Aggregate Level Simulation Protocol (ALSP) is a protocol and supporting software that enables simulations to interoperate with one another. Now largely supplanted by High Level Architecture (HLA), it was used by the US military to link analytic and training simulations.
ALSP comprises: 1) ALSP Infrastructure Software (AIS) that provides distributed runtime simulation support and management; 2) A reusable ALSP Interface consisting of generic data exchange message protocols; and 3) Participating simulations adapted for use with ALSP.
History
In 1990, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) employed The MITRE Corporation to study the application of distributed interactive simulation principles employed in SIMNET to aggregate-level constructive training simulations. Based on prototype efforts, a community-based experiment was conducted in 1991 to extend SIMNET to link the US Army's Corps Battle Simulation (CBS)[1] and the US Air Force's Air Warfare Simulation (AWSIM)[2]. The success of the prototype and users' recognition of the value of this technology to the training community led to development of production software. The first ALSP confederation, providing air-ground interactions between CBS and AWSIM, supported three major exercises in 1992.
By 1995, ALSP had transitioned to a multi-Service program with simulations representing the US Army (CBS), the US Air Force (AWSIM), the US Navy (RESA), the US Marine Corps (MTWS), electronic warfare (JECEWSI), logistics (CSSTSS), and intelligence (TACSIM)[3]. The program had also transitioned from DARPA’s research and development emphasis to mainstream management by the US Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI)[4]
Contributions
ALSP developed and demonstrated key aspects of distributed simulation, many of which were applied in the development of HLA.
- No central node so that
References
- Mary C. Fischer, March 1996, "Joint Training Confederation", U. S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command, published in Proceedings of the First International Simulation Technology and Training (SimTecT) Conference, 25-26 March 1996, Melbourne, Australia.
- R.M. Weatherly, A.L. Wilson, B.S. Canova, E.H. Page, A.A. Zabek, M.C. Fischer, January 1996, "Advanced Distributed Simulation Through the Aggregate Level Simulation Protocol", published in Proceedings of the 29th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Volume 1, pp. 407-415, Wailea, Hawaii, 3-6 January.
- Mary C. Fischer, September 1995, "Joint Simulated Battlefield", U. S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command, published in Proceedings of the 36th Defence Research Group (DRG) Seminar on Modeling and Simulation, 5-8 September 1995, Washington, D.C.
- Richard Weatherly, Annette Wilson, and Sean Griffin, December 1993, "ALSP - Theory, Experience, and Future Directions", The MITRE Corporation. A paper presented at the 1993 Winter Computer Simulation Conference in Los Angles, California.