AD4 Projekt

The key objective of the AD4 project is the enhancement of a 3D Virtual Reality system, called D3 (D-cube), for the real time visual representation and manipulation of data in the field of Air Traffic Management and Control, both in open space (enroute) as well as at Airport level.

top

Challenges

Future scenarios do not simply involve an increase in air traffic; new forms of co-operation and co-ordination are expected to emerge.New ways of representing the information, while not necessarily decreasing workload, provide an opportunity to reduce existing knowledge gaps, supporting optimal decisions making.

The AD4 project aims to build an innovative Virtual Air-Space representation for ATM system, providing valuable benefits to support efficient control systems where 3D real time interaction with air traffic/airport space is accessible to the controllers.

AD4 system is based on Secure Middleware, and realised in a component orientd way. The development is supported by software tools which are based on Model Driven Architecture technology.

top

AD4 Tool Chain

The key objective of the AD4 project is the enhancement of a 3D Virtual Reality system, called D3 platform. The targeted AD4 platform should be improved by means of the model-driven software development tool chain that was specified and realized in the project. The idea is not to implement the whole tool chain, but to combine most suitable existing development tools for different development project purposes in an open development infrastructure, and realize just model transformers which automate the transitions between the tools and profiles which provide AD4 specific representation means.

We use UML2 language to specify the AD4 system components in a n abstract way. UML2 models can be stored in a repository which is located in the AD4 control application. UML2 models are transformed into CORBA Components (CCM) models by using transformers. The last step is to transform the CCM models into CCM components. The following tools and techniques are supported by the AD4 tool chain:

• UML2 tool for PIM/PSM and metamodel specification
• UML profile for CCM to be able to represent graphically the CCM repository contents and to model CCM applications directly
• UML2 (PIM) and CCM (PSM) Metamodels
• Transformer for PIM'PSM model transformation
• Generators for IDL and CIDL files, C++ servants, C++ business skeletons and deployment and configuration files from the CCM repository

Working with the AD4 tool chain greatly improves the system develoment time and automatize the platform specific modelling of system details. The usage of the AD4 tool chain follows these steps:

• system specification with  the eUML Modeler based on customized Enterprise Architect (manual step)
• transformation into the CCM (automated step with the AD4 model transformers), if needed, refine model
• code generation (automated step with the AD4 code generators
• deploy on the execution framework
• rapid creation of the system in a well structured, consistent and automated way

top

Secure Middleware

SecureMiddleware provides a state of the art runtime platform based on an enhanced version of the OMG CORBA Components Model (CCM), as well as an open source edition of our OpenPMF policy management framework for the definition, management and enforcement of security policies, and a development tool chain based on the OMG Model Driven Architecture (MDA). This unique and innovative combination allows a rapid development even of the most complex applications directly from an abstract model based design.

The core of SecureMiddleware (the Qedo implementation) is based on the OMG CORBA Components Model (CCM). Its main concepts are containers and components. Containers provide a flexible runtime environment and handle all communications between components and the Quality of Service properties of the application. Components implement the pure business application logic.

top

Partner

NEXT-Ingegneria dei Sistemi SpA, Italy
ENAV SpA, Italy
VITROCISET SpA, Italy
Middlesex University  Interaction Design Center (IDC), UK
SICTA SpA, Italy
Fraunhofer FOKUS, Germany
Object Security, UK
Digital Video SpA, Italy
European Software Institute, Spain
Space Applications, SA