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Screen shot from Compendium mission control modeling session |
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Collaboratively Modeling Mission Control at NASA
Maarten Sierhuis
11.03.06
A group from the NASA Ames Research Center recently held a workshop for collaboratively modeling the work processes for Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) mission control.
BACKGROUND:
The Work Systems Design & Evaluation group at NASA Ames Research Center is engaged in modeling and simulating mission operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. The overall objective of the Mission Operations Design and Analysis Toolkit (MODAT) project is to show how detailed mission operations modeling and simulation can be used in the analysis and design of new mission operations at JSC. The hypothesis is that our Work Systems Design & Evaluation approach, using workplace observation and collaborative modeling and simulation of current and future work processes, brings more rigorous model-based work systems engineering to the design of mission operations at NASA.
HIGHLIGHT:
We held a two-day (2/24 & 2/27) Work Process Modeling workshop at JSC's Mission Control. The workshop was part of a "knowledge acquisition" exercise of mission operations at JSC. The objective of the workshop was to learn as quickly as possible (in two days), as much as possible (talking to as many subject matter experts as possible) about the work process in the Space Shuttle Flight Control Room at JSC.
We used a collaborative modeling approach. This approach is based on a method and a tool for modeling work processes, together and interactively with subject matter experts (SMEs). The method is called Conversational Modeling. In this method a group facilitator focusses the discussion with SMEs on a particular scenario relevant to the work process. In this case we used the scenario of a Shuttle launching and docking with the Space Station. We limited the discussion around this scenario. The objective of the facilitated discussion was to model the work a SME is doing within the scenario.
To do this we use Compendium, an Open Source, freely downloadable tool (http://compendium.open.ac.uk). Compendium is essentially a multi-media hypertext database, specifically geared towards capturing and representing information for projects. One of the uses of Compendium is facilitating groups in meetings dealing with wicked problems [Conklin, 2006]. Wicked problems are problems that do not have a simple linear solution.
As part of Compendium, we have developed a systems modeling framework (called World Modeling) in which we can model any type of system, but specifically complex human-machine systems. The work system of mission control at JSC is such a complex human-machine system, and the understanding of how mission operations is done is a wicked problem.
During the two days, we invited several Shuttle control room flight controllers and some of their managers to come in at specific time slots. These were our SMEs. During a "SME session," Sierhuis facilitated a discussion about the SME's work during the "launch-to-docking" scenario. This discussion was modeled in real-time in Compendium displayed on a large LCD projection screen, by Selvin as the Compendium modeler. The modeling approach followed a kind of question-and-answer format, in which detailed process and data flows were generated, as well as specific work activities, interaction with systems and communication with other flight controllers.
The result of this two-day workshop is that we collaboratively, with the SME's, modeled the work of six fight controller positions during a launch to docking phase of a Shuttle mission.
These static Compendium hypertext models will now serve as input for the development of a detailed agent-based work process simulation of this scenario. For this we will use NASA Ames' Brahms multi-agent modeling and simulation environment (http://www.agentisolutions.com). We will develop this detailed simulation over the coming months. The simulation will enable us to generate relevant metrics about the current work process.
After the modeling and simulation of the current Shuttle/Station mission operation work process we will go back to the JSC SMEs and do a verification and validation workshop. After this, we will improve the simulation model. Then we will move to the next phase of the project. In this next phase we will do another collaborative modeling workshop in which we will collaboratively model a similar scenario, but now for the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) launch to docking with the International Space Station. This will be a so-called Future Implementation Model of how CEV operations might be done in the future. Comparing the current and future work process simulations and their metrics will now be possible.
Intelligent Systems Division (Code TI)
Collaborative and Assistant Systems Research Area
Work Systems Design and Evaluation Group
This work was funded by Johnson Space Center Directed Discretionary Funds (CDDF).
MODAT TEAM: Tom Diegelman (JSC), Chin Seah (ARC/SAIC), Bill Clancey (ARC), Maarten Sierhuis (ARC/RIACS), Valerie Shalin (Wright State Univ), Al Selvin (Compendium Consultant)
Contact: Maarten Sierhuis (msierhuis@mail.arc.nasa.gov), Bill Clancey (William.J.Clancey@nasa.gov), Tom Diegelman (thomas.e.diegelman@nasa.gov)
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