreadyusingAGIsoftwareforinternalobjectives,theylookedtothetechnologyfortheMindSh@reInitiative.“Thede-factostandardsofSimLabsareDISandHLA.TheintegrationcapabilityoftheSTKsoftwaresuitewasarealenablerforourdistributedsimulationenvironment,”Corraosays.“Forexample,itimplementsprecisepropagatorsthatpredictsatellitecoverage.”TelespazioandGMSPAZIOalsocreatedacustomizedSTKGUItocomplementtheanalysis.Corraosays,“WeareabletoshowallFinmeccanicaassetsinallsegmentsworkingtogetherataglance.Thisisarealaddedvalueforus.”
STK’sreal-timesimulationcapabilitieswereshowcasedinFebruary2008attheMindSh@areEventinRome,inMay2008attheItalianArmy147thBirthdaycelebration,andinJuly2008attheFarnboroughInternationalAirshow.“STKisaveryflexibletool,capableofhostingmodels,maps,andterrainandconnectinginasimplemannerwiththeexternalworld.Itisasignificantenhancementtoourbusinessinthesimulationfield,”Corraosays.ThroughtheuseofSTK,Telespazioreducedthetimeneededformissiondevelopmentandsimulation.Corraosaystraininghasbeensignificantlyimproved,withtrainingtimereducedfromfivedaystothree.
FormoreonFinmeccanica,MindSh@re,andTelespazio,visitwww.finmeccanica.itordownloadCorrao’spresentationfromthe2008AGIUsers’Conferenceatwww.uc.agi.com.InformationonAGI’sresellerinItalyanditsotherglobalbusinesspartnershipscanbefoundatwww.agi.com/international.
March2009iNViEW 7
Telespazio in italy is using agI’s products to foster an integrated simulation environment that pulls in real-time analysis and human-in-the-loop through a configurable guI.
giuseppe Corrao, head of telespazio’s simulation labs, shared his organization’s work at the 2008 agI users’ conference in chicago.
accessIbIlItY to dataUsersneedinputdatabeforeperforminganyanalysis.Ideally,engineerscantakeadvantageofreadilyavailabledatainstandardformats,minimizingtheneedto“fat-finger”inputs.STK9offersgreateraccessibilitytodifferentstandarddatasets.
1. Satellite State Data SynchronizationLeveragingstandardsatellitestatedatahaslongbeenanSTKbenefit,butnowusershaveaninterfacetoautomaticallyupdatesatelliteswithstatedatabasedonthetimeperiodoftheanalysis.Thishelpsensurethemostaccurateresultswithouthavingtothinkaboutit.
STK9alsonativelysupportsGPSalmanacinformationasaninput.Analystscantakeadvantageofthericherinformationinthedataset(e.g.healthstatus)fornavigationassessments.
WhataboutclosedenvironmentswithoutInternetaccesstotakeadvantageoftheautomaticsynchronizationofdataorGPSinformation?Noproblem.STKcanalsoleverageinternalnetworklocationsorevenlocalflatfilesasthesourceforupdatedstatedata.
A key strategy in the development of STK 9, our most aggressive release since STK 5, was to help users across entire business units or programs maximize productivity. We redesigned interfaces to shrink the upfront STK learning curve and empower engineers to solve complex spatial problems twice as rapidly as before. The enhancements to STK fall into three categories; accessibility to data, usability enhancements, and functionality improvements to specific modules.
2. High-Resolution Terrain and imageryForterrestrialscenarios,theneedfordataoftenalsoincludesaccessingterrainandimageryatsufficientresolution.STK/Terrain,Imagery,&Mapsnowoffersnewhigher-resolutionterrainthaneverbefore(globalterrainat90meterandUSAterrainat30meterresolution).Inaddition,AGIisofferingmorefreelydistributableterrainandimagerytoallusersviadownloadandonasupplementalDVD forconsumptionwithinSTK.Seethearticle onpage11formoredetail.
3. global Streaming imageryAGIisproudtoannouncethatwenow offerMicrosoftVirtualEarth®rasterimagerystreamingontoSTK’s3Dglobe.Usersmayneverneedtosearchforhigh-resolutionimagetilesforSTK,STKEngine,andAGIViewereveragain!Seepage11 foradditionalinformation.
usabIlItY enhanceMentsWecentralizedmanycommonworkflowsandfunctionstominimizetheneedtosearchwithintheGUI.Inaddition,longtimeuserswillnoticethatSTK9leveragesmanytypesofreadilyavailabledata,thusrequiringlessmanualdatacreationfromusers.Weplanto
continuethisemphasisforfuture releasesaswellasoffloadingmoredata tocentralizedservers.
1. WorkflowGettingdataintoandoutofasoftwarepackageisakeyproductivityenabler. Ontheinputside,STK9includesanewinterfacetoselectanddefineobjects.Allinputoptionsforeachobjectareavailablewithinthatoneinterface,mitigatingtheneedtojumparoundtheinterfacetofinddifferentinputinterfaces.Wanttopopulateyourscenario?TheInsertSTKObjecttoolisallyouneed.We’vealsodesignedaninterfacetohelpgenerateallrelevantdataoutputs.Want astripchart?Areport?Foranaircraft? Formultiplesatellites?Looknofurther thanthenewReportandGraphManager.
Similarly,tohelpanalystsunderstanddataoutputsmoreefficiently,STK9offersinteractivereports.Noticesomethingpeculiarintheresults?QuicklysubsamplethedataorjumptheSTKvisualizationtotheappropriatetimetohelpunderstandthesituation.Afterall,the“graphics”are“analytical!”
2. User interface PluginsWerecognizetheneedtosolvecomplexproblemsusingSTKincombinationwithothertoolswhilefollowingonecohesive
accessIbIlItYWithSTK9,userscanshowMicrosoftVirtualEarthrasterimageryonSTK’s3Dglobe.
usabIlItYTheMovieTimelineUIPluginportraystimegraphicallywithahorizontalbar,fundamentallychangingthewaySTKusersinteractwithtimeintheirscenarios.
functIonalItYSTK’sAircraftMissionModelercanrouteaircraftrelativetoothervehicles.
workflow.OurAPIshavealloweduserstodesignexternalapplicationinterfacesorevencustomizedHTMLpagesembeddedinsidetheSTKGUI.WithSTK9’smodernizedGUIarchitecture,userscannowleveragetheirownsoftwaredevelopmentenvironmenttodesignUserInterfacePlugins(e.g.toolbars,panels,contextmenus)thatrunaspartofSTK.Organizationscannowleveragetheirownuser-definedworkflowsthatcombine STKandotherin-housefunctionalityall withinourdesktopenvironment.
3. integrated Development CapabilitiesWithSTK9,theSTKEngineisfullyintegratedintoeverySTKedition,includingthefreeSTKBasicEdition.Thismeansthatuserscanbuildcustomapplicationswithouthavingtopurchaseanyadditionaldeveloperproducts.Tomakelifeeveneasier,theSTKEngineSoftwareDevelopmentKit,whichcontainsapplicationpackagingtoolsandcodeexamples,isfreelydownloadablefromtheAGIDeveloperNetwork.Finally,STK9facilitatesmorerapiddevelopmentthroughtheuseofnewcoarse-grained“shortcut”functionsintheSTKObjectModelAPI.Singlefunctioncallscannowreplacemultiplelinesofcodeformanycommontasks,liketargetingasensor.
functIonalItY IMProVeMents AsidefrommakinggeneralproductivityenhancementsacrossSTK,AGIiscommittedtogrowingthefunctionalityinourdomainsofexpertisetomeetthedemandsofourdynamicandexcitingindustry.We’vemadenotableenhancementswithrespecttomanydomains,includingsatellitemissiondesignandaircraftmissionmodeling.
1. Satellite Mission DesignTosupportspacemissiondesignandoperations,STK/Astrogatorhasseveralkeyimprovements.First,we’veembeddedanoptimizationalgorithmdirectlyintothesolver.Asaresult,userscanoptimizesegmentsandmaneuversofthemissionin-process(e.g.beforecontinuingwiththerestofthemissionprofile),assistinginminimizingfuelconsumptionormaximizingsatellitelifeinmanyscenarios.Also,we’ve
addedaScriptingTooldirectlyinsidetheuserinterfaceforuserstoconveniently addfunctionsandlogicaloperationstoSTK/Astrogatorsegments.Tolearnmore,see thearticleonpage14.
2. Aircraft Mission ModelingTosupportaircraftmissionplannersandanalysts,wehaveenhancedSTK/AircraftMissionModeler’s(STK/AMM)capabilityandelevatedtheproducttobeitsownSTKmodule.Plannerscanrouteaircraftrelativetoothervehicles(e.g.takeoffandlandfromacarrier).AMMalsonowincludesmoreadvancedaerodynamicandpropulsioncharacteristicsindefiningandevaluatingdifferentairframes.UserscanalsomanipulateaircraftproceduresthoughAMM’snewautomationinterface.
3. CommunicationsWithenhancementstoSTK/Communications,usersperforminglinkbudgetanalysiswillnowhaveaccesstoanew“antenna”objectandcustomizabledatabasesofcommunicationspayloadsandenvironmentalmodelsthatcanbesharedacrossscenarios.Also,thepropertiespanelshavebeenstreamlined;optionsthatwereoncefour-layersdeeparenowavailable andorganizedwithinthemaininterface.
4. RT3 and DSim ExtensionSTK9marksdrasticimprovementsintheabilityofourReal-TimeTrackingTechnology(RT3)tomanageandvisualizetensofthousandsoftrackswhilesustainingeffectiveanalysisandvisualizationperformance.Similarly,theDistributedSimulation(DSIM)ExtensionaddstheabilitytosupportanyHLAFederateObjectModel(FOM),includingRPR,MATREX,andothercustomFOMs.
Withsuchawidearrayofaccessibility,usability,andfunctionalityenhancements,we’veonlyscratchedthesurfacehereonallthenew,excitingfunctionalityinSTK9.Checkoutwww.agi.com/stktolearnmore.And,asalways,wecountonyourinputforthecontinuedsuccessofoursoftware.Pleasesharefeedbackbywritingtostkfeedback@agi.com.
agI’s faVorIte stk 9 features
Agi PRODUCTS
10iNViEW March2009
LaunchingAircraftMissionModelervehiclesoffofotherSTKobjects. - TomNeely
Rightclickonanobjecttozoomtoit. - ChristiWichner
AddingalgorithmsandinterfacesintoSTKwiththeUIpluginfeature. -PeterNalyvayko
BuildingyourentirescenariousingtheInsertObjectpanel. - JeffGassert
WindowsVistasupport. -KevinMurray
Orbitwizard. -TomUrie
LoadingthecurrentGPSconstellationwithoneclick. -TedDriver
SavequickreportstoeasilystoreinformationandshareitusingAGIViewer. -MarcHoffman
Tear-awaytoolbars. -DebSauerwald
<<<< stk 9 enables unPrecedented access to IMagerY and terraIn Often,engineersandanalystsfindthemselvessearchingforappropriategeospatialdatafortheirmissionanalysis.We’veoverhauledourSTK/Terrain,Imagery,&Maps(STK/TIM)producttomakegeospatialdatamoreaccessiblethanever.Inversion9,STK/TIMintroducesabrandnewsubscriptiontoMicrosoftVirtualEarthimagerystreamingdirectlyintoSTK.STK/TIMnowalsoincludesglobalterrainat90meterandUSAterrainat30meterresolution.
Microsoft Virtual Earth imagery Service SubscriptionAGIisproudtoannounceanewservicefromMicrosoft.Throughthisservice,AGIproductscanaccesstheMicrosoftVirtualEarthplatform’shigh-resolution(uptosub-meterresolution)rasterimagerydrapedontoAGI’sglobes.TherasterimageryincludesMicrosoft’sglobalaerialimagery;roadsandmapimagery;andhybridimagery.Theseimagerylayersdrapeoverterrain.So,foranyareaofinterest,userscanbenefitfromasignificantimprovementinsituationalawareness. STK,AGIViewer,andSTKEngineapplicationsallhavereadyaccesstohigh-resolutionVirtualEarthimageryinsupportofusers’real-time,pre-mission,andpost-missionanalysisandvisualization.So,notonlycanyouleveragethisimagerywithinourdesktopapplicationsbutalsoyourdeployedSTKEngineapplications,too. AccesstotheVirtualEarthdataisenabledviaSTK/TIMwhichincludesanannualsubscriptiontoMicrosoftVirtualEarthandisautomaticallyrenewedforusersunderactivemaintenanceforSTK/TIM.
global Terrain DataSTK/TIMnowincludesglobal90mShuttleRadarTopography(SRTMv4.1)dataand30mUSGSNationalElevationDataset(NED)dataforthecontinentalUnitedStatesreadyforimmediateusewithinSTK.
Previous STK/TiM Data Now FreeDatasetsthatwerepreviouslypartofSTK/TIM,namelyAGIWorldTerrain,AGIEarthImagery,andAGIHighResolutionMaps, arenowavailableforfreeonasupplementaldataDVDshippedwithSTK.
Utility to Find and Download DataForusers’convenience,thenewSTK/TIMdatawillbeavailableonaserverfordownloadviaasearchutility.
Withalloftheseenhancements,STK/TIMtakesagreatstepforwardingivingusersreadyaccesstothegeospatialdatatheyneedtosupporttheiranalysis.
Agi PRODUCTS
March2009iNViEW 11
STK 9 users can now leverage Microsoft Virtual earth high-resolution imagery streaming directly onto the 3d globe.
Drop-downmenusinthe3Dtoolbar. - JimmyTucholski
Customizingmyreportstartandstoptimesandunitswitharightclick. - DaveHolland
UsingMicrosoftVirtualEarthtodisplayhigh-resolutionstreamingimagery. - JoshPoley
Synchronizationoftimeandanimationperiod. - ArianneLiepa
Clickingonanaccessreportandautomaticallyjumpingmyscenariotothattime. - JeffBaxter
Auto-hidingtheMessageViewer,ObjectBrowser,andotherdockedwindows. - AmandaBreweraka“RocketGirl”
Movietimelineplugin. -EdMackey
OptimizerandScriptingToolinSTK/Astrogator. -RonnieAllan
Outlined3Dfont. -KellyAmaroso
the state of agI coMPonentsAyearhaselapsedsincethereleaseofAGIComponents,andsofar,theindustryhasbeeneagertoutilizethisnewformofourcoretechnology.DevelopersaretakingadvantageofthefreeSoftwareDevelopmentKit(SDK)availableontheAGIDeveloperNetwork(ADN)andpeoplearefindinginterestingnewwaystousethesesoftwarelibraries.Todate,wehavehadmorethan500downloadsofourSDK.Wenowoffersixcomponents—includingabetaversionofour3Dvisualizationcomponent(seesidebarontheirindividualcapabilities)—withseveralmoreontheway.
Customer Use CasesAGIcustomershavealwaysfoundinnovativewaystouseourproducts,andtheirusesofComponentsarenodifferent.Herearejustafewwaysourusersareemployingthelibraries:
• Replacing legacy in-house tools: Severalofourcustomershavechosentoreplacetheirunmaintained,unmanaged(everyuserhastheirownversion)propagatorswithindustryrecognizedandcommerciallysupportedpropagatorsavailablewiththeDynamicGeometryLibrary.
• Extending functionality of existing applications:SimplyaddingInsight3D–formerlyknownas“PointBreak“—toanexistingapplication,customersinstantlygainaproven,industryrecognized3Dcapabilityfortheirsolution.
• Serving applications via Web: AscommercialandgovernmentusersalikepushforSOAsolutions,moreandmorecustomersarecomingtoustobuildserver-basedapplicationsrangingfromsimpleinter-visibilitycalculationstocomplexRFsignalanalysis.
• Building new, lightweight applications: CombiningthecapabilitiesofAGI’sanalysiscomponentswithInsight3D,integratorsaredevelopinganddeployingmissionapplicationsmorequickly.Builtforspeedwithoutsacrificingcapability,AGIComponentscansitatthecoreofmission-specific,deployedsolutions.
Future of Agi ComponentsSowhat’snext?Tostart…morecomponents.Somecapabilitiesweareaddingincludehigh-precisionorbitpropagation,maneuvermodeling,radaranalysis,aircraftroutemodeling,andscheduling.
AGIComponentsareonaregularreleasecycle,andbasedonthefeedbackandsuccesssofarthisschedulewillcontinue.Whatdoesthismeanforyou?Asnewcapabilityisdevelopedandtested,wecanimmediatelypushitouttoourusercommunity.Frombrandnewlibrariestosimplebugfixes,usersdo notneedtowaitformajorreleases.
User FeedbackAGIproductlinedirectionisdrivenbyuserfeedback.Inadditiontofuturecapabilityincomponentform,wehavealsoreceivedfeedbackregardingdevelopmentanddeploymentonnon-Windowsoperatingsystems.AGIComponentsarefullytestedonmono,anopen-sourceimplementationoftheMicrosoft.NETframeworkwhich issupportedonsystemsrunningRedHat,SUSE,Solaris,andMacOS.Formoreinformation,visitwww.mono-project.com.
Inadditiontotheoperatingsystemfeedback,wehavereceivedcommentsfromthedevelopercommunityregardingtheneedtouseAGIComponentsinJava.Javadeveloperscancurrentlyaccomplishthisusingjnbridge,whichisaJavato.NETbridge.Wehavedocumentedexamplesandreferenceapplicationsavailablethatdemonstratethis,butwedorealizethattheJavacommunitywouldpreferamorenativesolution,onethatcantakeadvantageof therichJavadevelopmentenvironment.
WhichiswhyweplantoofferaJavaversionofAGIComponents,aswell.AGIComponentswillbeavailableasbothdynamiclinklibraries(DLLs)fortheWindows
programmersaswellasJavaArchives(jar)fortheJavaprogrammers.ThiswillenablethedevelopmentanddeploymentofAGIComponents-basedsolutionsonWindowsandotherJava-enabledplatforms.
Ifyouhaven’talreadydoneso,gotoadn.agi.comanddownloadthefreeSDKtodaytodiscoverfirsthandthebenefitsofaddingAGIsoftwaretoyoursolution.
AGI Components
Agi PRODUCTS
Dynamic geometry Library –Incorporatetime-dependent,constrained,geometricanalysisintoanydesktopapplication,multi-userWebapplication,orasapieceofaservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA).
Navigation Accuracy Library –PropagatetheGPSconstellationwithconfigurablereceiversforcomputationofDOP,navigationaccuracy,andRAIM.
Terrain Analysis Library –Readandinterpolateterraintocreatemasksandapplyasaconstraint.
Spatial Analysis Library –Computefiguresofmeritfromanalysisovergridsordynamicplatforms.
Communications Library –CreateandanalyzeRFlinksbetweenmultipleassets.
insight3D Visualization Library (formerly “Point Break”) –Addahigh-performance,flexible,3Dvisualizationcomponentforaccuratedisplayofspatialdata.
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USiNg Agi’S COMPONENT TECHNOLOgY
Addcapabilityviaaserverapplicationtofitintoyourservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)
ReplacelegacycapabilitieswithAGI-maintained components
Adda3Dcapability
AGIComponent
NEW LigHTWEigHT APPLiCATiON
YOUR APPLiCATiON
aPPlYIng constructIVe solId geoMetrY In agI coMPonentsDevelopingthecodebaseforAGIComponentshasprovideduswithanopportunitytoimprovethetechniquesweusetosolvecertainproblemsbyarchitecturalimprovementstoourcorealgorithms.Thewayweevaluatethefieldofviewvolume ofasensorinordertoconstrainaccess isanexampleofsuchanimprovement.
Computingaccessinvolvesdeterminingthetimeinterval(s)whenaparticularconstraintissatisfied.Mathematically,thistranslates tofindingthetimeswhenthevalueofametriccrossesaspecifiedthreshold.Robustroot-findingandextremum-findingalgorithmsareemployedtofindthetimeswhichstartandendeachaccessinterval andensurethatnointervalsaremissed.
Forsimpleconstraintslikeelevationangle, it’squiteeasytoprovideametric.Forcomplexconstraintssuchasbeingwithinthefieldofviewofasensor,supplyingasinglemetrictoindicatecrossingtheboundaryofthesensor’sfieldofviewcanbequitedifficult.
Consideracomplexconicalsensorvolumedefinedbyanouterconicalregionofinclusionwitha45°half-angle,aninnerconicalregionofexclusionwitha15°half-angle,andaradial
rangelimitof10km.Providingasinglemetricwhichcanbeusedtodeterminecrossingsofthissensorvolumewithitscomplexboundarycanbeproblematic.Indeed,inSTK,therangelimitistreatedasaseparateconstraintwithitsownmetrictotrackfordeterminingthresholdcrossings.
IndesigningtheaccesssystemforAGIComponents,wedecidedtoallowconstraintstoberepresentedbyasetofmetricswhichmustbemutuallysatisfiedinordertoindicatesatisfactionoftheoverallconstraint.Wethenusethismechanisminconjunctionwithatechniquefromsolidmodelingknown asConstructiveSolidGeometry(CSG) torepresentthesensor’sfieldofview.
CSGallowsacomplexshapetobedefinedbycombiningmuchsimplergeometricshapes.ThethreeBooleanoperationsofunion,intersection,andcomplementareusedtocombinethesimplegeometricshapes,oftenreferredtoas“primitives,” toyieldacomplexshape.
So,asshowninthefigure,ourcomplexconicalsensorvolumeexamplecanbeexpressedusingCSGprimitivesastheintersectionofasphereof10kmradiuswithaconehavinga45°half-angleandwiththecomplement(exterior)ofaconehavinga15°half-angle.Insteadofusing asinglemetrictotrackthresholdcrossings
Agi DEVELOPERS’ CORNER
forthiscomplexvolume,weusethreemetricsandtrackthresholdcrossings foreachofthethreeprimitives.
Atanyparticulartime,forapointtobewithintheresultingsensorfieldofviewvolume,itmustbewithinthe10kmsphereandwithinthe45°half-angleconeandnotwithinthe15°half-anglecone.
Inordertodeterminethetimeintervalswhenapointpasseswithinthesensor’sfieldofview,wecanfirstdeterminetheintervalswhenthepointiswithinthe10kmsphericalprimitive.Fromthoseresultingintervalswedeterminetheintervalswhenthepointiswithinthe45°conicalprimitive.Andfromthoseresultingintervalswedeterminetheintervalswhenthepointisnotwithinthe15°conicalprimitive.Thesefinalintervalsare theintervalswhenthepointpasseswithinthiscomplexsensorfieldofviewvolume.
Therectangularpyramid,complexconic,andsyntheticapertureradarsensorfieldofviewvolumescurrentlysuppliedwithAGIComponentsusethismechanismwhendeterminingaccess.Additionally,thisapproachofusingCSGindeterminingaccesstocomplexthree-dimensionalgeometricshapesisnotlimitedinapplicationtosensorfieldofviewvolumes.InfuturereleasesofAGIComponents,weplantoopenupthearchitecturetoallowcustomvolumestobedefinedusingCSGtechniques.Thesevolumescouldbeusedtodetermineaccessforsensorswithdefectiveregions,controlledairspaces,defendedspaces,andothercomplexthree-dimensionalregionsofinterest.
LearnmoreaboutAGIComponentsatwww.agi.com/AGIComponents-Documentation.
March2009iNViEW 13
Frank StonerisasenioraerospacesoftwareengineeratAGI.HeisaleaddesigneranddeveloperofAGIComponents.
CSg primitives and operations for representing a conical sensor of finite content with an inner conical region of exclusion.
Agi DEVELOPERS’ CORNER
stk/astrogator’s new scrIPtIng tool STK/Astrogator,ourinteractiveorbitmaneuverandspacecrafttrajectorydesignsoftware,incorporatesanew“ScriptingTool”withthereleaseofSTK9.ThetoolgivessatellitemissiondesignersaconvenientwaytoaddlogicalfunctionsandoperationstoSTK/Astrogatorsegments.
Forexample,youcanusetheScriptingTooltoimplementtheLambertproblemsolutionasaninitialguesstoolforinterplanetarytrajectories.Youcanspecifythetimeofflightdesired,STKwillcomputetheplanetarypositions,andtheScriptingToolwillcalculatetherequireddelta-V
toplacethespacecraftonthetransferorbit.Fromhere,moredetailedtargetingusingsubsequentsearchprofilesispossible.
Anotherusecase(perhapsthemostcommonlyrequested)hastodowithtwomaneuversinsideaTargetSequencethatarerelatedsomehow—eithertheuserneedstohavethesamevalueorthere isaratiowhichdescribestherelationship.TheScriptingToolallowsthisproblemtobesolvedeasily.Createtwosegmentproperties,linkthemtothemaneuvers’delta-Vsorotherattributes,createauser-definedvariable,andsetthemaneuvers’attributesusingthisvariableasthecommonbondbetweenthetwo.ThisvariablecanthenbetargetedbysearchprofilesintheTargetSequence,sothatifyouonlyknowtheratiobutneedtosolvefortheactualvalues,thevariableisusedasthecontrolandthevaluesareappliedduringtherun.
TheScriptingToolallowsyoutouseJavaScriptorVBScripttoperformanumberoffunctions:augmentedcontrolovertheexecutionoftheMissionControlSequence(MCS),combiningcontrolswithsomerelationship,andpropagatingavaluethroughthesettingsoftheMCS.TheScriptingToolcanbefoundonSequences,BackwardSequences,theDifferentialCorrectorsearchprofile,thenewDesignExplorerOptimizerprofile,anypluginsearchprofile,andasastandalonetargeterprofile.
TousetheScriptingTool,youspecifysegmentproperties,calculationobjects,
anduser-definedvariables.Withthesetermsset,youthenwriteascriptinsidetheSTK/AstrogatoruserinterfaceusingJavaScriptorVBScriptthatexecutesanytimethesegment orprofiletowhichthescriptisattachedisrun.
SincetheScriptingToolusestheJavaScriptandVBScriptenvironments,youhaveaccess toadditionalfunctionalitysuchastheabilitytosende-mailorcreatepop-upinputboxes.
AlloftheseexcitingpossibilitiesandmoreareprovidedviathenewScriptingTool,availableinSTK/Astrogatorversion9.
addIng real-tIMe data to Your PIcture UsingtheGlobalCOPinAGI’sReal-TimeTrackingTechnology(RT3),youcanbuildademonstrationthatdisplaysmorethan25,000real-timetracks,representingtheactualpositionofships,planes,andsatelliteswithMicrosoftVirtualEarthimageryandanalyticalprocessinginrealtime.RT3enablesSTK9toreceivedatafrommultiplereal-timedatasourcesatdifferentupdaterates.Currently,GlobalCOPreceivesdatafromUSSTRATCOM,theFAA,andallmaritimetrafficmonitorsbytheMarineTraffic.comproject.
AGIproductsusedinthescenario(shownbelow):
• STK9
• RT3
• GISAnalyst
• MicrosoftVirtualEarth
• AGIComponents(forreal- timesatellitepropagation)
ForadditionalinformationaboutRT3andhowitcansupportyourreal-timedataneeds,andtoseetheGlobalCOPdemo,contactyourAGIAccountExecutiveorvisitwww.agi.com/rt3.
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Paul Black isanaerospaceengineerinAGI’sResearchandDevelopmentdepartment,workingspecificallyontheSTK/Astrogatorproduct.
STK/Astrogator’s new scripting tool allows you to write a script inside the uI using Javascript or Vbscript that executes any time the segment or profile to which the script is attached is run. for example, you can use the scripting tool to implement the lambert problem solution as an initial guess tool for interplanetary trajectories.
>> You can specify the time of flight desired, STK will compute the planetary positions, and the Scripting Tool will calculate the required delta-V to place the spacecraft on the transfer orbit. <<
Agi DEVELOPERS’ CORNER
ProVIdIng VIsual InsIght wIth oVerlaYs and lInes on terraIn Insight3D(formerlyknownbythecodename“PointBreak”)isourhigh-performance,flexible,3Dvisualizationcomponentforaccuratedisplayofspatialdata.Insight3DuserscanreadimageryfromWMSservers,useprimitivestoformthebuildingblocksofthe3Dscene,andbaseamodel’spositionandorientationonapointandaxiscreatedwiththeDynamicGeometryLibrarycomponent.Thelatestincarnationincludestwoexcitingnewfeaturesrelatedtooverlaysandlinesonterrain.
OverlaysOverlaysaregraphicalelementsthatarealwaysfixedtothescreen.Withoverlays,developerscanembedinteractiveGUIswithinthe3Dscene,createhead-updisplays,addacompassorcompanylogo,orshowcontextualinformationaboutaprimitive orlocationastheviewermovesnearit.
OverlayscanalsobecreatedfromKMLscreenoverlays.UsingInsight3D’sframeworkforstreamingtextures,youcanevenembedinteractiveUIcomponentsfromothertechnologieslikeMicrosoft’s.NETWindowsFormsandWPFdirectlywithinthe3Dscene.
Ofcourse,adevelopercanalsoplacetheirownimages,video,andtextonthescreen,rendercomplexpolygonswithmultipleholes
andcustomtexturecoordinates,usepickingtocreateinteractiveinterfaces,andupdateoverlaysdynamicallywithtimeorbasedonconditionsinthe3Dscene,suchasvieweraltitudeordistancetoaprimitive.
Ifanexistingoverlaydoesnotmeetadeveloper’srequirements,theycanuse theoverlaypluginarchitectureforfull controloverrendering,oruseexistingoverlaytypestocreateaggregateoverlaysthatactasiftheywereasingleoverlay.
LiketherestofInsight3D,overlayshavebeendesignedtobehighperformance,andprovidearobustsetoffeaturesthatwillallowanydevelopertocreateflexibleandattractiveinterfacesanddisplaysintheir3Dscene.Fractionalandabsolutepositioningandsizing,aggregation,efficienttransformations,translucency/coloradjustments,andcustomizablebordersarejustafewofthemanyfeaturesthatInsight3Doverlaysprovide.
Lines on TerrainOften,userswanttovisualizevectordata,suchasroadsandinternationalborders,aslinesonterrain.STKhashadsuchanoptionforareatargets,linetargets,groundvehicletracks,etc.Whileourrenderingalgorithmworks,linescanconfronttwovisualissues:abrokenordashedappearanceandsmearingdownsteepterrain,likeamountainside.
ForInsight3D,wehavebeenworkingonauniquenewalgorithmtoaddresstheseissues,asseenbelow.
Wehopetoallowchangesinlinethicknessandarealsoresearchingwaystoaddlinepatterns,suchasdashesanddots.Alevel-of-detailalgorithmwillbeappliedtolinesdrawnonterrainandtolinesingeneral. Thatalgorithmaddsandremovesdetailfromalinebasedontheviewer’sdistancefromthelinetoimproverenderingspeedwhilemaintainingvisualquality.
LearnmoreaboutInsight3Dathttp://blogs.agi.com/Insight3D,andthendownloadthesoftwarefromtheAGIDeveloperNetwork:adn.agi.com.
March2009iNViEW 15
Using insight3D’s framework, you can embed interactive guIs within the 3d scene, including components from other technologies like Microsoft’s .net windows forms and wPf.
Lines on terrain formerly confronted visual issues such as a broken or dashed appearance and smearing down steep terrain. a new algorithm will allow changes in line thickness and patterns.
Before & Typical After
Deron Ohlarikisaseniorsoftwareengineer,provid-ingtechnicalleadershipforthe3Dteam,includingdevelopmentofSTK’ster-rainandimageryengine.HedevelopsthecoregeometricandrenderingalgorithmsforInsight3D.
Michael Bartholomew isasoftwareengineerfo-cusedonthedevelopmentoftheInsight3Dengine.Beforejoiningthe3Dteam,MichaelworkedonarangeofAGIproducts,including STKEngineandRT3.
Agi iNTERNATiONAL
tMe sYsteMs serVes southeast asIaTMESystems,thepremierdistributioncenterofnewtechnologiesinSoutheastAsiaandaSingaporeSME500company,hasjoinedAGI’sglobalbusinesspartnerprogram.Thecompanywillmarket,sell,andsupportAGIproductsinSingapore,Malaysia,Indonesia,Thailand,andBrunei.
“AsSoutheastAsiancountriesfurtherinvestintechnologiesthatservetheseindustries,havingouranalysissoftwarereadilyavailablewillreducethetime,cost,andriskofimportantnationalefforts,”saysDeepDamle,AGI’svicepresidentofinternationalsales.
“WiththeintegrationofAGI’sindustry-standardsoftware,TMESystemswillcontinueprovidingourcustomerscutting-edgedefenseandaerospacetechnology inareassuchasC4ISR,unmannedsystems,andhomelandsecurity,”saysRonaldSoo,TMESystemsmanagingdirector.
HeadquarteredinSingaporewithbranchofficesinKualaLumpurandPenangandaffiliatesinBangkokandIndonesia,TMESystemscaterstotheneedsofvariousindustries.Formoreinformation,[email protected].
kceI sIgns on as new agI software ProVIder AGIispleasedtoannounceanewpartnershipwithKCEI,theRepublicofKorea’sleadingproviderofvirtualrealitytechnologysolutionsfortechnicalmodeling&simulation(M&S).Throughthisstrategicaffiliation,KCEIwillmarket,sell,andsupportAGIproductsinitsregion,furtherbolsteringthelongstandingU.S.-SouthKoreaalliance.
“KCEI’sestablishedM&Sexpertiseis afantasticcomplementtooursoftware’sapplicationareas,especiallyunmannedaircraftsystems,battlespacemanagement,andgeospatialintelligence,”saysPaulGraziani,AGIpresidentandCEO.“ByintegratingAGI’sindustry-standardsoftwareintoourM&Ssolutions,KCEIwillcontinueprovidingourcustomersleadingtechnologyforavarietyofimportantspaceandnationaldefenseinitiatives,”saysHyunJoonKo,KCEIpresidentandCEO.
KCEI(KoreaCyberEngineeringInnovation),headquarteredinSeoul,Korea,wasfoundedin1982andleadsthe“informationsciencetechnologyfield”asatechnicalmodeling&simulation(M&S)companyusingvirtualrealitytechnology.Formore,visitwww.kcei.com.
AustraliaBrunei France Spain Germany
Greece
Israel
India
Indonesia
Italy United Kingdom Japan Korea
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Turkey
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
New Zealand
United Arab Emirates
agI’s global busIness Partner network
AgENiUM groupe gMSPAZiO s.r.l Tukom MEDiCON Ltd. Synergy integration Ltd infoTRON A.S. iTglobe india
TME Systems Hungchi Aerospace Service Company KCEi Co., Ltd. imageONE Co., Ltd. Auspace Pty Ltd. Agi UK Ltd. Agi
16iNViEW March2009
suPPortIng the sIngaPore sPace challenge AGI,alongwithitsMalaysianbusinesspartnerTMESystems,issponsoringthesecondSingaporeSpaceChallenge(SSC).OrganizedbytheSingaporeSpaceandTechnologyAssociation,theSSCchallengestertiary-educationstudentstolaunchasatelliteorsystemofsatellitesintolowEarthorbit(LEO)toobserveseawaysaroundSingaporeandneighboringcountriesfordistresssignalsthatmightaidsearchandrescue(SAR)andpirateactivitymonitoringefforts.
AGIisdonatingmorethan$100,000worthofitsspacemissiondesignandplanningSTKsoftwaretoeachcompetingteam.TMESystemswilltechnicallysupporttheteams’useofthesoftware.Finalentriesaredueby30April2009,andresultswillbepublished atwww.space.org.sgon30June2009.
“WeareproudtojoinwithAGIinsponsoringtheSSC.WehopeourexperiencewithAGI’ssoftwareandsupportforAsia’saerospaceindustrywillbeabenefittotheteamscompetinginthisinspirationalchallenge,”saysRonaldSoo,TMESystemsmanagingdirector.
Agi EDUCATiON
MasterflIght foundatIon PrograM for teens traIns neXt-generatIon rocket scIentIsts on agI software TheMasterflightFoundation’sAerospaceEducation,STEM[Science,Technology,Engineering,andMath]OperationsProgram(AESOP)hasinstitutedtheuseofAGIsoftwaretoachieveitsongoinggoalto“makeadifferenceintheaerospaceindustry,includingthefieldsofscience,technology,engineering,andmathematicsbyincreasingaccesstothefieldforyoungpeople,especiallywomenandpeopleofcolor.”
TheAESOPprogramfollowstheMasterflightAerospaceCareerExploration(ACE)Academyinitiative,inwhichhighschoolstudentsparticipatedinanintensiveweeklong,hands-onaerospacecourse.ThroughtheAESOPprogram,studentsareinvolvedinayear-longaerospaceeducationcoursethatincludesrocketdesigncompetition;physicalfitnesstrainingthroughthePresidentialChampionsprogram;communityservicesuchaseducatingandactingasrolemodelsformathandsciencestudentsageskindergartenthrougheighthgrade;PrivatePilotcertificationgroundschoolcompletion;flighttraining;and,throughAGI,becomingSTK-certifiedrocketscientists.
InsupportofoneofMasterflight’sgoalsoftrainingtomorrow’sspaceanalystsandorbitalmechanics,AGIhasgrantedAESOPparticipantssoftwarelicensesthroughitsEducationalAllianceProgram.Thisprogramprovidesfreesoftwaretoglobaleducationalinstitutions.StudentsarealsocreatinganintroductiontoSTK,orSTK101,inwhichfundamentalsimportanttobeginninguseofAGIsoftware,includingmathandorbitalmechanicsprimers,arecovered.
Togetherwithateamofnationalleadersinyouth,STEMeducation,andcommunity-basedsocialchange,theMasterflightFoundationwaslaunchedin2006byCapt.MordechaiLevin,winneroftheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics’2008BarryM.GoldwaterAerospaceEducatorAward—giventoanindividualofnationalstaturewhohassupported theadvancementofscienceandtechnologyincommerceandeducationatalllevels.
JoIn the educatIonal allIance PrograMSince1996,morethan200globalcolleges,universities,militarytraininginstitutions,nonprofiteducationalinstitutions,highschools,andevenelementaryandmiddleschools,havereceivedmorethan$1billionworthofcomplimentarysoftwarethroughAGI’sEducationalAllianceProgram.TheprogramoffersparticipantsfreeaccesstoAGI’sSTKsoftwaresuite,OrbitDeterminationToolKitdesktopapplication,andSTKCertification—acommercialvalueinexcessof$100,000.
Visitwww.agi.com/eduto:
• Reviewalistofcurrentpartnersandlearnhowtojoin.
• AccessAGI’snewSpaceEducationCurriculum.
• WatchvideotutorialsongettingstartedwithSTK.
• Downloadinteractivecurriculumtools;teacherresources;studentprojectsandpresentations;andmuchmore.
Welookforwardtosharingourinnovativetechnologieswiththerocketscientistsoftomorrow!
agI congratulates aIaa educator achIeVeMent award recIPIents TwoeducatorsinvolvedinAGI’sEducationalAllianceProgramwerenamedrecipientsofTheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics(AIAA)Foundation’sEducatorAchievementAward:RichardCrawfordofMiddletonHighSchool,Tampa,FL,andKennethHuffofMillMiddleSchool,Williamsville,NY.BothteachersuseSTKsoftwareintheirclassrooms.TheAIAAawardispresentedbiannuallytoeducatorswhodemonstrateexemplaryeffortsinexcitingK-12studentsaboutthestudyofmath,science,andrelatedtechnicalstudiesandpreparingthemtouseandcontributetotomorrow’stechnologies.CrawfordandHuffwillbehonoredatagalaceremonyinWashington,D.C.,onMay13.
March2009iNViEW 17
The Masterflight Foundation aerospace career exploration academy trains tomorrow’s space analysts and orbital mechanics with stk.
Richard Crawford MiddletonHighSchool, Tampa,FL
Kenneth HuffMillMiddleSchool, Williamsville,NY
Agi OUT AND ABOUT
bolster Your software skIlls wIth hands-on traInIng Soyou’vepurchasedordownloadedAGIsoftware…nowwhat?Thereisnobetterwaytolearnourproductlinethanbydoing.Hereareourrecommendationsforhands-ontrainingbyskilllevel:
New/Novice Users:• STK Fundamentals: Thisone-daycoursegivesyouaguidedtourthroughourSTKBasicEditionsoftware.Youwilllearnhowtobuildascenario;analyzeresultswithreportingandgraphingtools;enhance thescenariowithreal-worldconstraints;andfinally,viewthescenarioin2D/3D.
• Agi Component Technology:GetanintroductiontoAGI’snewcomponentlibraries,learnhowtoincorporatethemintocustomapplications,anddevelopyourownWebserviceapplicationduringthisone-daytraining.BasicprogrammingexperienceandunderstandingofMicrosoftCOMisrecommended.
intermediate/Advanced Users: • STK Comprehensive: Thisweeklongclass(withoptionalpreliminarySTKFundamentalsday)willteachyouhowtousetheSTKsoftwaresuitetodesignmissionenvironments,analyzeyourmission,optimizeyourmission,andfinally,reportresultsviagraphs,reports,stillimages,3Dmodels,2Dand3Dmovies,andAGIViewerfiles.This
isTHEcoursetotaketodevelopafullunderstandingofSTKExpertEditionandallofitsassociatedmodules.
• Programmers’ Workshop:StudentswillexplorebasicSTKconcepts,theintegrationofSTKwithotherapplications,andthedevelopmentofcustomapplicationsandGUIsusingtheSTKEngineandtheAGICustomApplicationFramework.Thisfour-daycoursecanbetakenonitsown,ortheAGIComponentTechnologyclasscanbeaddedforamorecompletelookatAGI’sdevelopmentproducts.
• STK/Communications:Thistwo-dayclassseekstoprovideattendeeswithacomprehensiveunderstandingofcommunicationssystemsandhowtoaccuratelymodelcommunicationsanalysesusingSTK.
• STK/Missile Modeling Tools:Thisone-daycoursebuildsupon“STKFundamentals” byteachingstudentshowtodesigncustommissiles,simulatemissiletrajectories,assessinterceptfeasibility,importexternalattitudeandephemeris,andperformautomatedtradestudies.
• Trajectory Design with STK/Astrogator: AGI’sfour-daySTK/Astrogatorcoursewillfamiliarizestudentswiththecapabilitiesofthesoftwareformissionplanningandoperations.AttendeescreateexamplescenariosthatillustrateparticularfeaturesanddemonstratefundamentalSTK/Astrogatorconcepts.ThiscourseisinstructedbyAGIbusinesspartnersAppliedDefenseSolutionsandSpaceExplorationEngineeringCorporation.
Power Users: • Custom/private Training:Ifourstandardtrainingcoursesarenotofferingexactlywhatyouneed,AGIcancreateanddelivercustomandprivatecourseofferingsbasedonyourspecifications.Thesecoursestypicallyincludethecreationofrelevantcoursewareandotherspecializedtrainingaids,andcanbeheldatanyofourcorporatetraininglocationsoratyourfacility.
• STK Certification: Thisself-studyexaminationrecognizesindividualswithconsiderableknowledgeofSTK.Thetestformatincludesmultiplechoiceaswell asscenarioandanimationdevelopment.
on the road agaIn HittingthetradeshowcircuitthisspringandhopingtoseealivedemonstrationofAGIsoftwarefromoneofoursubjectmatterexperts?Delvedeeperintomarket-specificsolutionswithusatoneofthefollowingupcomingevents:
• AVALON 2009(withAuspace) March10-15,Geelong,Australia
• 7th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference March23-26,Washington,D.C.
• 25th National Space Symposium March30-April2,ColoradoSprings,CO
• Joint Warfighting Conference 2009 May12-14,VirginiaBeach,CA
• DoDiiS 2009 Worldwide Conference May17-21,Orlando,FL
• CANSEC 2009 May27-29,Ottawa,Canada
• gEOiNT TECH DAYS June3-5,Reston,VA
• ESRi international User Conference July13-17,SanDiego,CA
• AUVSi’s Unmanned Systems North America 2009 August10-13,Washington,D.C.
• 12th Annual Space and Missile Defense Conference & Exhibition August17-20,Huntsville,AL
Downloadable Training Ifyouwouldliketotrainorpracticeonyourown,AGIhasdownloadablePDFexercisesandvideotutorialsavailableonline.Visitwww.agi.com/trainingtoseemore!
Register Today Visitwww.agi.com/trainingforpricinginformation,additionaldetails,andtoregisterfortrainingcomingtoacitynearyou,[email protected].
18iNViEW March2009
Hands-on training is the best way to familiarize yourself with agI’s product line.
Agi PARTNERS
aer brIngs sPace enVIronMent effects to stk AtmosphericandEnvironmentalResearch,Inc.(AER),aproviderofadvancedsciencesolutionsforgovernmentandcommercialapplications,recentlyjoinedAGI’sBusinessPartnerProgram.AERisdevelopingtheSpaceEnvironmentandEffectsToolkit(SEET)forusewithAGI’sSTKsoftwaresuite.SEETmodelsthenear-Earthspaceenvironmentanditsexpectedimpactonspacevehicles.Italsomodelsenergeticparticlefluxandmagneticfielddistributions.ThemoduleisbeingcreatedinpartbyusingcodefromAirForceResearchLab’s(AFRL’s)AF-GEOSPACEsoftwareprogram,whichbringstogethermanyspaceenvironmentmodels,applications,anddatavisualizationproductsdevelopedbytheAFRLandothersinthespaceweathercommunity.SEETwillbereleasedinfall2009.
“AGI’snewpartnershipwithAERwillgreatlybenefitSTKuserswhoneedtotakeintoaccountthespaceenvironment’simpactontheirassetsduringmissiondesign,planning,andoperations,”saysDr.PeterAves,AGIdirectorofPartners&Alliances.AddsNelsonBonito,vicepresidentofAER’sSpaceWeatherandEffectsDivision,“WeareverypleasedtoofferadditionalanalysiscapabilitiestousersofAGI’sindustryleadingSTKsoftwaresuite.”
AdditionaldetailsonAER,SEET,andallAGIbusinesspartnerscanbefoundatwww.agi.com/bp.
transforMIng cad data for stk AnarkCorporation,basedinBoulder,CO,providespowerfulenterprisesoftwareandsolutionstomanufacturingorganizationsthatneedtocost-effectivelyutilizetheir3DCADdataforvisualization,simulation,CAE,andsupply-chaindataexchange.Thecompany,anewAGIbusinesspartner,developsAnarkCore,™aninnovativesoftwaresolutionthattransformsCADdataforimportintoSTK.ThissignificantlyreducesthetimeandeffortAGIsoftwareuserscurrentlyspendmanuallypreparingtheir3DCADmodelsintoappropriateformsforusewithSTK.
AnarkCorecanprovidehigh-precisionorlightweighttessellatedmeshoutput,andhasseveraldefeaturingtools,allowingforquickpart,hole,andfilletremoval.Theentireconversionprocessisstoredina“recipe”andcanbeautomated,eliminatingcostlymanualre-workwhendesignschange.AnarkhasalsoincorporatedproductfeaturesthataddressthespecificneedsofSTKusers.Formoreinformationonpurchasingthisproductandtowatchapre-recordedwebinaronpreparingCADdataforSTK,visitwww.anark.com.
March2009iNViEW 19
offIcesHEADQUARTERS
220 Valley Creek Boulevard Exton,PA19341USA
Phone:1.800.220.4785 or1.610.981.8000
Fax:1.610.981.8001 E-mail:[email protected] Web:www.agi.com
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Fax:1.202.530.3215
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Phone:1.719.573.2600 Fax:1.719.573.9079
Northern California 2001GatewayPlace
Suite225East SanJose,CA95110
Phone:1.408.451.1450 Fax:1.408.451.1455
Southern California 3760KilroyAirportWay,Suite230
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Fax:1.562.426.1597
iNTERNATiONAL
United Kingdom AnalyticalGraphicsUKLTD. 5StantaBusinessCentre
3SoothouseSpring StAlbansAL36PF
Phone:+44(0)1727812674 E-mail:[email protected]
Web:www.agiuk.co.uk
Madrid, Spain AGIInternational
PlazadelaEncina1-5,Local5 28760TresCantos
Phone:+34918034173 Fax:+34917616116
E-mail:[email protected] Web:www.agi.com/europe
ForafulllistingofAGI’sbusiness,international,andeducationalpartners,visitwww.agi.com/partners.
Tosubscribeto InVieworreadpastissues,visitwww.agi.com/inview.
Screenshot of Van-Allen trapped radiation belts, generated using af-geospace, basis for aer’s space environment and effects toolkit (seet).
Right Answers.Right Now.
AUGUST 18-19, 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C.
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User Presentations Expert AccessSoftware Demonstrations
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Analytical Graphics, Inc.220 Valley Creek Blvd.Exton, PA 19341