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SURVIVE
SURVIVE is a stochastic, 1-on-1 and 1-on-N
analysis tool designed to allow
inexperienced users to conduct robust
studies of multiple target acquisition,
lethality, survivability, and mobility
technologies integrated into a single system
(e.g., a ground combat vehicle). The
application’s event-driven, multi-agent
architecture implemented a novel means of
coordinating the independent behaviors of
multiple, concurrently operating software
entities. We also incorporated a Structured
Query Language (SQL) metrics engine designed
to allow managers, systems engineers,
analysts, and tester to rapidly conduct
hi-resolution performance tradeoff studies.
How did we do? Judge for yourself.
In 2002, the Department of the Army asked
our customer to compare the performance of
two advanced survivability technologies
being considered for use on FCS platforms.
To complete this study, our customer used 4
senior subject matter experts; the study
took six months to complete.
During the Army’s SURVIVE accreditation
effort, a junior analyst, with no knowledge
of the previous study used the SURVIVE model
to investigate the benefits and burdens of
two advanced ground vehicle survivability
technologies. The analyst:
·
Spent two weeks collecting certified data to
use in the model;
·
Required one day to enter the performance
data into SURVIVE and conduct some test runs
of the application;
·
Spent one day
running multiple iterations and excursions
with the SURVIVE model; and,
·
Spent two days formatting the model’s output
into a suitable presentation.
The junior analyst’s results were virtually
identical to the results of the baseline
study.
Click
here to read more about SURVIVE
in an article that our Army customer
published in the RDECOM magazine.
Following our delivery of SURVIVE, our
customer directed significant changes to the
validated SURVIVE architecture. These
changes required us to re-design the system
architecture AND implement additional
functionality found in 20-year-old
FORTRAN-based engineering models.
In response to these new directives, HTA’s
software team designed, tested, and
implemented a new analytic architecture,
designed, validated, and implemented over
300 new graphic user interface screens, and
incorporated all additional functional
requirements into the new, SURVIVE 2.0
application. During this new phase of
development, we also implemented Six
Sigma-based software tools designed to
reduce overall development risk and our
error rates.
After 8 months of design, development,
coding, and testing, HTA delivered its first
functional module. This module consisted of
over 383,000 lines of code.
On their initial checkout of the complete
module, our customer found only 7 errors
(e.g., “bugs”).
This equates to a software defect rate of
less than 0.002%.
Unfortunately, the cost of the Global War on
Terror (GOTW) led to the premature
termination of the SURVIVE 2.0 development
effort. Despite this unfortunate event,
Horton Technical Associates is proud of its
accomplishments with the SURVIVE
application and with SURVIVE 2.0. |
