computer science

SIMDIS

SIMDIS is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SIMDIS rather than just read about it. In short: SIMDIS is a software toolset developed by Code 5770 at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). The software provides 2D and 3D interactive graphical and video displays of live and postprocessed simulation, test, and operational data.

Key takeaways

SIMDIS belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SIMDIS to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SIMDIS from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SIMDIS is a software toolset developed by Code 5770 at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). The software provides 2D and 3D interactive graphical and video displays of live and postprocessed simulation, test, and operational data. SIMDIS is a portmanteau of simulation and display.

Features SIMDIS runs on Windows, Linux, and Sun Microsystems workstations with hardware-accelerated 3D graphics and provides identical execution and "look and feel" for all supported platforms. SIMDIS provides either a 2D or a 3D display of the normally "seen" data such as platform position and orientation, as well as the "unseen" data such as the interactions of sensor systems with targets, countermeasures, and the environment. It includes custom tools for interactively analyzing and displaying data for equipment modes, spatial grids, ranges, angles, antenna patterns, line of sight and RF propagation. Capability for viewing time synchronized data from either a standalone workstation or multiple networked workstations is also provided. To meet the needs of range operators, simulation users, analysts, and decision makers SIMDIS provides multiple modes of operation including live display, interactive playback, and scripted multimedia modes. It also provides capability for manipulation of post-processed data and integration with charts, graphs, pictures, audio and video for use in the development and delivery of 3-D visual presentations. SIMDIS binaries are released under U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Distribution Statement A, meaning the binaries are approved for public release with unlimited distribution. SIMDIS has been independently accredited and certified by Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force (COMOPTEVFOR) and Joint Forces Command (JFCOM). It has also been approved for use on the Navy/Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI).

Operational use SIMDIS provides support for analysis and display of test and training mission data to more than 4000 users. At the Naval Research Laboratory and other sites, SIMDIS has been used for numerous simulation, test and training applications, analyzing disparate test data in a common frame of reference. SIMDIS is currently an operational display system for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), the Southern California Offshore Range (SCORE), and the Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program’s (CTEIP) Test and Training Enabling Architecture (TENA). In addition to the Defense community, SIMDIS has also gained acceptance in various other U.S. government organizations and in the foreign community.

The SIMDIS SDK The SIMDIS Software Development Kit (SDK) is a C++ framework providing functionality to create 3D scenes consisting of objects whose position and state change with time that are placed relative to a geographic map. The SIMDIS SDK is the underlying application framework supporting SIMDIS. Around 2017, SIMDIS released its SDK on GitHub.

Cost Since SIMDIS requires no additional COTS products or license fees, the Range Commanders Council (RCC) currently lists SIMDIS as a cost savings/avoidance program for the US Department of Defense.

See also Office of Naval Research (ONR), a sponsor of SIMDIS development Interactive Scenario Builder

References

External links SIMDIS Website SIMDIS SDK 2005 NRL Review Article 2002 NRL Review Article TEC Army Survey Defense / Military Virtual Terrain Projects This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Navy

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SIMDIS

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SIMDIS claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SIMDIS before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SIMDIS ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SIMDIS

In research: SIMDIS appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SIMDIS in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SIMDIS is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 3D graphics software, Cross-platform software, GIS software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SIMDIS outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SIMDIS in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SIMDIS means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SIMDIS out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SIMDIS in simple terms?

Why does SIMDIS matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SIMDIS?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SIMDIS.